The Reading Challenge Group discussion

BANNED BOOK WEEK 2015 MINI CHALLENGE
Celebrating The Freedom To Read
September 27 - October 3, 2015



bannedbooksweek.org

CHALLENGE:

1 - Choose a challenge goal from the Censorship Levels below.
2 - Use the links to help find challenged and banned books.
3 - Include reasons why the book was challenged or banned.

Duration: 27 September - 31 October (~35 days)

Censorship Levels
Level 1: 1 banned book
Level 2: 2-3 banned books
Level 3: 4+ banned books

Top 10 Most Challenged/Banned Books
Top Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009
Challenged/Banned Classics


Challenge Example

Goal: Censorship Level 2 (2-3 banned books)

1. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, homosexuality, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group

2. The Handmaid's Tale
Reasons: explicit language, violence, allusions to masturbation and adultery, reference to suicide, anti-Christian theme

3. Slaughterhouse-Five
Reason: explicit sexual scenes, violence, and obscene language, ethnic slurs, depiction of torture

Nice! And I'm in. Will start with level 2, and see if I can work my way to level 3.

1. The Catcher in the Rye
2. The Last Battle
3. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
4.

I'm in

This is a great mini-challenge, Megan. I love all the helpful links. (Which I'm going to use right now to see if anything peaks my interest.) I'll try for a Level One.

I'll have to see if I own any of these. I know I have The Handmaid's Tale but I read it earlier this year.

http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/node/8257

Found this interesting in light of us here reading it.

Yay level three for me!
1984 Finished
Banned for sexual scenes and communist undertones, most notably during the cuban missile crisis. It was burned in the USSR under Stalin, and reading it would get you arrested.
Remember-Big Brother is watching

The Catcher in the Rye Finished 9/28
Banned for profanity and sexual scenes as well as violence. In 1978, the book was banned in high schools in Issaquah, Washington for being part of "an overall communist plot".

To Kill a Mockingbird 《can't believe I put "To save a mockingbird" to start with 》 Finished 10/2
Banned because of a rape trial being a major part of the story, as well as profanity and racial slurs.To this day it is still not approved by most school districts, allowed to be used as part of classroom curriculums and has been removed from all recommended reading lists schools provide students. 

The Call of the Wild Finished 9/26
Banned in America for the violence and animal cruelity as well as what was seen as a negative portral of all native tribes. It was banned in Italy and Yugoslavia in 1929 for being ‘too radical’. Also burned by the Nazi Party in 1933 because he had a reputation for being an outspoken supporter of Socialism

My plan is to read God's Little Acre by Erskine Caldwell. This book has been on the banned books many times. I will read the book and see what gets people outraged about the story.

In honor of banned books week, it might be a good time to start a conversation about banning books. It is becoming my pet peeve. Does it bother anyone else?

YES! I can kinda sorta understand at schools, but even so if a parent dont want thier child reading certain things they oughta read the book first and decide if they want thier child to read it or not, and not try and stop all children from reading it

About 4 years ago, some friends of mine challenged the School Board because the middle school kids were reading Harry Potter. They didn't think kids should be reading about wizards and witches. It started a big chain reaction. They decided the kids that did not want to read Harry Potter could go to another room and read a different book.

I agree with that. if it goes against your beliefs provide you with a different book.

My father has been on the local school board for 15 years. I'm from a very religious area, so everything from Harry Potter to The Handmaid's Tale has been challenged. He's pretty sure he's the only member to actually read every book that's been brought to the board, but the others at least hit up Spark Notes. Though it's a Catholic area, it's still a public school. His argument has always been that the age appropriate topics parents dont want their children reading about are almost always the topics we need to be talking about when the chance is presented. So any questionable book that made it through has always got special attention. There are copies available to parents and the school counselor talks to classes about the iffy stuff, approaching things gently and with facts. And multiple pastors have made themselves avaiable after school to discuss controversial topics and push students to discuss how these unsavory tapics have the ability to strengthen faith.

That's a really cool thing to have come out of challenging books and trying to ban them, Megan!

I'm going to try for Censorship Level 4, if I can find copies of the books I want to read


1. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian - 28 Sept
Reason: This kid is the king of masturbation.
2. Fahrenheit 451 - 1 Oct
Reason: anti- Christian bible burning
3. Always Running - 3 Oct
Reason: gang violence, sexual content, pretty much everything
4. The Bluest Eye - 4 Oct
Reason: sexual content > rape, pedophilia, incest

Nice challenge! I have always felt that banning books was a little over the top reaction. I guess it's because I come from a family where I have been allowed to read and discuss things freely and more importantly ask questions and get answers. I think that brings about a healthy attitude towards reading, books and more importantly life. I can understand books being categorised as age appropriate, because it is obvious that there are certain things which are difficult to explain and understand when it's a child but otherwise, I feel persecuting books or banning them for the sake of religion or other so-called offensive nature that they have is just plain irritating!

Am in and am going to try for Censorship level 4!

1.
2.
3.
4.

Gonna go for Level 1! Can't decide between I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings or The Diary of a Young Girl. Or maybe Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland is a banned book? Does anybody know the reason.

Hookah smoking caterpillar?

Jenny wrote: "YES! I can kinda sorta understand at schools, but even so if a parent dont want thier child reading certain things they oughta read the book first and decide if they want thier child to read it or ..."

I agree with this. I think banning of books especially in today's world is ridiculous. IF schools don't agree with a book they should just not make it part of the school curriculum but not put up a fight to have the book banned in general. Parents should absolutely be aware of what their kids are reading and make sure that the books are at least age appropriate for their child.

Yep, thats what my mom did. If there was a book that seamed like it'd have mature themes she would either read it first or we woukd read it out loud and if I had questions I could ask. It was harder for her than alot of parents though cause at the age of four I was already reading books on my own, and by the time I was in second grade I was on a 8 th grade reading level.

Jenny wrote: "Yep, thats what my mom did. If there was a book that seamed like it'd have mature themes she would either read it first or we woukd read it out loud and if I had questions I could ask. It was harde..."

Yeah it was hard in my house too because the books I read were in English and my mom didn't understand much of what I was reading. However she trusted that my Godmother would be aware of what I was reading since she was the one who indulged me in my reading craze at my young age. :)

Thats good that you had someone to share your books with Wendy:) What orher langues can you read other than english just out of curosity?

Spanish. Although my ability is not as good as I would like it to be but I am working on it.

Thats pretty cool, and practice makes perfect! Never been too good with languages myself. Or spelling obvisouly haha

Well I better have some grasp of the Spanish language. I grew up in a household where it was spoken everyday. If I didn't speak it at home I didn't eat. J/k LOL!!!! But yeah I speak it better than I read and write it but I am working on that. Thank goodness for family is other countries who don't speak English.

I just finished God's Little Acre by Erskine Caldwell. I can see why people would be outraged by this book. If you are sensitive about race, I would not read this book. Ty Ty did not treat his black sharecroppers very well. There were a lot of swear words. This book had some sex scenes, nothing explicit but I would not want young kids to read it. This book was written in the 1930's and I could imagine the scandal. I am glad that I had the freedom to read it.

Done!
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Fahrenheit 451
Always Running
The Bluest Eye
Message 15 has my reasons for censorship and finished dates