Rumblings from me

The list of books banned by American schools and (a few) libraries includes many of the classics. Sept.25-Oct.2 is the American Library Association's annual Banned Books Week.You don't have to be young to rebel! by Betsy Towner in AARP bulletin September 2010, p39
This is from the only flaming liberal in Alabama!! How cool is that?
Banned for being too political:
1. Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe, 1852
2. All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque, 1928
3. A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway, 1929
4. The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck, 1939 (too much cussin' for some) Loved it.
5. For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ernest Hemingway, 1940
6. Animal Farm, George Orwell, 1949 One of my favorites!
7. 1984, George Orwell, 1949 Another favorite!
8. Dr. Zhivago, Boris Pasternak, 1957 Oh, just read this last fall; such a good book!
9. Slaughter-house Five, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. 1969
10. In the Spirit of Crazy Horse, Peter Matthiessen, 1983
Too much S-E-X:1, Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert, 1856 (even rhymes with ovary, yes?) I LOVED IT!!
2. Tess of the d'Ubervilles, Thomas Hardy, 1891
3. Ulysses, James Joyce, 1922
4. The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway, 1926
5. Lady Chatterley's Lover, D.H. Lawerence, 1928
6. Tropic of Cancer, Henry Miller, 1934
7. Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov, 1955
8. Peyton Place, Grace Metalious, 1956 (This was way popular when I was in h.s.!! AND I am NOT talking about the movie/TV series!!!)
9.Rabbit, Run, John Updike, 1960
10. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou, 1969 Absolutely one of the best ever!!!
11. Jaws, Peter Benchley, 1974 Parts of the book are different from the movie, esp. the end.
12. Forever, Judy Blume, 1975 Ahhh, alas poor Ralph. A good read for Young Adults, too.!!
13. The Prince of Tides, Pat Conroy, 1986 This man can write. Liked this book.
14. Beloved, Toni Morrison, 1987 This is my all-time favorite author and this book is almost the best.
15.How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, Julia Alvarez, 1991 I'd like to write like her, I think, but I don't know enough Spanish.
I have read most of these--about 80%--and plan to read the rest. Except for maybe Hemingway. I forget why I don't like him. I think it was the bull-fights--really vicious for the bull.
Banned for being:Irreligious:
1. On the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin, 1859 Never read, but plan to read.
2. The Lord of the Rings trilogy, J. R. R. Tolkien, 1954 My oldest son read this when he was 12 and loved it--still does.
3. The Last Temptation of Christ, Nikos Kazantzakis, 1960 Jesus, while free from sin, was still subject to every form of temptation that humans face, including fear, doubt, depression, reluctance, and lust. I know--Willem Dafoe played Jesus in the 1988 movie. Didn't see movie; will read the book SOON.
4. Bless Me, Ultima, Rudolfo Anaya, 1972 More witchcraft which usually intrigues me.
5. Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling, 1997-2007 THESE are some of the most popular books in Bible-thumping AL. Burned in New Mexico; challenged in 19 states. WARNING: witchcraft!Socially Offensive:
1. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Franklin, 1791 wherein BF lists the myriad ways that older women make superior lovers. OH MY. I don't think it's in my copy; just a sec, I'll be right back....
2. The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1850 Read it anyway. EXCELLENT READ!!
3. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain, 1884. Had to re-read this in 2008 for a Mark Twain-Toni Morrison comparison class. SUPERB!!
4. As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner, 1930 Another of my favorites!
5. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley, 1932 Excellent! In 1999, the Modern Library ranked Brave New World 5th on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.
6. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell, 1936 I read this when I was 13 and loved it; I re-read it after reading some of T Morrison's work, and I hated GWTW.
7. Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck, 1937 It makes me cry every time I see this on a banned list; it is such a bittersweet story for me. Loved it in 1964 and love it now!
8. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank, 1947 Whoever banned this should be banned from books PERIOD.
9. The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger, 1951 Ah, Holden. First read this in 1970. Great read!
10. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury, 1953 Read this in h.s. and loved it.
11. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, Harper Lee, 1960 I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS ON THE BANNED LIST--ABSOLUTELY MY FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME!! ABSOLUTELY!
12. James and the Giant Peach, Roald Dahl, 1961 This was on a list for my kids to read when I homeschooled them and you know how conservative those homeschoolers are!
13.Catch-22, Joseph Heller, 1961 SUPER!!
14.A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess, 1962 Okay, I didn't care for this one but I still wouldn't ban it. It's my preference, maybe not yours.
15. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Ken Kesey, 1962 LOVED IT!!
16. In Cold Blood, Truman Capote, 1966 Some of this is slow, but still written well. Trust me.
17. Cujo, Stephen King, 1981 Wow! You wonder how they feel about The Stand!
18. The Color Purple, Alice Walker, 1982 A.W. can write and I loved this.
19. Ordinary People, Judith Guest, 1982 Haven't read this yet--saw the movie with Mary Tyler Moore who played a witch!! (with a b, folks)
20. A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley, 1991 This is one I WON'T read! Supposedly the main character is based on King Lear and is a pedophile. I can't tell you if it's based on King Lear as I've never read Shakespeare's play. NOPE. A Thousand Acres is NOT on my reading list.

Oh, and I forgot to tell you. Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck was burned in CA, NY, and IL; it was challenged or banned in 10 states. It's a classic for me!

Now, see if these banned classics are on your library's bookshelves. If not, why not? ASK. If your library doesn't have one of these books, buy one and donate it. You could start a movement!
Best to all. Mary
And remember: At first, they burn books. Eventually they burn people.