Banned Book Week Giveaway

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Banned Book Week Giveaway

September 24, 2011 by suzannelazear

Happy Banned Book Week! I’m going to keep this post on sticky all week so everyone has a chance to enter.

Did you know that every year books are banned from schools and libraries? Banned Book Week, September 24-October 1, 2011, celebrates intellectual freedom and the right we have to have access to all books–including ones that might be “objectionable” for whatever reason. It also draws attention to the fact that even in this day and age books are banned and censored in communities across the United States. Censorship is harmful and we have the right to access all opinions and ideas, not just the popular ones.

Fortunately, most challenged books are not banned thanks to the hard work of librarians, booksellers, teachers, and community members who work to make sure that everyone can read what they wish.

In 2010 the top 10 most frequently challenged books were:

1. And Tango Makes Three, by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson

2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie

3. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley

4. Crank, by Ellen Hopkins

5. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

6. Lush, by Natasha Friend

7. What My Mother Doesn’t Know, by Sonya Sones

8. Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich

9. Revolutionary Voices, edited by Amy Sonnie

10. Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer

But it’s not just contemporary books that get banned, classes get banned and challenged, too.

The list of frequently challenged classics is always my favorite.

1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
3. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
5. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
6. Ulysses by James Joyce
7. Beloved by Toni Morrison
8. The Lord of the Flies by William Golding
9. 1984 by George Orwell
10. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
11. Lolita by Vladmir Nabokov
12. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
13. Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
14. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
15. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
16. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
17. Animal Farm by George Orwell
18. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
19. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
20. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
21. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
22. Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne
23. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
24. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
25. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
26. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
27. Native Son by Richard Wright
28. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
29. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
30. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
31. On the Road by Jack Kerouac
32. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
33. The Call of the Wild by Jack London
34. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
35. Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
36. Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin
37. The World According to Garp by John Irving
38. All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren
39. A Room with a View by E. M. Forster
40. The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
41. Schindler’s List by Thomas Keneally
42. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
43. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
44. Finnegans Wake by James Joyce
45. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
46. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
47. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
48. Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D. H. Lawrence
49. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
50. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
51. My Antonia by Willa Cather
52. Howards End by E. M. Forster
53. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
54. Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
55. The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie
56. Jazz by Toni Morrison
57. Sophie’s Choice by William Styron
58. Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner
59. A Passage to India by E. M. Forster
60. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
61. A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor
62. Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
63. Orlando by Virginia Woolf
64. Sons and Lovers by D. H. Lawrence
65. Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe
66. Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
67. A Separate Peace by John Knowles
68. Light in August by William Faulkner
69. The Wings of the Dove by Henry James
70. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
71. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
72. A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
73. Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs
74. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
75. Women in Love by D. H. Lawrence
76. Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe
77. In Our Time by Ernest Hemingway
78. The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein
79. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
80. The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer
81. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
82. White Noise by Don DeLillo
83. O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
84. Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller
85. The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
86. Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad
87. The Bostonians by Henry James
88. An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
89. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
90. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
91. This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
92. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
93. The French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles
94. Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis
95. Kim by Rudyard Kipling
96. The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
97. Rabbit, Run by John Updike
98. Where Angels Fear to Tread by E. M. Forster
99. Main Street by Sinclair Lewis
100. Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie

How many of them have you read? I’ve read 31, most as school assignments. Even H.G. Wells is on the list. I think it’s ironic that “1984″ is on the list–someone tried to censor a book about book censorship.

The purpose of banned book week is to let people know that even in this day and age, censorship still exists in America. The first amendment is still questioned. During this week we try to get the word out that banning books is censorship, pure and simple, and it’s wrong.

So what will you do to celebrate Banned Book Week.?

I think I’m going to read some H.G. Wells. So can you, one lucky commenter will win a copy…all you have to do is tell me how you’re going to celebrate Banned Book Week. One entry per person, open internationally, contest ends October 1, 2011 at 11:59 PM PST.

We’re part of the Banned Book Week Blog Hop sponsored by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and I Read Banned Books.

Want to win more books and stuff? Check out the other contests in the hop.

—

Suzanne Lazear writes steampunk tales for teens. Her debut novel, Innocent Darkness, book one of The Aether Chronicles, releases August 2012 from Flux. Visit her personal blog for more adventures.

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Posted in banned books, Books | Tagged Banned Book Week, Contest, HG Wells | 52 Comments

52 Responses

on September 24, 2011 at 12:18 am anilbalan

Great idea and post!

http://anilbalan.com/
on September 24, 2011 at 12:39 am Corey Olomon

I’ll celebrate by going to my library (the King County library System) which proudly does not ban. olomon@Hotmail.com
on September 24, 2011 at 6:03 am Catherine

74 but the thing that really tickles me is that I’ve *taught* at least 12 of them (albeit in college, not high school).

Also, I clearly need to read more Steinbeck and Faulkner.
on September 24, 2011 at 8:36 am Sharon

I’ve read 67, heck, I didn’t even know most of them were “banned”!! Thanks for this post, gonna go to the library and see what I can’t find…..
Thanks also for the other links
on September 24, 2011 at 9:20 am Theresa DiBlanca

I see so many books on these lists that I’ve already read and enjoyed! John Steinbeck was even a friend of my Dad’s, and it’s odd to see his name on the list. To celebrate, I think I’ll purchase at least one of these books for my Kindle and/or iPod. Theresa
on September 24, 2011 at 10:15 am Thomas E Phillips Jr (@FredTownWard)

I’m going to “celebrate” it by remembering all of the banned books that never seem to get mentioned by the usual champions of Banned Book Week:

Christian books and politically conservative books.

To begin with, any challenged or banned book list that doesn’t have the Bible listed as the number one challenged or banned book is probably dishonest in other ways as well.

Did you ever wonder why Christians and political conservatives tend to be overrepresented in the category of book challengers and banners? Because they know that not only do most of the self-designated opponents of censorship not give a rat’s rear end when Christian or politically conservative books are challenged or banned, but most of the time they are leading the charge to challenge or ban Christian or politically conservative books in the first place! Sadly, the perfectly understandable response on the part of too many Christians and political conservatives is, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!”

Why should you care?

As someone might have said,

First they came for the Bible, and I didn’t speak out because I didn’t read the Bible.

Then they came for the Christian fiction, and I didn’t speak out because I didn’t read Christian fiction.

Then they came for the politically conservative books, and I didn’t speak out because I didn’t read politically conservative books….

For the life of me I don’t see how people can believe that opposing the banning of only the books you like while ignoring the banning of books you don’t like gets you anywhere.
on September 24, 2011 at 10:36 am Barbara Elness

I’m going to celebrate by reading some of the banned books, and I’m with you, I’m going to read some H.G. Wells.
on September 24, 2011 at 12:39 pm PamM

I am going to the library and pick up a book off the list.
on September 24, 2011 at 2:24 pm Laith

None from the 2010 list, and only 23 from the classics. I am doing a daily post series (one banned book per day) over on my blog.

I’m currently reading Winnie-the-Pooh with my middle daughter.

War of the Worlds is sounding really good right now, I think I will grab my copy and read it with the eldest.
on September 24, 2011 at 3:30 pm lindsaywrites

i’m celebrating by being part of this hop!!

thank you!!

americangirlie1991 at yahoo dot com
on September 25, 2011 at 2:57 am Rad Hall

I think I might borrow Animal Farm from my local library …
Thanks for the giveaway

emi3mle at yahoo dot com dot au
on September 25, 2011 at 9:28 am thereadersshop

I’ll be celebrating by wearing anti-censorship t-shirts from my shop each day. Thank you for the chance to win!

methom@earthlink.net
on September 25, 2011 at 9:55 am Yto

i will be reading as many banned books in my life as possible. those are most of the times the best books.
i will celebrate it with posting my opinions about banning everywhere i can.

witchvela at web dot de
on September 25, 2011 at 1:22 pm Catherine D.

Wow, I haven’t read as many of those as I thought I would have – only about 20 – and a lot of them are on my list. I should set aside my Iliad for the week and read one or two of these. Maybe Catch-22 or Clockwork Orange or one of the Vonnegut’s, I can’t believe I still haven’t read those.
on September 25, 2011 at 4:14 pm Donna Hale

I am celebrating Banned Book Week by reading one banned book and I think I will try out the ALA’s virtual readalong.

Donna
jaevenstar@gmail.com
on September 25, 2011 at 6:50 pm Christine A.

I am going to celebrate by continuing to read books and make it a goal to read more books from the banned list. Reading is a freedom, a choice. Thanks for this giveaway.
on September 25, 2011 at 7:53 pm julie barrett

wow when i went to school they were on the required list to read, thanks for having this tour.
Julie

jbarrett5 at cox.net
on September 26, 2011 at 10:45 am Kelly Hashway (@kellyhashway)

I’ve read almost the entire list of challenged classics. And I read them all in school.
on September 26, 2011 at 11:49 am Matt

I think I’ll celebrate by reading The Sound and the Fury again!
on September 26, 2011 at 12:03 pm Rebecca RyalsRussell (@Vigorio)

Isn’t it amazing how society favors or denies topics depending on its comfort level/financial situation. And once that changes, the banned topics change and the old ones are again acceptable. Fickle humans.
on September 26, 2011 at 12:07 pm Rebecca RyalsRussell (@Vigorio)

Forgot to mention I’m also on the Banned Books Blog Hop because I suspect my own books won’t make it into school libraries. Demons vs Angels won’t be popular for long. Puritanism will raise its ugly head one day soon in a whiplash effect. http://rryalsrussell.com/2011/09/24/banned-books-week-hop/
on September 26, 2011 at 12:25 pm Michele Luker

I will spread the word by posting everywhere on the social networks…POWER TO THE BOOKS!!

thanks for the giveaway

jmluker at winco dot net
on September 26, 2011 at 5:43 pm Dominique

I’ll celebrate by reading Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. This is my all time favorite book, and I couldn’t believe it when I saw it was on the list of banned books. This book was on the required reading list for me twice!. Once in jr. high, and then again in high school. And it was a book that I fell in love with.

couponcookie at gmail dot com
on September 26, 2011 at 9:27 pm charlotte

im gonna read twilight hunger games vampire academey and a lotta other banned books hmmp the nerve of some ppl what is charlottes web gonna give a 12 year old a bad dream yeesh lol. im practicly seething for their stupidity id love to win a banned book charvahon@yahoo.com
on September 27, 2011 at 11:59 am Katie

i celebrate it by reading the banned books. i’ve gone through Twilight Saga and Hunger Games trilogy.

thanks for the giveaway!

katie_tp(at)yahoo(dot)com
on September 27, 2011 at 5:45 pm Bookworm lisa

First of all, I am going to visit every blog participating in this contest. I am amazed at how many of the banned/challenged books that I own, that are excellent books that I would highly recommend to anyone. Then I am going to make sure that I read some great books, anything I want to, because I can.

ke7yca at gmail dot com
on September 27, 2011 at 10:26 pm Lolawid

I am celebrating by helping out at my kids Jr. High book fair and drooling all over all the books!! Thanks!!

widsfam7 @ digis dot net
on September 27, 2011 at 11:00 pm DInda_SI

I am celebrating Banned Book Week by reading banned book.
Thanks for the giveawy !!!

dl(dot)love(dot)freedom(at)gmail(dot)com
on September 28, 2011 at 5:54 am Mellysa

i’m celebrating by being part of this hop! hehe

Thanks for the giveaway

mellysa dot ch at gmail dot com
on September 28, 2011 at 11:51 am debbie

I am to tell people about banned book week, and encourage them to pick up one of the books and read it.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com
on September 28, 2011 at 3:32 pm April X

Thanks for the giveaway I’m giving away some banned books as part of the hop

aprilxu2222@gmail.com
on September 28, 2011 at 10:46 pm mamabunny13

I think I will read either Animal Farm or Of Mice and Men this week.
mamabunny13 at gmail dot com
on September 28, 2011 at 10:58 pm Annie Seaton (@annieseaton26)

As a former school librarian. I will spread this news about banned book week on Twitter!
on September 29, 2011 at 6:37 am Theresa

My choice was to purchase a book for my Kindle or iPod, so I’ve purchased Ulysses by James Joyce, as read by Jim Norton from Audible.com. It’s been on my “must read” list for a while, so this was a good time to buy. It will probably be next in line after I finish listening to The Night Circus. Theresa
on September 29, 2011 at 11:40 am Mary

I have read about 10 of them!

Mary
mary_reiss @ hotmail.com
on September 29, 2011 at 1:03 pm krystallarson

I celebrate by reading Fahreheit 451 and participating as a blogger in this contest! Thank you very much, edysicecreamlover18@gmailDOTcom
on September 29, 2011 at 4:45 pm daniela

I’m going to start with The Hunger Games and read as much of the banned classics as I can.

denise13727(at)yahoo(dot)com
on September 29, 2011 at 6:39 pm Quilt Lady

I am celebrating by join this blog hop
on September 29, 2011 at 9:26 pm Lisa Richards

I’m celebrating by reading what ever I want.
on September 30, 2011 at 8:18 am Erin

I posted my top five favorite banned books on my blog yesterday and asked readers about theirs. I’m also following the Virtual Read Out…oh, and I’m checking out the blogs participating in this hop!

erinreadsblog {at} gmail {dot} com
on September 30, 2011 at 6:15 pm Lenasledgeblog.com

I have read most of those books.

Thanks for the giveaway.

Here’s Mine. Hope you’ll stop by and enter as well: Read Banned Books Week Hop and Giveaway
on September 30, 2011 at 10:54 pm Noele McNastypants

I am celebrating Banned Books Week by starting discussions with people about why the freedom of information and ideas is important to our personal freedom!
on October 1, 2011 at 12:20 am Janelle

Most of the books on the ALA list were required reading when I was in school! And not for college either these books sparked discussion, ideas, mind-expansion, heated debate, creative expression and yes, education. Narrow-mindedness, ignorance and fear breed prejudice. Support our intellectual freedom to read what we want and when.
Thanks for being part of the vital Banned Books Week Giveaway Blog Hop!
on October 1, 2011 at 1:17 am Melanie McCullough

I’m actually participating in the hop as well to celebrate Banned Books Week and reading as many as I can. I

Melanie.M.McCullough at gmail dot com
on October 1, 2011 at 6:05 am Darlene

I am celebrating banned book week by participating in the hop and hosting my own giveaway!

I will also continue to read banned books, both for myself and to my kids!

Thanks for the giveaway!

darlenesbooknook at gmail dot com
on October 1, 2011 at 8:35 am April Harvell

I am celebrating BBW by reading what I want and I also went out and bought a banned book
Thanks for the great giveaway.
on October 1, 2011 at 12:52 pm Krysykat

I’m going to celebrate Banned Book week by reading as many banned books as I can

Morganlafey86(at)aol(dot)com
on October 1, 2011 at 2:44 pm Alisia

im going to be reading whatever books i want, banned and not.
on October 1, 2011 at 3:36 pm Laurie Brown

I will celebrate by reading as many banned books as possible!
on October 1, 2011 at 6:45 pm AEKZ2

I’m celebrating by entering these banned book giveaways!
on October 2, 2011 at 5:55 pm Grace @ Rivkasmom

I’m proud to say that I’ve read almost all of the 100 classics. Several of them were required reading in high school! I do see a few titles I’ve missed, and several more that I’d love to read again.
on October 3, 2011 at 8:58 am suzannelazear

Contest is now closed. Thanks for entering!