I recently finished two more titles on the ALA’s list of the most Banned Books of 2000-2009:
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
#10 The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
and
The Catcher in the Rye (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
#19 Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
I loved Perks all the way through. From Chbosky’s well drawn, interesting characters to the music he included on his mix tapes I was all in for this book. Had he written the book 10 years earlier I could have been sitting next to Charlie at Rocky Horror, throwing toast and singing along. I was both moved by Charlie’s journey and surprised by the plot twist.
My guess to why it was banned? Offensive language, Drugs, alcohol, smoking, Homosexuality, Sexually explicit, Violence
Catcher, on the other hand, BOY! Now that was a novel that I had to warm up to, I tell you. Old Salinger’s language choices were a big factor in my lack of initial enthusiasm. He must have used “and all” about a million times! I’m not kidding you. But I stuck with it and by the time that Holden kid got to New York City I started to get interested. By the last 1/4 of the novel I was invested.
My guess to why it was banned? Offensive language, Drugs, alcohol, smoking, Violence, Prostitution.
This was my first read for both books (somehow I’d never read Catcher in school… it was probably banned from my all girl’s Catholic school curriculum.) The two novels make nice companion pieces, Charlie even reads Catcher in Perks. (He loved the earlier novel btw.)
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October 19th, 2014 at 9:45 pm
I suspect its absence in a 1970’s high school curriculum at a girls’ s chool had to do with two things mainly – the nuns probably were barely aware of its existence and it was about a boy.
My son’s high school curriculum at an all-BOY school did include Catcher in the Rye, which he loathed and despised (“He’s just sooo whiney!”). However, it didn’t include any writing by great female authors like Mary Shelley or Jane Austen or any of the assorted Brontes.
October 20th, 2014 at 12:05 am
Funny that Jane Austen isn’t on the Banned List.
I admit I had a hard time with Mr. Holden Caufield until Maggie told me he was a good guy and I needed to give him a chance. Then I did and he was OK.
January 22nd, 2015 at 1:45 am
[…] Don’t get me wrong I’m still against the banning of any book… but it is a parent’s job to be aware of what their child is reading and to guide them in their choices. So if little Jimmy or Janie really must read a hip book where the kids take drugs and indulge in risky sexual behavior I would strongly suggest something that is much better written with characters that are fully drawn and who are capable of both evoking and generating some sense of empathy. (See: The Perks of Being a Wallflower) […]