Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Really Random Tuesday #54: Banned Books and a Book Winner

Pick a book, any book.  Chances are good that it's been banned at one time or another.  You might be be surprised at some of the seemingly innocent books that have been banned over the years, books pictured below, as well as numerous others, including James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl, Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, and Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.


For school, my daughter is currently reading a novel that I also read during my school days, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a book that has been banned in the past.  And she recently read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee for school, which is on the list of banned books below.  According to the official Banned Books Week website, the top 10 banned books of last year are:

  1. ttyl, ttfn; L8r, g8r  (series) by Lauren Myracle
  2. The Color of Earth (graphic novel series) by Kim Dong Hwa
  3. The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins
  4. My Mom's Having A Baby! A Kid's Month-by-Month Guide to Pregnancy by Dori Hillestad Butler 
  5. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
  6. Alice (series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
  7. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
  8. What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones
  9. Gossip Girl (series) by Cecily Von Ziegesar
  10. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

This year, Banned Books Week lasts from September 30 through October 6.  BBW began in America in 1982, in response to the great number of books that have been banned by schools and libraries for various reasons, such as offensive language, and sexual and religious content.  2012 marks the 30th anniversary of BBW.  In conjunction with BBW, Sheila from Book Journey is hosting a cleverly named special event this week for readers, Jump on the Banned Wagon, which I learned about on Petty's blog, Pen and Paper

You might want to exercise your freedom in celebration of BBW and read a book that is or has been banned. The book I'll be reading this week is most likely on a banned book list right now, Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult (my final novel for The Jodi Picoult Project).

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Please help me to congratulate the randomly chosen, lucky winner of The Forgetting Tree by Tatjana Soli,  Harvee from Book Dilettante.  If you didn't win this time, please check the right side of my blog for other book giveaways.  I often add new giveaways to my sidebar, so be sure to visit again soon.







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Appearing on random Tuesdays, Really Random Tuesday is a way to post odds and ends--announcements, musings, quotes, photos--any blogging and book-related things you can think of.  Often I announce my book giveaway winners in these posts.  If you're inspired by this idea, feel free to "grab" the button for use on your own blog, and indicate your participation in the comments so I'll know to stop by.  For other recent Really Random Tuesday posts, please visit Naida's blog, the bookworm, and Vivienne's blog, Serendipity Reviews (after today, I won't be mentioning other recent RRT posts).  As always, your comments are welcomed.

17 comments:

  1. Great post and thanks for linking up! I will add you to my list for today!

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  2. Glad to see I won the contest, Suko. So looking forward to reading this new book of the author's! Thanks for the giveaway!

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  3. Congratulations to Harvee! I am glad she won! Also the fact that any book would be banned gives me a stomachache. I can't stand censorship!

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  4. I just don't get people who want books banned. If you don't like a book, don't read it, but don't decide for everyone else.

    Congratulations Harvee!

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  5. I didn't know "To Kill a Mockingbird" was banned at one time. I just read it for the first time last year. I also watched the movie last year as well. I enjoyed both the book and the movie.

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    1. I also agree with "Bermudaonion" If you don't like a book don't read it. I think we should all censor our own reading material.

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  6. It's crazy that they continue to ban books. My daughter and I read and enjoyed The Hunger Games.
    Congrats to Harvee!
    Happy reading Suko, I need to get to a Picoult book soon!

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    1. Naida, I hope you will read a novel by Jodi Picoult, and add your subsequent review to my reading challenge, The Jodi Picoult Project, which runs through October. I should finish my last JP book just in the nick of time!

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  7. Congrats to Harvee. Banned Books Week makes such an important statement; thanks for reminding so many of us to appreciate our freedom to choose.

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  8. It's crazy that Little Women was banned at one point in time! What's so bad about it? LOL I agree with BermudaOnion don't read it don't decide for everyone else.

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  9. p.s. thank you for posting my giveaway. :-)

    xoxo,
    Renee C.

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  10. My childhood was like something out of a 1960's sitcom and even I knew, because we watched the news, that there were scary and terrible things in the world. We can't protect our children from everything; we might as well have the discussions with them.

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  11. I find it sad that people want to ban books, try not reading them and just explain to your kids that you don't want them to read them either. If one group gets banned it's just a matter of time before everyone else does too.

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  12. Thanks for the mention. I'm sure you are right about Sing You home - in fact I bet any number of Jodi's books are banned somewhere or other.

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  13. It never fails to amaze me the books that get banned. Or that they are banned in the first place. I would like to ban banning books!

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  14. It is crazy to see some of the books that are on the banned books list. Blows me away every time that I skim through it. I always mean to read a banned book during this week and never get around to it. Maybe next year...right?

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