The Book-Hunting
One of the featured 'banned books'.
Books are an author’s way of expressing their thoughts on a certain issue. Even if they’re fairytales they’ll always show a glimpse, if not all, of the author’s thoughts on trivial things from delicious or horrid food to more complex subjects as religion beliefs and sexuality. Maybe it’s not always shown in the most forward way. Authors are not always going to be blunt and write something like,
“The guy had an almost abnormal addiction to penises. Yes, he was gay.”
They might only hint it, and it’s up to you to get this or not. But some people have decided that if these somewhat “touchy” subjects like sexual preference, religion, racism and what not are on books then they do not deserve to be on bookshelves. So they’re banned. This outrageous stab at freedom of speech shouldn’t even be accepted. But it is not a first when a person’s rights of expressing him or herself have been attacked and, unfortunatedly, it probably won’t be the last.
Here’s a list of the top 10 most challenged books (information provided by the American Library Association):
- Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
- Daddy's Roommate by Michael Willhoite
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
- The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
- Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
- Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
- Forever by Judy Blume
- Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
- Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
For more information on Banned books, visit the following links:
Top Ten Challenged Authors 1990 to 2004,
Most Challenged Books of the 21st Century,
Press Release
Banned Books.
