The usual suspects are on the list: "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou, "Attack of the Mutant Underwear" by Tom Birdseye, "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury, "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown, "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier, most of the Harry Potter titles, "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain.
And, there are some new additions: "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, "The Bastard of Istanbul" by Elif Shafak, and "Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic" by Alison Bechdel.
What is the list and why are these books on it?
The list is "Books Challenged or Banned in 2006 - 2007." To find out why the books are on it, check out the display at the Hales Corners Library, located just inside the front entrance. The list is posted and notes where each book was banned and why.
Some of the details are scary like the write-up for Elif Shafak: "Prize-winning novelist went on trial in Istanbul, Turkey (2006), accused of belittling Turkishness. The novel had been at the top of Turkish bestsellers lists since its publication, but its treatment of the mass murder of Ottoman Armenians in 1915 angered government officials."
Banned Book Week - when the library community and booksellers across the country celebrate controversy, differences of opinion, and the words that make us think. Select one of the recently banned books on display at the Hales Corners Library then use your free public library card to check it out. Banned Book Week - time to treasure your freedom to read.
Patricia Laughlin, Library Director
