Top 100 Banned Books 1990 - 2000

by closer2fine 28 Replies latest jw friends

  • SheilaM
    SheilaM

    I notices not a lot have read " The Giver" by Lois Lowery it is an awesome book I made Thunder and both my kids read it they all loved it made even Thunder and Ant cry. It has a lot to say about our society.

    RF: No novels to me that would be like living in hell

  • refiners fire
    refiners fire

    Sheila. I consider novels to be a poor return. A lot of reading (time) for a little bit that you might learn from the particular book. I prefer historical works now, biographies, and of course religious material. Over the past 5 years Ive probly read almost exclusively in historical and modern religious material. Its just a particular passion of mine. But i read many novels when I was younger, excluding the classics such as "war and peace" and suchlike. I could never get into those books. "The catcher in the rye" makes no sense to me though I did read Harper Lees "Mockingbird" which I thought very good.

  • riz
    riz

    i've read 28 of those on the list. i saw many titles that have piqued my interest. i know what i'm doing this weekend.

  • GentlyFeral
    GentlyFeral

    1. Daddy’s Roommate by Michael Willhoite; a very sweet story about a marriage that breaks up amicably when daddy comes out.
    2. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou; autobiography, well worth your time.
    3. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier; a creepy book about a boys' school.
    4. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain; includes one of the most edifying (morally uplifting) scenes in American literature, in which Huck declares "Well, then, I'll go to hell" rather than turn his friend over to slave-catchers.
    5. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck; another good read, rather dated now.
    6. Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling; I gave up a little way into the third book - kind of discovered that the velvet was flannel and the jewels were paste. Wouldn't hesitate to let my kids cut their teeth on it, though. Great prep for Tolkien :)
    7. Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman same genre as Daddy's roommate, but without the divorce. Two upstanding lesbians take their little daughter on a camping trip while the girl ruminates on their life.
    8. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger; my daughter thought this was melodramatic and overrated.
    9. The Giver by Lois Lowry; not terribly nuanced, but a good introduction to classic dystopian SF themes. On a par with The White Mountains et sequelae by John Christopher. Good prep for those and H.G. Wells et cetera.
    10. Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine; poorly written but imaginatively plotted. A good way to bait the reluctant reader into fantastic literature. Baby steps to Poe!
    11. The Color Purple by Alice Walker; two words: Wow. And wow.
    12. Earth’s Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel; great idea, but the language is clumsy. I gave up after the second volume.
    13. The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson; a plainly told, believable story about a foster child. Not-scary prep for the fine, horrifying works of JT Taylor (Sarah; The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things).
    14. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle; more good "infant" SF; this has dated a little more than her other works, but still holds up.
    15. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak; ok, so you can see the little hero's peepee for one pic, but it's not a central focus of the book, ya know? Nothing the young male reader hasn't seen before.
    16. The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard; Much better than Jackass. I especially liked The Stupids Die.
    17. The Witches by Roald Dahl; a conspiracy-theory comedy with hilarious special effects.
    18. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood; One of the better dystopian tales of the past 20 years.
    19. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison; her first novel, I believe. Song of Solomon (see below) is a much better investment of time/money.
    20. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee; Hmm! 'bout time to read this again!
    21. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes; I'm a sucker for stories about underdogs and geniuses - this character is both.
    22. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein; can't imagine why this was banned! Wonderful rambunctious light verse.
    23. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley; the classic of dystopian fiction.
    24. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl; WTF? Why was this banned?Read it, read it!!
    25. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut; incomprehensible, but fun.
    26. Lord of the Flies by William Golding; a study in the formation of totalitarianism, suitable for children ages 12 and up; or maybe as young as 10.
    27. Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen; Don't know this one. Raymond Buckland is the classic author; Scott Cunningham is for utter newbies. Read whatever the hell you want and then make up your own.
    28. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain; I prefer Huckleberry Finn, because it is less light-hearted.
    29. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison; a fabulous wandering cast-of-thousands novel about a small Southern town, complete with human dignity and guilty secrets.
    30. Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene; A fairly decent kids' book about growing up as an outsider and the conflict of compassion with cultural expectations.
    31. Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman; is this the classic fairy tale? I always loved the thought of tiger butter.
    32. How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell; a charming little book about a boy who discovers marketing and explores food phobias.

    Damn....not even half?

    Well, hell; this week I'm reading JT Taylor's The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things and The Birth of Christianity by John Dominic Crossan;then I'll read Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam and Thou Art That, by Joseph Campbell; and I've just finished The Jesus Mysteries.

    gently feral

  • joannadandy
    joannadandy
    not sure about elementary, middle or high school libraries though...

    Actually it can be difficult to ban a book here too. Most teachers and parents will fight it, and it is usually a small group that wants to challenge a book--and usually for the most ridiculous reasons! It is totally up to school districts tho, and while they can remove a book from the school library it usually just creates a fuss and sends people to a public library to read the book. Talk about achieving the opposite goal.

  • smack
    smack

    I've read bugger all on that list, cept Harry Potter. Maybe I need to stay in more, and get off the damn computer

  • SheilaM
    SheilaM

    The catcher in the rye" makes no sense to me

    RF: Well, no one ever said that it made sense. allthough I did make a really funny spoof on it LOL

  • asortafairytale
    asortafairytale

    To all the people who have read the book "The Color Purple", I highly recommend reading the book "Possessing the Secret of Joy", also by Alice Walker. It centers around Tashi(Olivia's best friend), and takes on the subject of female circumcision. Incredible book.

  • nilfun
    nilfun

    I've read a few:

    I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
    The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
    Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
    The Color Purple by Alice Walker
    Earth’s Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel
    A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
    Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
    Blubber by Judy Blume
    The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
    To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
    The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
    Deenie by Judy Blume
    Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
    A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
    Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
    Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
    Cujo by Stephen King
    Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
    Lord of the Flies by William Golding
    Native Son by Richard Wright
    The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
    Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
    Always Running by Luis Rodriguez
    Private Parts by Howard Stern
    Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
    How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell

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