It was recently reported that the Westmont Hilltop School District in Pennsylvania faced a challenge to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon.  The report came from a variety of sources but the Tribune-Democrat reported, “… the president of the school board, said that each of the many complaints he’s received about the book fell into one or more of three categories – complaints about the foul language it contains, complaints that its profane use of God’s name offends Christian sensibilities and complaints that it includes a negative portrayal of a character with autism or a similar disorder.” Now, in the past we’ve seen that…

When I was in school we were required to read books, which were given a point value, and in order to get a good grade in English, we had to meet a set number of points by reading and taking tests on books.  Now, I liked reading but having to read so as to earn points provided a mental block for me, because as a stubborn man, when I have to do something, even something I may want to do otherwise, I tend to buck at the assignment. However, the wonderful Goosebumps books by R.L. Stine saved my skin when I discovered a treasure trove of spooky and fun reads…

Looking for Alaska is another Banned Book that people have decried for having foul language, sex, alcohol, and drug use.  These are often common complaints from parents and, in this case, it was reported that one person who complained counted the number of swear words used.  This does make me wonder, if there an appropriate amount of swear words or is there a tipping point? Nevertheless, I am, as you may have gathered from previous banned book reviews, strongly against censoring novels when they tell the truth. This book takes place in a boarding school and follows Miles Halter and Alaska Young, their budding friendship/relationship, and their life with their…

Some of the main complaints leading to this book being challenged or even banned in some areas are due to swear words, “taking the Lord’s name in vain”, some sexual overtones, and was deemed depressing and morbid by some.  While this is for sure no lighthearted, pick-me-up read, it’s a fantastic yet tragic look at two men just trying to make it in a world that cares little for whether they do or not. George Milton, and his companion Lennie, who is mentally disabled, are our main characters and we follow them through the tough times many saw during the Great Depression.  The two find work on a farm but…

Despite some of my other rambling “brief” book reviews, I will try to be quick with this one.  I want to start off by saying numerous people I really respect and think highly of recommended this novel to me a few years ago.  So, for those reasons alone, I picked it up and started on my way. This was one of the first books that got me thinking it was okay to stop a book you don’t enjoy and I hated that it was such a struggle for me to get into the book.  I think the characters are sympathetic enough and I was rooting for most, and against others,…

The American Library Association has To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee as one of the top 10 most challenged books in 2017.  Similar to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the language against black characters is one of the top reasons cited in this book being challenged/banned.  Understandably, this language in today’s society isn’t to be tolerated due to it typically being in the context of or seen as a slur but readers of books like Mockingbird and Huck Finn may be unaware that such language was quite commonplace at the time. Now, in light of our values today, many are offended by this but I think it’s important to…

In our series on Banned Books, we want to look at The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.  I remember reading this one when it first was published and it was a fantastic read that took me to a country and culture I’d known little about.  And what little I did know was shattered by the events that unfolded. I do realize this is a work of fiction but some of the cultural traits that came through were fantastic and pieces of the story that were a large part of the book were universal.  It made me realize that people in a far away country had so many similarities to the…

From Harry Potter to classics like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Of Mice and Men, many great books have been challenged or banned in some places over the decades and the American Library Association keeps lists of challenged books each year and you may be surprised some of the novels that pop up on the list.  It’s for one reason or another as to why people challenge these but it’s often a case where the forest is being missed for the trees. For instance, people, school districts, or watchdog groups will ban Huck Finn because of the racism and use of the “n-word” but there is nothing about this…