If you go to the American Library Association site you will find a list of banned books by year. The list states why the book was banned or challenged. I want to list some of the books from the list which I have read. These are from the 2011 list: Diary of Anne Frank, Water for Elephants, Slaughterhouse-Five. From 2010 list: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, The Bean Trees, To Kill a Mockingbird. And from 2009: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, The Kite Runner, Wicked, Huckleberry Finn, The Lovely Bones, The Color Purple.
All of the above books were interesting and challenging and well worth the read. One of the books that is on the list is A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn. I have had it for years and not read much of it. I think I'll get it off the shelf and read more!
Sarah, the people who put that list together are prejudiced. I have read many excellent books over the years on the banned book list. I think it is fun to read through the list of banned books just because they say they are banned. Makes me feel naughty. :) I remember in high school reading several books for English class that the next year were on the banned book list and friends who took the class were told they could not read them. We have a free country and this is a right that should not be banned. The Constitution does not limit what we have the right to read, and no state should have that right either, only parents should be able to censor what their children read so that it is age appropriate. I man give me a break look at the movies and video games that are out there, if they are going to censor anything it should be some of those.
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