Skip to main content

Banned Books Challenge

The very cool Steph Su is hosting a Banned Books Challenge. I don't have time to read a ton of books for this challenge, but I wanted to take part because I think it's an important challenge. Books are challenged all the time and when they are, they take away great books that readers need all because one person (or a group) decided they knew what was best for everyone. If a parent doesn't think a book is right for their child, it might annoy me and I might roll my eyes, but as long as they understand that that decision is for their child only, and not an entire population, I'm OK with that decision. Readers have all sorts of reading ability, taste, maturity, and they can decide what book fits them best. And on one should decide for an entire population what is OK and not OK to read.

So I'm taking a stand against banned books and participating in the Banned Books Challenge. The challenge runs from now until October 15.

My goal is to read three challenged or banned books. I'm starting with The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, because this book was
recently banned from a school in my state. And yes, I went and bought a copy and and happy that there are people asking to read it at my library-and we have a waiting list. Funny how when you ban a book to prevent people from reading it, it just makes people want to read it more.

Comments

  1. Thank you so much for participating, Sarah! I'm looking forward to reading Part-Time Indian as well. What an unpleasant shock that some of the banned books are the best ones of their genre out there. Still, like you said, challenges made to ban books do give the books attention. So from a publicity standpoint, any attention is good attention... right? Hooray for reading banned books!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh no! That makes me so sad! The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is so wonderful - my absolute favorite.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I haven't decided how I'm going to participate in the challenge itself but I was happy to share the awesome information with everyone on my blog too. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. This challenge is such a great idea! I teach a Y.A. Lit class and for their final exam they choose a trimester long project that they'll present during our exam time. One of the projects is to read and research banned/censored books. It's horrible that Part-time Indian is on the list now. I LOVE that book; I laughed and cried while reading it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Be sure to head on over to my blog and add your name to the Ban This! list if you haven't already!

    ReplyDelete
  6. It's so funny you mentioned Part-Time Indian! Sherman Alexie is coming to my library in October for my library's All City Read. The book we're reading is The Absolutely True STory of a Part-Time Indian. I LOVE the book and cannot wait to meet him.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I love hearing from other readers! Share your thoughts and chime in!

Popular posts from this blog

Contact Me

  I love to hear from fellow readers and librarians! Send me an email to say hello! You can reach me at greenbeanteenqueen (at) gmail (dot) com

Bedtime Books for the Weary

Today I'm over at the ALSC Blog talking about some of my new favorite bedtime-themed books!

13 District Mockingjay Tour: District 4

Hello and welcome to District Four. I'm sorry that Finnick isn't here to be your host. I know as a member of District Four I should be cheering for my own tribute, but after watching the last two Hunger Games play out I have fallen in love with Peeta Mellark! Why do I love Peeta? He's smart, he's funny, and he's charming. He stands up for what he believes, he's loyal and he's not afraid to do what's right. He's sensitive and caring but can also be strong and kick butt. He fights for Katniss and with Katniss. Peeta is a great diplomat and he knows how to bring people together. He can also be sneaky to get what he wants. Plus, did I mention he can bake? And he's hot!! But it's not just me! We have an underground club of sorts here in District Four-Seafaring Librarians for Peeta! Here's what some of our members had to say about their love for Peeta: - Team Peeta!! I love their relationship because they balance each other perfectly. Where