Once a year, libraries around the United States salute intellectual freedom by highlighting books that have been banned or challenged in school libraries and public libraries. Banned Books Week, which is September 26 – October 3 this year, celebrates our freedom to read materials which may have controversial content or unpopular viewpoints.
You would expect to see books such as Lolita and Harry Potter on the list, but many of the books frequently challenged in schools and libraries are surprising. Here are a just a few examples:
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel
The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
King & King by Linda de Haan
The Adventures of Tintin by Hergé
Walter the Farting Dog by William Kotzwinkle (one of my personal favorites)
Come to the library and check one of the banned books out. Open your mind by getting to know a different point of view.
