Continuing in the quest to (collectively) read all 100 books on the ALA’s Top 100 Books of 2000-2009 I finished #61 Draw Me a Star by Eric Carle and #99. Are You There God? Its Me Margaret. I’ve also started on several others.
Here’s what the list looks like so far. The titles in red are, well, read. Those in Blue are either in progress or are in the queue.
Eric Carle is probably best known for The Very Hungry Caterpillar which was first published in 1969. Draw Me A Star was published much later in his career (1992), and I guess the author was feeling secure in his writing style and audience, because he dared to do the unthinkable. He included two nude figures. The people are barely anatomically correct. His signature collage, tissue paper style produces crude, childlike illustrations, and, yes, the female figure has two circles to indicate breasts and the man has an appendage that is a penis. So I guess that’s it.
Draw Me A Star got banned for Nudity 8 pages and 53 words into the book.
Like just about every girl I knew growing up I read Are You There God? Its Me Margaret by Judy Blume. I don’t remember there being much fuss about it 35 years ago and I can’t figure out what would put it on the list now.
The book is a coming of age novel where Margaret talks to God and tries to find her place in a new school in a new city. She is also trying to decide which religion she wants to align with (her father is Jewish; her mother is Christian.) Margaret longs to get her period and grow into her new bra, but, after reading Wallflower and Catcher this teenager comes off VERY innocent and sweet.
My best guess to why it is on the list? Some one must have gotten offended on Religious grounds.
Blume is on the list more than once. Now I’m looking forward to reading her Tiger Eyes (which I have not read before)
ritaLOVEStoWRITE 
October 29th, 2014 at 1:55 pm
Nice thoughts Rita! Brilliant idea for the reads.