Banned Book Week.....2015's most Challenged Books

Welcome to Banned Book Week....
It's during this week that we celebrate the Freadom to read. All to often now a days books and library materials are challenged due to their content. Honestly I think that this happens way to frequently. Here is the list of the American Library Associations top ten most challenged books of 2015:



1) Looking for Alaska, by John Green
Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group.
2) Fifty Shades of Grey, by E. L. James
Reasons: Sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, and other (“poorly written,” “concerns that a group of teenagers will want to try it”).
3) I Am Jazz, by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings
Reasons: Inaccurate, homosexuality, sex education, religious viewpoint, and unsuited for age group.
4) Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out, by Susan Kuklin
Reasons: Anti-family, offensive language, homosexuality, sex education, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group, and other (“wants to remove from collection to ward off complaints”).
5) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon
Reasons: Offensive language, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group, and other (“profanity and atheism”).
6) The Holy Bible
Reasons: Religious viewpoint.
7) Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel
Reasons: Violence and other (“graphic images”).
8) Habibi, by Craig Thompson
Reasons: Nudity, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group.
9) Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan, by Jeanette Winter
Reasons: Religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group, and violence.
10)Two Boys Kissing, by David Levithan
Reasons: Homosexuality and other (“condones public displays of affection”).

Some of these challenges seem petty and trivial. For more information of these books and several others visit the American Library Associations Website! 

Banned Book of the Day!

Banned Book of the Day: 1984 by George Orwell; it has been banned for social and political reasons and for sexual content. The book was even burned in the U.S.S.R for its negative views against communism; and reading it could have gotten you arrested. 

Have you read this banned book? If so, please share your comments at www.facebook.com/thebookbabeofde

Bookish Quote of the Day!

To the Critics of Fifty Shades of Grey....

I recently commented on a post on Facebook about a new Faith Based movie called "Old Fashioned". I found the idea of a movie based on an old fashioned, faith based courtship refreshing. I was really excited about seeing how that movie would fair in theaters. Then I started seeing posts comparing it to Fifty Shades of Grey. Then even more about how Fifty Shades of Grey dehumanizes women and makes them look like objects and cheap. Christian was looked at as an abuser, stalker and a creep. According to some of the comments and things I read he was the worst kind of man. One thing became very clear to me; that none of these people had read the book and that they made some assumptions. 1) That Ana was forced or manuiplated into becoming Christian's Submissive and 2) That Christian was abusive. The issue with this is that Ana was given a Choice. We see this over and over again. We see her battle with her emotions on the subject over and over again. We see Christian reassuring her that she can walk away. Secondly; Ana knew exactly what she was getting into. She signed a contract to that affect; not to mention we had to read several chapters based on what she would and would not permit Christian to do to her. Last but not least; Ana was a stronger woman then these critics think. To her credit she became  more assertive and took charge of her own destiny. Author E.L. James did a wonderful job at developing Ana. What really bothers me is that there are books with the same themes that better fit the criticism that Fifty Shades has recieved. One such book is the Story of O by Pauline Réage; in the story O is offered up as a slave to be trained and broken and molded into a submissive. At one point O is branded and falls in love with her master Sir Stephen. Who does not love her; and who is also the step brother of the boyfriend that turned her over for training. O was forced; plain and simple. She was manuiplated. Made to please men she did not love or want. This was not the case with Ana. She clearly loved Christian despite his faults; and she gets through to him over time. Another book that is equally unsettling is The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by Anne Rice. I will admit that I never finished the book because it was to much for me. In the book Sleeping Beauty is awakened not with a kiss but after sexual intercourse; did I mention she was asleep and could not give consent. The man who does this strips her naked and makes her walk through the surrounding villages to his kingdom where she is trained among other men and women to become a sex slave. Again; this is not something we see in Fifty Shades of Grey. Those latter books contain sexual violence of the worse sort; and someone taking problem with that will hear no complaint from this book worm. However; I will complain when others condemn and shame others for reading Fifty Shades of Grey. I was told I was not a true Christian because I had read such a vial book. It dawned on me through this experience that these types of people are the same ones that ban hundreds of books every year and all because they have faulty assumptions about what is right and proper. So good bookworms...I say take up all the Banned books you can and read them openly. Thrust these despised books into the hands of anyone who is willing to read them and lastly make sure you fight back against the ignorance people spout against these books. Protect the FREADOM to read! 

FREE YOUR MIND....READ BANNED BOOKS....

For more information on book challenges and what libraries are doing to battle censorship

visit the American Library Association at www.ala.org 

Top Banned Books of 2013 and Why They Where Banned....

All information listed below is from www.ala.org (American Library Association)

1. Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey
   Reasons: Offensive language, unsuited for age group, violence
2. The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
   Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, violence
3. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
   Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
4. Fifty Shades of Grey, by E.L. James
   Reasons: Nudity, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
5. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
   Reasons: Religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group
6. A Bad Boy Can Be Good for A Girl, by Tanya Lee Stone
   Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit
7. Looking for Alaska, by John Green
   Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
8. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
   Reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, homosexuality, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
9. Bless Me Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya
   Reasons: Occult/Satanism, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit
10. Bone (series), by Jeff Smith
    Reasons: Political viewpoint, racism, violence