Why not try The Grapes of Wrath
by John Steinbeck. Apparently there's some foul language in there. I dare you to find it before you fall asleep while wading through another tedious "dustbowl" passage.Or break your teeth on William Golding's Lord of the Flies
. We are supposed to skip it "because the book is 'demoralizing inasmuch as it implies that man is little more than an animal'." It doesn't matter that this exact sort of human behavior has been proven in sociological experiments, eh?If you have time for a chunkster, grab a copy of Gone With the Wind
by Margaret Mitchell. Strangely, it's not the portrayal of slaves as mentally slow and happily subservient that got it banned but the use of the "n" word. Which is more harmful -- ideas or words?
Want to delve into the world of politics? Try All the King's Men
by Robert Penn Warren. Grab a copy before it gets labeled a "top secret" strategy guide for corrupt politicians.Looking for something satanic? Try J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings
series or J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter
series. Satanic without any mention of Satan ... hmm.Or for fun, grab anything from Kurt Vonnegut
, D. H. Lawrence or Ernest Hemingway. There's a good chance that it was challenged or banned.These are just a few of the banned books and authors that I have read over the years. I didn't love all of them but I survived the encounters without becoming a Satan-worshipping, foul-mouthed degenerate. Go figure.
Hoping someone will challenge more good books that need exposure,
K
I have read some of them and liked them:) Great list!
ReplyDeletelol! This list made me laugh so much! :D I just reviewed Lady Chatterley's Lover today!
ReplyDeleteGone with The Wind is one of my all time favorite books, banned or not :D
ReplyDeleteI love the way you wrote this post. I always find it interesting to see which books people take issue with and why.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing how many of us have managed to read these books without sprouting a second head or something? Great post!
ReplyDeleteThank goodness- I've always wanted to read something Satanic!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know Dark Lord of Derkholm even had a sequel- thanks for the heads up!
I totally want to redo my banned books post and use yours instead!!! I love your snarky sarcasm and you illustrate perfectly exactly why I can't stand this whole banning of books!! Well done!
ReplyDeleteLove this post!! I actually linked back to it in mine (now that it is finally up)!! :)
ReplyDeleteYour list (and descriptions) were so much fun to read!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all of the compliments everyone! When I sat down to write this post I just was feeling how silly people are who try and tell others what they can or cannot read. And I was amazed by how many of the books I've already read!
ReplyDeleteThis does not help! :( I was looking for when, where, and why Gone With the Wind was banned! If anyone finds out, leave a follow-up comment, with info and url.
ReplyDeleteKiki - if you follow the "a racy read" link right there at the top of the post, it goes to the ALA list of the challenges to each book.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very timely link! :) I read Grapes of Wrath in high school, too, and actually liked it a lot more than I thought I would. I've been thinking about doing a post of high school reads I really liked, actually.
ReplyDelete