One of my favorite bloggers, Steph Su Reads is hosting a Banned Books Challenge.
Check out the main post about the challenge here!
Here are some resources for finding banned and challenged books (taken from Steph's blog)
Resources:
- The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Challenged Children's Book List.
- 10 Frequently Challenged Books Everyone Should Read at Paste Magazine
- Hit List for Young Adults 2 by Teri Lesesne and Rosemary Chance.
- The left-hand sidebar of the ALA Frequently Challenged Books site features many ways in which challenged books are broken down by year, decade, type of challenge, etc.
- The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has a great website dedicated to Banned Books Week, the freedom to read, and reviews of banned books.
- The Illinois Library Association issues a fantastic bibliography every year noting the books challenged that year.
- The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas has compiled a shocking list of challenges made in the state.
From September 1, 2010 to October 15, 2010, our goal is to read and review commonly challenged or banned books.
I am setting a goal of 7 books (I have lots of other things in my TBR list), but I'd like to get to more if I can. Some of the books will be re-reads and some will be new.
Here are the books I'm thinking of reading for the challenge:
Deenie by Judy Blume (re-read)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling (re-read)
The Giver by Lois Lowry (re-read)
Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
Finding My Voice by Maria G. Lee
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Staying Fat for Sarah Burnes by Chris Crutcher
I think this is such an awesome idea! I hate the idea of banned books! :)
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to say that The Giver is so awesome! Great choice for the banned books list :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a great idea. Enjoy the books you chose!
ReplyDeleteLiving Dead Girl is a powerful read; same with Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. And Speak has a sarcastic, vulnerable protagonist that you can't help but root for.
ReplyDeleteGreat, great list! You're going to have a most interesting reading experience. :D
Living Dead Girl is super good.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any other book on that list except for Harry Potter.
It's an awesome idea for a challenge. I haven't read about a third of the list you posted (HP, Speak, Living Dead Girl - first two I loved, third one not my style).
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy them.
:D
Happy weekend.
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe??? Little House on the Prairie?? Seriously, who is suggesting to ban these books? How outrageous. The whole concept of banned books makes me furious! Good for you to participate in the reading challenge.
ReplyDeleteLiving Dead Girl was an amazing read. I had no clue what I was getting into when I picked up that book at Barnes and Noble one day. I ended up reading the entire thing in one sitting while my iced frappachino melted away. I just bought Speak tonight, although I have read Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson. My book club is reading To Kill a Mockingbird in honor of banned books.
ReplyDeleteHi. It was a long week and now a relaxing sunny week-end.
ReplyDeleteI started Sledding Hill by Chris Crutcher today. I really like him, so I might recommend that You read Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes first. But Speak is so awesome, can't go wrong with that one. I need to read The Giver, too, though my daughter told me that she hates it. Not much of a recommendation, huh?
Please hop over to my blog and take part in my poll about Banned Books. Thanks.
-Anne
Headdfullofbooks