October Reading List: Banned Books

For the month of October, I'm going to focus on reading banned books.  Banned books are books that have been suppressed by the government at one time or another for containing content deemed objectionable, such as swearing, sexual references, violence, or unpopular ideas.

I strongly believe that everyone should have free access to read whatever books they want, and that governments should not attempt to censor the creative voices of authors based on anyone's moral objections. As a teacher, I see books being pulled from our library all the time for being "inappropriate" in some way. This kills me inside. Books are a safe way to explore all sorts of different people, places, and ideas. Why limit that because someone says a swear word?

I have to send home permission slips to read To Kill a Mockingbird with my students. This novel is one of the most important books written on racism in our time, and I have to spend time worrying that someone might get mad because the N word is in it.  It's ridiculous. Those who want to ban books are missing the point of what reading is.

So, in that vein, I am reading books that others have maligned and tried to make disappear this month. If someone is enraged about the content of a book, that usually means that the books is pretty good, or at least thought-provoking, so I'm thinking that this will be a great month of reading.

Here's the plan:

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier - This young adult book is about a boy who dares to refuse participation in his school's annual chocolate fundraiser. It's always hovering near the top of the "most banned books" lists for its profanity, violence, sexual references and disturbing ending.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie - This book is about a boy struggling to get off of his Indian reservation and make it in the world. The was the most challenged young adult book of 2014.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson - This book about the sexual assault of a girl is frequently challenged due to it's sexual content.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne - This classic novel was scandalous when it came out in the 1850s due to its sexual subject matter and sympathetic treatment of its guilty protagonist. This will also be my "reread a classic from school" book for my Back to the Classics Reading Challenge.

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair - This 1929 classic American novel about the meatpacking industry was banned in countries around the world (as well as Boston, at one point) for containing socialist views. This will be my "banned or censored classic" for my Back to the Classics Reading Challenge.


If I actually read both The Scarlett Letter and The Jungle this month, I will officially be DONE with my classics challenge!  That's nuts!

Okay, time to get those pages turning!