For those of you who know me it doesn't come as a surprise that I'm all for the freedom to read. I'm Dutch and I'm lucky to be able to read whatever I like, so banned books aren't a big part of my world. There are one or two exceptions and the rest of the books are freely available here. I think reading shouldn't be restricted and I don't believe in banned books. Before writing this post I looked at the Banned Books Week lists and discovered that I've read a large part of the banned or restricted books. I enjoyed most of them. Even though some books are controversial it doesn't mean they shouldn't be read. Each book you read will broaden your horizon and I think that's something good. I hope that people will stop dictating what others should read. The world would be boring if we all have to think, feel and be the exact same way. I like diversity and am all for it.
I'm giving away $15 to spend on banned books. Paperbacks via the Bookdepository or kindle books are allowed. Leave a comment and tell me which banned or restricted read I should definitely read. Good luck!
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The Da Vinci Code (2003) Dan Brown Novel Banned in September 2004 in Lebanon after Catholic leaders deemed it offensive to Christianity. (See Inaccuracies in The Da Vinci Code.)[27]
ReplyDeleteI love Dan Brown books
I think my comment got eaten...anyway, Sherman Alexie's THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN is quite good!
ReplyDeleteTrix, vitajex(at)Aol(Dot)com
The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini This book is so beautiful, I just can't put it into words. If you end up loving this book, then you need to check out A Thousand Splendid Suns as well. I cried so much during both of these books, but they are just a must read.
ReplyDeleteDon't know if they are banned where you live, but I think everyone should definitively read books by Marquis de Sade!
ReplyDeleteSatanic Verses by the famously controversial Sir Salman Rushdie. I read it and enjoyed it , people who didn't enjoy it obviously took it too seriously and banned it.
ReplyDeleteI don't now if you've read To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee but its absolutely amazing and one of my all-time-favourite books! (And everyone needs to ignore the existence of Go Set A Watchman, ha)
ReplyDeleteInteresting that several on the list were required reading at my school A Separate Peace was a favorite assigned book of mine.
ReplyDeleteThe Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian is absolutely fabulous! It blows my mind that it's banned. It should be required reading.
ReplyDeleteThe Great Gatsby has always been a favorite of mine - so many wonderful books are on the banned lists. :)
ReplyDeleteA Separate Peace by John Knowles - set during WWII, this is a great book but has been banned in several schools for homoerotic overtones.
ReplyDeleteI haven`t read any banned book, but I heard Stay by Emily Goodwin was banned and it was supposed to be pretty good :)
ReplyDeleteI suggest some of my favorites: BRAVE NEW WORLD by ALDOUS HUXLEY, THE GRAPES OF WRATH by JOHN STEINBECK, LOLITA by VLADIMIR NABOKOV, and THE METAMORPHOSIS by FRANZ KAFKA.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds strange, but I loved to read these books: The Picture of Dorian Gray
ReplyDeleteby Oscar Wilde, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, Looking for Alaska by John Green. I think you should read one of them (or all of them) because they are beautiful. Okay, sad and "hard" stories, but I don't understand why banned...
I definitely propose you the "The 120 Days of Sodom" by Marquis de Sade.
ReplyDeleteSuze . not sure if you seen this , but I found a list of banned books also in line with the Banned Books weeks. http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/banned-books.html
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how many books have been banned at some point. To Kill A Mockingbird & The Handmaid's Tale are books you've probably read but I definitely recommend.
ReplyDeleteDrama, by Raina Telgemeier
ReplyDeleteReasons: sexually explicit
Definitely read this. Read all of her graphic novels. They are amazing.
THE COLOUR PURPLE by Alice Walker is an amazing read.
ReplyDeleteThe Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie was very good. I have enjoyed other works by him as well. Definitely makes you think about native culture issues while also enjoying a riveting story.
ReplyDeleteIf you haven't read To Kill a Mockingbird
ReplyDeleteBy Harper Lee you definitely should. Its often challenged here in Canada which is ridiculous. Its a wonderful and powerful story, and I studied it in High School (we even were able to watch the movie in class).
andrea_hockeygirl at hotmail dot com (preferred email)
To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my top three all time favorite books. I read it at least once a year.
DeleteA banned book I read and recommend is Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. The story is disturbing, but the writing is superb. :)
ReplyDeleteThere are so many but the first that comes to mind is Beloved, Toni Morrison
ReplyDeletemmalavec(at)med(dot)umich(dot)edu
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain always come to mind, plus Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury are 3 great books that were banned!
ReplyDeleteTo Kill a Mockingbird is one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance to win!
natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com
I certainly hope you've read The Kite Runner. Great read! Thank-you. :)
ReplyDeleteTo Kill A Mockingbird or Looking For Alaska!
ReplyDeleteI think you should read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteThe Giver and Thirteen Reasons Why! Thanks for this amazing giveaway - I would love to win!
ReplyDeleteklaxon63350 (at) mypacks (dot) net
You should read Tropic of Cancer. It's a real page-turner.
ReplyDeleteThe Color Purple. Monumental. Life-changing.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite banned books, which I would definitely recommend you read, are:
ReplyDelete1. "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
2. "The Perks Of Being A Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky
3. "Eleanor & Park" by Rainbow Rowell
Thank you for the giveaway! :)
I think you should read the The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian :)
ReplyDeletelivingbelowtheclouds@gmail.com
I'm not sure which ones you've read, but I would recommend:
ReplyDelete1. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
2. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle
3. Daughters of Eve by Lois Duncan (or, like, anything by Lois Duncan--she's so fun)
The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini.
ReplyDeleteTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee or The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Thanks for the chance!
ReplyDeleteIn the Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009, you will find on #8: His Dark Materials (series), by Philip Pullman.
ReplyDeleteI read this when I was +- 15 years old and found nothing "ban-worthy" in it... though to be fair, I live close to your country and here as well, they are not as strict on which books are banned (if there are any?) and which aren't. I have always believed in the freedom of reading what you want, and I personally highly enjoyed His Dark Material series! :) If you haven't read it, I definitely recommand that one ! :)
There are so many that should be read, even though people think they should be banned. I can remember To Kill a Mockingbird when I was in school. It was mandatory that you read it and write a report on it. I really enjoyed it and still don't understand the ban, like most bans on books.
ReplyDeleteOddly enough, most of the readings for my classes at the university were banned books. I thought Orwell's were the most important ones. They made me reflect about society in a way no other book had done before.
ReplyDeleteirielilla(at)hotmail(dot)com
1984-one of my favorites,thanks for the giveaway:)
ReplyDeleteTo Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee .It is one of my favorite books, and the movie with Gregory Peck was awesome too.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read many books on that list, I did read The Kite Runner and The Perks of Being A Wallflower but I didn't like them at all. I hear that Persepolis is amazing though.
ReplyDeleteThe Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
ReplyDeleteYou should read Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell.
ReplyDeleteTo Kill a Mockingbird
ReplyDeletebn100candg at hotmail dot com
I didn't even know half these books had been banned. A shame really. I loved To Kill a Mockingbird. And I honestly had no clue it was a banned book.
ReplyDeleteLeighannecrisp at Yahoo dot Com
I've read To Kill a Mockingbird, 1984, Animal Farm, Lord of the Flies, and Hop on Pop and would recommend all of them.
ReplyDeleteForgot to include my email: michelle_willms at yahoo dot com :)
DeleteI recommend THINGS FALL APART BY CHINUA ACHEBE.
ReplyDeletePqcolletti@Gmail.com
I recommend The Color Purple.
ReplyDeleteTia
videoclimber At yahoo Dot com
The Giver is an excellent choice if you've never read it
ReplyDeleteYou should totally read Flowers in the Attic :)
ReplyDeleteilepachequin(at)hotmail(dot)com
I would recommend 'A Separate Peace.'
ReplyDeleteSome of my favorite banned books are To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, 1984 by George Orwell, Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk and Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov.
ReplyDeleteYou should definitely read The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky! And the movie was very good, too! :]
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway!
Marijana Sitar
You should read To Kill A Mockingbird. You'll love it!
ReplyDeleteThe Kite Runner.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway!
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
ReplyDeleteThe Harry Potter books.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many to pick. The Giver, The Handmaid's Tale, 1984 and Brave New World top my list.
ReplyDeletedez3b at yahoo dot com
To Kill a Mockingbird - an all time fav!
ReplyDeletesuzebomb54(at)yahoo.com
You should definitely read The Handmaid's Tale, it was a very haunting read. Thank you.
ReplyDeletevisabellad(at)gmail.com
Depending on what genre you prefer, I'd suggest Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. We were required to read this in one of my college English classes. I believe this is what started me liking dystopian and other genres of books :)
ReplyDeleteYou've probably read them, my favorite banned books are the Harry Potter books. So I recommend you re-read them. ;)
ReplyDeletejewel4jay AT hotmail DOT com
DeleteI follow you via Email, Bloglovin & Twitter.
Thanks :)
Try Shattering Glass by Gail Giles. My personal favorite is Of Mice and Men. Other good ones are To Kill a Mockingbird, The Davinci Code, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian.
ReplyDeleteCouponcookie at gmail dot com
The Da Vinci Code!
ReplyDeleteThe Kite Runner was one of my all-time favorite books! SOOOO good. Have you read that one?
ReplyDeleteDigicats {at} Sbcglobal {dot} Net
I have to say it, To Kill A Mockingbird. My favorite book of all time. There are so many . Gt the book, then the DVD of the movie. You will love Gregory Peck as Atticus.
ReplyDeleteCarol L
Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteA couple of my favorites are Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson, Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut and The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold.
ReplyDeleteelizabeth (at) bookattict (dot) com
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhile there are many books which were banned for useless reasons I would like everyone to read The Perks of Being A Wallflower, the book will surely touch everyone & at the end I am sure each one of you would want friends like Charlie, Sam & Patrick. This book is all about finding finding your place and most importantly it is about finding yourself. Finding yourself in a chaotic, emotional and utterly different world. Can't thank Stephen Chbosky enough for this gem..
ReplyDeleteemail- chittajitm@rediff.com
DeleteObviously, any of the Harry Potter books. :) Thirteen Reasons why is a good one. I really want to read Eleanor & Parks.
ReplyDeletedarcusmurray(at)hotmail(dot)com
Ooh, I'm thinking Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. Superb writing and great thoughts.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being part of the hop!
caroaz [at] ymail [dot] com
You should read Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers. It was removed from a summer reading list in South Carolina this year. I picked it up after hearing about it on the news, and it is a really powerful book! Thank you for the giveaway. :-)
ReplyDeletemorwesong AT yahoo DOT com
The Harry Potter books if you haven't read them yet and The Lord of the Rings.
ReplyDeletemy email: spamscape [at] gmail [dot] com
DeleteThe Kite Runner. A lot of people have commented on HP books, I didn't realise they were banned?
ReplyDeleteYou should definitely read the Harry Potter series and Perks of Being a Wallflower. Thanks! saltsnmore at yahoo dot com
ReplyDeleteHarry Potter! Those book are fabulous!
ReplyDeletepetrellinyc-slinky yahooo (dot) com
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is really good!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance to win :)
starry_night1987(at)yahoo(dot)com
The Handmaid's Tale! It's amazing!
ReplyDeleteblackcapballistics AT gmail DOT com
Eleanor and Park ! I absolutely love this book
ReplyDeletekarins5050 at gmail dot com
I think you should read To Kill A Mockingbird.
ReplyDeleteI really loved The Glass Castle! Not widespread banning but I know a school close to where I live banned it!
ReplyDeleteI loved Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials Trilogy!
ReplyDeleteKelley L.
unicorn_angel(@)hotmail(.)com
I just finished Eleanor & Park (loved it) and consider Perks of Being a Wallflower one of my top 5 movies of all times (so I bet the book is even better). Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteStephanie
smantello1(at)yahoo(dot)come
I think you should read Black and White by Paul Volponi if you haven't yet.
ReplyDeleteIngvild G,
19ingvild98(at)gmail(dot)com
If you haven''t read To Kill Mockingbird, please do! It sounds so cliche' but it's such a great book.
ReplyDeleteprettyhaydengurl at yahoo . com
To Kill a Mockingbird is a great book and one of my favorites.
ReplyDeletesienkiel1821 at yahoo dot com
I would recommend the Harry Potter series.
ReplyDeletebhometchko(at)hotmail(dot)com
The Giver was good.
ReplyDeletemagic5905 at embarqmail dot com
The Help
ReplyDeleteI've read over half of the banned books listed. My most favorite book is on the list: A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L’Engle. Parents can say what their children can read but they better not try to remove them from libraries. My button I wear this week says: I read Banned Books!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the contest.
slehan at juno dot com