Banned
I will be celebrating Banned Books Week in honor of my own experience of book-banning.
The summer before my junior year of high school, our summer reading list included One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey and Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. There were others, but those are the two I remember most vividly. Why do I remember them? Because when we returned to school my junior year I found out they had been removed from the summer reading list. It seems that my best friend’s mother challenged their inclusion on the reading list because of coarse language. She didn’t want her daughter reading those books, and she didn’t think they were appropriate for anyone else to read, either. The interesting thing about all of this is that 1) my best friend had one of the world’s foulest mouths when her mother wasn’t around and 2) those books weren’t required reading. They were two amongst several that we had to choose from.
In an effort to keep the peace between my best friend, her mother, and my mother, I chose other books to read. As a result, I have never read either One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest or Slaughterhouse Five, both of which have been challenged and banned on numerous occasions all over the country. I originally considered reading Catcher in the Rye to celebrate Banned Books Week, but thought better of it and decided to read one of the two that I didn't have the opportunity to read lo those many years ago.
posted by Mary Beth at 8:50 PM
8 Comments:
That’s awesome! I admire your stand and your ability to keep the peace. So which book are you going to read? Catcher in the Rye is one of my all-time favorites, btw. Which is fitting, I suppose, being a rebellious boat-rocker and all. Hey, I wonder if there's a banned blog list somewhere. I'm probably on it. :)
I recall reading The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men in high scool, but at the time I did not know they were controversial.
I read the article your mom sent, and promptly sent it to my mom (a librarian). I can't imagine my teen years without Judy Blume, or my adult years without J.K. Rowling. Thank goodness most requests to ban books are denied are ignored!
Fantastic. I don't think I've ever read a banned book - but I've seen the movies: One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest; Oranges are not the Only Fruit and The Life of Brian - all banned (...I _think_....?)
Do you know what I would really love? A blog book club. I read books (I'm talking mostly non-fiction here) and I want to question the author. I can't of course. But if I could find people who'd read the same book, and discuss it with them, it'd be great!
I just read the article... man, it burns me up that Mockingbird is on the list. That makes two of my all-time favorites! Maybe something's wrong with me...
Banned books are the best! I suspect it's b/c the books that make us think deeply about profound issues (race, gender, sexuality, class, etc.) scare people the most. What if our children actually took these ideas seriously???
great post! I'm inspired to read something on the list now in honor of Banned Books week...but what to choose?! New Joy of Gay Sex? Captain Underpants? Hmmm, maybe "Heather Has Two Mommies" will fit the bill...(chuckling to myself)
Ruth (Across the pond)--My good friend from seminary read and watched Oranges are Not the Only Fruit for an independent seminar. She loved both. Thanks for reminding me that I want to read that!
Ruth (in NE)--Why did I not know your mom was a librarian? I'm not sure how I missed that.
TLS--Repeat after me: Thinking for yourself is bad. Now keep saying it until you remember it.
Ritz--I think that Heather Has Two Mommies may be a quick read. You should supplement it with New Joy of Gay Sex. We'll be waiting for your book report.
Dave--I haven't read either of those. Is that bad?
Jennifer--Mockingbird is one of my all-time favorites, too. It's one of my guilty pleasure movies as well.
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