Thank you, up front, to “I Am A Reader, Not A Writer” and Jen @ I Read Banned Books for hosting this awesome hop!

What is a banned book?

Well … it’s a book that’s been deemed by some to be offensive or inappropriate or just plain wrong and thus it shouldn’t be read by others. From Banned Book week, here are the top 10 banned books.

The 10 most challenged titles of 2011 were:

1. ttyl; ttfn; l8r, g8r (series), by Lauren Myracle

Reasons: offensive language; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group

My comment: Offensive language? Religious viewpoint? Don’t we have freedom in this country?

2. The Color of Earth (series), by Kim Dong Hwa

Reasons: nudity; sex education; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group

My comment: Nudity? (shhhh…. don’t read my book)

3. The Hunger Games trilogy, by Suzanne Collins

Reasons: anti-ethnic; anti-family; insensitivity; offensive language; occult/satanic; violence

My comment: Yes, I despise the premise of this book, but I’d never stop someone from reading it. That is MY preference.

4. My Mom’s Having A Baby! A Kid’s Month-by-Month Guide to Pregnancy, by Dori Hillestad Butler

Reasons: nudity; sex education; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group

My comment: Say what???? Kids need to understand. Are there picture of vaginas and birthing babies inside? Well … my girls found that on YouTube. O_O

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

Reasons: offensive language; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group

My comment: Don’t know anything about this book … but WHO is to say something is unsuited to an age group? Only a parent.

6. Alice (series), by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Reasons: nudity; offensive language; religious viewpoint

My comment: ??

7. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley

Reasons: insensitivity; nudity; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit

My comment: Geez Louise.

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

Reasons: nudity; offensive language; sexually explicit

My comment: Seriously, don’t read my book. Definitely not Hide & Seek. Even my mom said there was a ‘lot of language’. 😉

9. Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily Von Ziegesar

Reasons: drugs; offensive language; sexually explicit

My comment: ??????????????????????????????

10. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

Reasons: offensive language; racism

My comment: Racism? Yes, because it’s period literature!! C’mon people! Get a grip!

There you go. Do you want others to dictate what you can and can’t read? Only my Mom and Dad could do that and only until I turned 18. No one else gets to do that. Period.

Get involved with freedom to read … Banned Books Weeks.

Have you read any of the banned books? Do you feel guilty?

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Check out what others think about banned books: