Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jen at Crazy for Books.
“In honor of Banned Books Week, what is your favorite banned or frequently challenged book”?”
My favorite from 2010-2011 list is "Speak," by Laurie Halse Anderson. I think rather than banning this book, it should instead be on reading lists for high schools. It portrays the effects of sexual assault on victims so vividly, and I think sexual assault and bullying are subjects that should be discussed more often in schools.
My favorite from other years is "To Kill a Mockingbird," by Harper Lee. This is one of my all-time favorite books, and I've never understood why there are so many people against it. My guess is because it has a story line of a black man assaulting a white woman. If that's the case, I think it's actually a good idea to study the book in high schools, since it can be used to explore pre-civil rights race relations.
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To Kill a Mockingbird is still on my TBR. It wasn't taught at any of the schools I attended. I couldn't pick a favorite from the ALA list. So I listed the ones I've read. Please come see what they are.
ReplyDeleteI loved that book in school, and I think anyone trying to ban it is crazy. It is a classic and gives a real perspective for that time in American History. We can't just ignore it because people are frightened of it.
ReplyDeleteI just saw a play of To Kill a Mockingbird last night. It reminds me of how far we still need to go as a society. Maybe that is what makes people uncomfortable?
ReplyDeleteGreat choices! I love both of those books!
ReplyDeleteMy hop: Mom Reads My Books
I read Speak fairly recently - you're right, it's ace. To Kill a Mockingbird is pretty much required reading at high school in the UK (or it was when I went), and so it should be!
ReplyDeleteSpeak is on my tbr list. My hop is here - http://thebusybibliophile.com/book-blogger-hop-93011/. I think I got a little wound up about this topic, though...
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