… or at least this illustrated history of book banning in honor of Banned Books Week, which is now, Sept. 27 – Oct. 4.
Here, too, is Ban this Booklist, a top-50 from the ACLU of books that touch on civil liberties themes — and which have been banned by those who… just. don’t. get. irony.
Please share widely!
I was surprised to see “Persepolis” on the banned list. The sort of people who usually call for book bans don’t tend to by sympathetic to Iranians. I would think they’d welcome a book highlighting the brutality of the current regime. Perhaps it is objectionable because it shows some Iranians in a sympathetic light? Or is it that theocracy, even of the “evil” Muslim variety, is never to be criticized?
but I don’t think these books are all on a banned book list. They are just books that the ACLU recommends that a good citizen read.
that’s the title of the list.
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p>I’m going to add a few to my reading list… controversial books are like trophies on the bookshelf, shinier if they’ve got broken bindings and dogeared pages.
on Banned Books Week, which is September 27 through October 4, 2008. I have always made it a point to discuss the most recent challenged book list with students each year. Some years, depending on my mood, I ask students to pick a challenged book to read and write an essay in defense of the text.
for pointing this out. I think you may be right that not all of those books have been banned. I saw some on “Ban this Booklist” that have been perennial favorites for banning, like “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Brave New World,” “Huckleberry Finn,” and I assumed that they all were. I’ll try to find out for sure.
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p>Of course, the ACLU recommendation alone might be enough to get them banned by some.
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p>Sorry for the confusion.
I’m sorry: an important part of my original post was wrong.
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p>Not all the books on Ban this Booklist have been banned or challenged. Many of them are only on the list for their civil liberties value.
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p>However, some of them have been challenged or banned. As lightiris pointed out, the American Library Association provides lists such as the Top 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-1999, and there is overlap.
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p>I apologize for misrepresenting what “Ban this Booklist” was. Thanks for the correction.