As seen in the lovely and talented aiglet's journal



This is a list from the American Library League of the One Hundred Most Frequently Challenged Books from 1990 to 2000.

Challenged means that someone (or a group of someones) want a book removed from a library, reading list or classroom. It doesn't necessarily mean that it happened.

I have bolded all the books I've read. Please do the same. Feel free to add comments.

Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz

Daddy’s Roommate by Michael Willhoite
I *think* so...I know I read one quite like it.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Absolutely. An excerpt was in my third grade reading book...she described a woman's skin as being the color of a plum at the moment it was ripe enough to split. I had never read anything so beautiful...I knew exactly what she meant...and I really wanted a plum.

I've read the rest of the volumes as well...I really need to gather them in my library rather than borrowing them from the public one.:)

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

Part of it. I did read "The Cheese Stands Alone" which was beyond weird.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Yup. Love his work.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Ah, my Steinbeck period...I read every book of his I could get my hands on. I should revisit a few, even if Tortilla Flat seemed to be a retelling of Cannery Row. (Unless TF was written first. Then stop and reverse that.)

Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling

Love it and am quite looking forward to the next installment.

Forever by Judy Blume

Hmm...*probably*. I devoured everything I could find that she'd written till sometime in the nineties.

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Yes, and I want that time back, please.

Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman

Absolutely loved it...no one ever mentions that it's a counting book when they speak of banning it. Heather has two mommies and two pets and two somethings, and two is her favorite number. It's also a great book about what families are. I got it for Sammy's first Yule...along with the book about the fish who's fed too much and has to live in a swimming pool till the pet shop guy comes and does something mysterious so he shrinks. Which is good, 'cause you know the chlorine couldn't have been good for the poor thing.;)

My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

This is the one about the Civil War, yes? I remember starting it, but I don't recall an ending.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

I HATE this book. I hate everyone in this book. I hate that I read this book. I hate that I wanted to read this book.

I don't think I'll read it again.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

I read a lot of her books, but this doesn't sound familiar.

It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris

I read a *lot* of this type of book when I was in my early teens, and I'm pretty sure this was in the stack. I also read the books written just for boys, 'cause I wanted to know what weird things were happening to them too. (I still think the girl-stuff is weirder.)

Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine

A Day No Pigs Would Dieby Robert Newton Peck

I remember loving this book...and yet I can't remember anything about it now. I assume there were pigs.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Ghods I love this book. The movie too, but the book is remarkable.

Sex by Madonna

Paged through it. Nice boobs, but no imagination, imneho.

Earth’s Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel

I ripped through the first four...haven't picked up the latest yet. I guess I've moved on. (Which is unusual for me ;)

The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

And sequels. How could anyone *not* want their kids to read this? It encourages math for ghu's sake! How many novels do that?

Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers

In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak

Yup...and Sammy has the animated short (along with a bunch of other Sendak stories). I'm keeping an eye out for the book for her as well.

The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard
The Witches by Roald Dahl

The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein

No, but I did own a copy of the original Joy of Sex for a while. It was interesting till I got to the part where they called oral sex "mouth music" which did two things. Well, three. First, it brought harmonicas to mind. Second, it made me giggle like a fool. And third, it made me cease to take anything else in the book seriously. Mouth music is such a damn silly name that it completely killed the authors' credibility in my mind.

Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry
The Goats by Brock Cole
Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane

Blubber by Judy Blume

One of my favorite books when I was a kid.

Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan

And, didn't she write "I know what you did last summer?"

Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam

No, but Sammy's got a faboo Halloween Counting book, does that count?

We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier

Final Exit by Derek Humphry

Part of it.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters by Lynda Madaras

This was one of those where I got both the boy and girl books. The librarian didn't blink an eye...so either she had a great poker face or this wasn't an unusual occurrence. Maybe both.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Love it. And one that I think got great treatment as a film.

Beloved by Toni Morrison

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

I don't think I could have loved this book more. I do believe I went through a period of reading everything Hinton wrote. I also saw all the movies...they all seemed to star Matt Dillon...it was spooky.;)

The Pigman by Paul Zindel

Another one I know I read but can't recall. Maybe my mind won't remember pig books.;)

Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard

Deenie by Judy Blume

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

Sixth grade assignment...we did an exhibit in the library for it as well. I'm not sure why...but it got me out of class.;) I love the book...and I've never figured out if the ending is sad or not.

Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden
The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar
Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat by Alvin Schwartz

A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein

As my daughter would say, you has to!

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
Another that I'd like the time back from. (It was a "Okay, what's all the fuss about?" read. And while some of the sex was interesting, there was no *there* there. And, as usual, Anne needs a good editor. (Interview With The Vampire, The Vampire Lestat and Queen of The Damned rocked. The Mummy was pretty good. Servant of the Bones was an interesting premise. But the rest seem to be so incredibly recycled that they should have the three arrow symbol on the cover. Sorry girly_grrl Don't disown me...at least I love the holy trinity. *Grin*)

Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole

Probably.

Cujo by Stephen King

One of the few I didn't read.

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

And will read it again...and again. Great story. (Truly nifty movie too.)

The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell

Which is almost completely out of date. Well, I'm sure one could still make the bombs and such but, like "How to disappear and live free", time isn't kind to the contents.

Boys and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy

Ordinary People by Judith Guest

Yeah...could you put the time I get back from reading this one on the pile with the rest? Thanks.

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons by Lynda Madaras

Well, at least they wanted to get rid of them both. 'Cause, ghods forbid kids know what's going on with their own bodies. (Sure, I had a great mum and could ask her all kinds of questions...I'm sure I could have asked my grandparents as well...but, beyond embarrassment, if you don't have some basic knowledge, how are you going to know which questions to *ask*? And, I'd think the people who'd want to take these books out of libraries wouldn't be the most approachable people when it came to puberty and such.)

Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

Great book...there aren't that many out there that tell you it's okay to not know what you believe in.

Crazy Lady by Jane Conly
Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher

Fade by Robert Cormier

Probably...but maybe not.

Guess What? by Mem Fox

What? Oh...nope, don't think I've read it.

The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende

Yes...I love her writing so much. Why would someone want this out of a library? They got somethin' against beautiful books?

The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney

Oh yeah! I remember this one. Very interesting. (I wonder...was it the child stealers who wanted this one out?;)

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Haven't yet, but I do keep meaning to.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Yes, and it is what runs through my head every time Sammy steps onto a bustling playground. *shudder*

Native Son by Richard Wright

Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies by Nancy Friday

And the sequels.

Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen
Jack by A.M. Homes
Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya

Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle

This was the book my mum used to teach me about...where I came from. (And all the time I'd thought I'd come from Fairfax.;) I loved it so much. I bought a copy when I found out I was pregnant the first time (no, I didn't need a refresher course, sillies. I wanted to make sure I had...it was something of a rite of passage). Now another generation will think that sperm wear top hats. Yay! ;)

Oh, and something I didn't know till a couple years ago, this is the same Peter Mayle who wrote A Year In Provence among other nifty things. (I was going to go through and link to all of them...but I didn't want my brain leaking out my ears again. There are only so many times I can lure it back in.)

Carrie by Stephen King

I think the images from the movie shooed me away from this one. And yet I read Pet Sematary. Reinforces the weirdness, huh?

Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume

The title isn't familiar, but the odds are for it.

On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge

Family Secrets by Norma Klein

Another "I think so".

Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole

No, but it sounds very interesting.

The Dead Zone by Stephen King

Huh...I haven't read any of the most banned King.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

Naturally. I'm pretty sure I read it before Huck Finn (Which is, I think, the way they were written...I shall read them again and find out.:)

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
Always Running by Luis Rodriguez

Private Parts by Howard Stern

I was going to say I had, but then remembered that we got it for Jeff and I don't think I've ever opened it.

Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford

Oh yeah, this is dangerous stuff. So glad people are using their time in such a wise way.

Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene

Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman

And they ate their pancakes with striped butter. This is one of the few I'm glad they updated...'cause it would be a damn shame to lose that mind-picture.

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Running Loose by Chris Crutcher
Sex Education by Jenny Davis
The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene
Girls and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy

How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell

You know, if a kid reads this book, which describes how much the worm eater *hates* eating the worms and how much of a burden it becomes, and still eats worms, then the kid's just a worm eater and there's really nothing you can do about it.

View from the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts
The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
The Terrorist by Caroline Cooney

Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

Reading this list just reinforces my faith in the idea that people are damn weird. And that they should leave the damn books alone and let individuals decide what they're going to read for them*selves*. I know, it's a wacky idea, but I really think it'll work.

And now, I'm going to take a nap.

***Edited to say***

American Library Association! I knew that.

Maybe I said league 'cause I think librarians are akin to superheros, which brings to mind the Justice League. *Grin*