Banned Book Week, Sept. 27- Oct. 4

It's banned book week. Celebrate your freedom to choose what you read!

The Ten Most Challenged Books of 2007,
in descending order (from Paper Cuts):

1. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
2. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
3. Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes
4. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
6. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
7. TTYL by Lauren Myracle
8. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
9. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie H. Harris
10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

How many have you read?

West From Home

Today I finished The Catcher in the Rye! I could then begin West from Home with a clear conscience (one book at a time). Like Holden in The Catcher in the Rye, who yearns for a more innocent world, I'm somewhat relieved to now read about a world more innocent and promising. Don't get me wrong, The Catcher in the Rye is an incredible book--it's boundless honesty is very engaging--but I'm eager for something more uplifting.

I spent nearly an hour outside with West From Home, something I can't normally do during the week but today I was very lucky. It was great to sit out in the sun. Even though I had a small basal cell skin cancer removed almost two years ago, I'm no solar-phobe. I still believe that some sun is beneficial for Vitamin D production (and who knows what else). With my hat and sunglasses on I sat out in a sunny spot with my book and it was so pleasant! By the fragrant orange tree is my favorite place to sit, but unfortunately the bees agree with me, so I had to move away a bit.

West From Home is a compilation of the letters that author Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote to her journalist daughter, Rose, and to Laura's husband, Almanzo, affectionately called, "Manly". Rose's letters to her mom, who's called "Bessie" and "Mama Bess", are also part of this collection.

The Wanderer

J.D. Salinger expresses adolescent anguish in the The Catcher in the Rye through his protagonist, Holden, who is very critical of everything and everyone, and also aware of his own inconsistencies and shortcomings. He's a wanderer without much direction, literally and figuratively, having "flunked out" of prep school; he doesn't go home but stays in a hotel and wanders around the streets of NY. It's a period in life full of questioning and doubt and aimlessness, but also great flexibility and possibility. Holden disapproves of everything he considers to be "corny" (kids today say "lame") and as I mentioned before, he can't stand phonies and phoniness--anything "just for show"--movies and actors included. (I wonder if this is when people in general are at their most discerning in certain ways? I remember having similar highly critical feelings and attitudes when I was the same age.) I think Holden's quest in the book is for something real and true and lasting--so many of his own feelings are fleeting. I do not envy him at this stage in his life.

Thoughts

The thoughts of Holden Caulfield, the main character in The Catcher in the Rye, comprise this novel by J. D. Salinger. Parts of the book were published in 1945 and 1946, but the book as a whole was published by Little, Brown and Company in 1951. This classic novel is a flashback of the events in this seventeen year old's life (who has "flunked out" of Pencey, a prep school). Holden bemoans the hypocrisy and phoniness he sees all around him. In his thoughts, Holden calls many people phonies--and himself a liar:

"I'm the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. It's awful. If I'm on my way to the store to buy a magazine, even, and somebody asks me where I'm going, I'm liable to say I'm going to the opera. It's terrible. So when I told Spencer I had to go to the gym to get my equipment and stuff, that was a sheer lie."
~The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger

What an admission!

Presently, I can only manage to read a chapter or two of The Catcher in the Rye a night, although I'd like to read more of it per sitting. Now the pressure is on! Today I was loaned two other books by a good friend, Lori, West From Home by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Bloomability by Sharon Creech for my daughters (and myself). I usually read one book at a time, although sometimes I'll read an adult book and a book for children at the same time. Is there a "rule" about this? Do you think it's better to finish one book before starting another? I'm very interested in your thoughts. Perhaps I should conduct a new poll!