Banned Books, Goodreads & Other News

I nearly always miss Banned Books Week, but I was lucky enough to be reminded before-hand, which is the only reason this post even exists. Banned Books Week is, actually, a really important event for me every year. Not exactly because I sit down to read a handful of banned books, but rather because the full extent of the phrase banned books finally hits me. I think I first learned about banned books when I was eleven – which is rather late. Although my parents never banned me from books, I always knew that I was not meant to read certain novels or pages before a certain time. For instance, I distinctly remember my mother telling me not to read the “August” section of our “A” Britannica Encyclopedia of the World as it mentioned Virgo, the star sign of the month, and my mother thought I was far too young to know about virgins at the age of nine. Understandable.

However, the actual banning of a book is an entirely different idea altogether. Just the image of burning books, crossing out words, or hiding a novel so it cannot be read and appreciated is downright blasphemous. After all, words have had the power to change my life, countless times, and the thought of others being denied that gift is heart-breaking.

I decided that, to celebrate Banned Books Week, I’d put together a list of some of my favorite banned titles from the American Language Association. After all, these books deserve to be celebrated, no matter what.

(My Favorite) Top Banned Books of the Past Decade (2000-2010)

1. Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

I knew this was banned, but to be number one on the list was a little shocking, even for me. Quite simply put, this series is transformative. It lent me strength while I grew up and taught me so many valuable life lessons. It’s…magical.

8. His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

I know this was my first real fantasy series and it blew me away. It still does. I’ve never re-read it, but my memories of it are so vivid and my emotions are so sharp and clear because this trilogy is just incredible.

23. The Giver by Lois Lowry

I think this was my first true dystopian novel, so I remember being both eerily fascinated by it and ever-so-slightly confused. It’s truly a remarkable piece of fiction, though, only because it makes you think and explores so much gray area. I struggled to believe anyone would want to ban this back when I read it more than half a decade ago and I still struggle to believe that today.

(My Favorite) Banned Classics

1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

In the four years since I’ve discovered this book, I’ve already read it six times. And each time I’ve read it, I uncover something new about it and see this novel in a whole new light. Is it one of my favorite books ever? Yes.

4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

If you’ve read this book, you know just how wonderful it is. I love the book, I love the film, and I love the new anniversary edition covers. ;)

27. Native Son by Richard Wright

I read this just two years ago and it shocked me, confused me, and made me see the world in a whole new light. I don’t think that we, as people, can fully comprehend discrimination until we’ve read Native Son. We know it, on an academic level, and perhaps we’ve even experienced it, but not like this. I think this is one of the most under-read, fallen-under-the-radar classics ever, but I sincerely hope that isn’t the case in the future as it is so good.

On this note of censorship, let's stop to discuss Goodreads for a moment, shall we? Jessie from Ageless Pages Reviews and Nafiza from Bibliophilic Monologues both wrote wonderful posts about exactly what Goodreads has done and why their censorship is wrong (which is why I'm skipping over those subjects). All I really want to say about this is...what now? I joined Goodreads last year and found a community that accepted me for my bookish quirks and appreciated me for my opinion. I have - luckily - not had any of my reviews taken off of Goodreads, but I don't want to sit in the perpetual fear that they will. Does this mean I want to join Book Likes? Not really. Honestly, I appreciate Goodreads more for its ability to let me connect with other readers than anything else. I refer to the reviews of my trusted friends constantly, but even more than that, I love that readers are able to interact so easily with me and I with them. I don't worry over losing books or reviews in moving to a new website, I worry over losing friends. And so, I want to know now, what are you doing about the issue on Goodreads? Are you joining Book Likes, or completely leaving Goodreads? I will probably make myself a Book Likes account sometime soon and I will probably begin using it, but unless I can find all my friends back on it, I doubt it will completely replace Goodreads for me.

And on an entirely unrelated note, I wanted to add that I will be rather…absent…from the blogosphere over the next two months. Why? COLLEGE. I thought last year, with standardized tests every two months, was bad, but college applications are even worse. I’m currently still finalizing my list and I have two out of the twenty essays I need to write finished, but I have a looot of writing and editing in my future. I still have nearly a dozen backlogged posts, not to mention tons of ARCs to read and review in-between now and December, and I will definitely be commenting on blogs – only because I really just LOVE to – but if you notice me posting visibly less or perhaps commenting occasionally (I’m going to try to give shout-outs on Twitter, even if I can’t comment!), then just know it’s because I’m caught up in the college frenzy. I’m hoping to be mostly finished by the time December rolls around, so if I can get through this in one piece, I’ll be relieved. Anyway, just wanted to let you know! :)

And so, back to banned books! What are some of your favorite banned books? Have you experienced censorship (in another form than the current Goodreads Debacle...)? What are your thoughts about banned books? I'd love to hear, so let me know in the comments! :)