I am giddy with joy. After all kinds of silly weeks and months through out the year, you know what I’m talking about, Smile Day, Hug a Panda Day, Drink your Favorite Beer Day (well, I won’t take issue with that one), and every other manner of silliness, Banned Books Week is something I can sink my teeth into. Or, maybe, curl up with. Forgive the prepositions.
Banned Books Week is something that appeals to me, not just as a student and teacher of literature, but as a rebel. Ever since Sister Dawn caught me with Abby Scott’s big sister’s super secret copy of M*A*S*H in my desk and made me take it home, anticipating, I’m sure, an explosion from my parents (I was in the sixth grade and there were some morally objectionable components to that book) I embraced my right (even though it really wasn’t) to read everything I could get my hands on. Even if Sister Dawn objected.
In fact, ESPECIALLY if Sister Dawn, or any other adult, objected. I know, scandalous. In the end, though, it made me pretty well-read. Here is my top 10 list of favorite [not effectively] banned books. What’s yours?
1. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
2. Letters from the Earth by Mark Twain (that was censored and published posthumously!)
3. The entire Harry Potter adventure by J.K. Rowling
4. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
5. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
6. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
8. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
9. A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor
10. Earth’s Children series (Clan of the Cave Bear) by Jean. M. Auel
I suppose I could chime in about Captain Underpants, too. Funny books. Give ’em a try.
Here are my additions:
1.) Animal Farm
2.) Farenheit 451
3.) A Wrinkle in Time
4.) Beloved
5.) The Giver
6.) Lord of the Flies
7.) Slaughterhouse-five (Gotta love Vonnegut!)
Love Captain Underpants! Was that Sister Dawn Gear?
Elizabeth Who? Who are you that you know Sister Dawn? LOL! Yes, indeed. I thought she was gonna punch me, only, she gave me her patented stare. Btw, OJT for any teacher is attending school run by the Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart. Classic. And classical. Gotta love every one of those great women.
Laura’s Mom – Sister Dawn and Sister Rita were the first principals for St. John Neumann, then started the Donellan school- Sister Dawn moved on to New Jersey ( head of schools in Camden) and Sister Rita came back to SJN as a religious instructor – very close to Laura – she died a few years ago – ask Laura for more! Wish Mark had not missed out on knowing them – they were the best!
Atlas Shrugged
Ha! Did it arrive?
I got to the office after I left to come home and eat a tasty pan con bisteque
niiiice. i had…chicken.
My lunch is gonna be your supper 🙂
man, I thought face book was the way to chat not blog.Hi Elizabeth and john. hope im correct there.
What?! Those are all banned books?!
And here I was thinking I was a good girl.
Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird are my favs!!!!