Amph America's most banned books. 1 - Huh?

Why is peeing banned?

 

"I made up a story about a little kid who goes pee at all the wrong times"

I've not read the book, but it might be something to do with this. Parents unhappy with children laughing at peeing all over the place?

 

Kids love poop and pee jokes, and why not?

 

40. Grendel - John Champlin Gardner

[image=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8a/JohnGardner_Grendel_1st.jpg]

Grendel is a 1971 parallel novel by American author John Gardner. It is a retelling of the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf from the perspective of the antagonist, Grendel. The novel deals with finding meaning in the world, the power of literature and myth, and the nature of good and evil.

Grendel has become one of Gardner's best known and reviewed works. Several editions of the novel contain abstract woodcut images of Grendel's head, by Emil Antonucci. Ten years after publication, the novel was adapted into the 1981 animated movie Grendel Grendel Grendel.


I can see nothing to suggest why this book contraversial in the slightest...

 

I'm sure I've read it.

 

it sounds very exciting.

 

39. In the Night Kitchen - Maurice Sendak

[image=http://lacer.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/iggle-piggle.jpg]

In the Night Kitchen is a popular and controversial children's picture book, written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak, and first published in 1970. The book depicts a young boy's dream journey through a surreal baker's kitchen where he assists in the creation of a cake to be ready by the morning.

When Mickey (who looks to be about three years old) enters the Night Kitchen, he loses his pajamas and spends much of the story fully naked.

Critics of the book object to Mickey's nudity (which explicitly depicts his penis and testicles), with some librarians drawing little pants on Mickey with a marker, or diapers with correction fluid. Some also take a Freudian interpretation of events, with the nudity, free-flowing milky fluids, and giant (allegedly phallic) milk bottle. Sendak himself claims not to have been trying to be controversial; his decision to disrobe Mickey was to avoid the "mess" that falling into the batter would make of Mickey's clothes

 

This is bloody ridiculous, I think. I've read the book myself, and there's nothing bannable in it.

 

but.....but......there's a child with no clothes on. It's an abomination to all that is pure and good!!!!

 

You know, this really bugs me when they do this. This is about the most disingenous dodge possible; if he really didn't know it would be controversial, he's too dumb to live, I think.

It really irritates me when artists fall back on the "I had no idea it would be controversial" defense, particularly because about ninety percent of the time, it's incredibly obvious that the material in question would be controversial. Why can't he just say, "I knew it would be controversial, but art is supposed to be controversial?" Or perhaps just "It's art and beautiful, so grow up, people."

This rant is slightly off topic, but practically nothing makes me as angry in the world of art as artists acting like they were born yesterday and have no idea of what buttons are socially reactive. I mean, come on.

 

It's a seriously mixed up world where people would have a problem with this book. My mother is a librarian and has a huge collection of signed children's books, this being one of them. I can assure you my mother never drew pants over Mickey's little Mickey.

 

That's pretty much the mantra for this thread

 

Sendak can be disingenuous...of course he wanted controversy.

 

38. On My Honor - Marion Dane Bauer

On My Honor is a short Newbery Honor-winning novel by Marion Dane Bauer. It is about two boys, Joel and Tony, who are friends despite their very different characters. Tony, who is adventurous, challenges Joel, who is more responsible and cautious, to climb a large and dangerous cliff called Starving Rock. Joel, who knows this is unsafe and doesn't want anyone to get hurt, yet doesn't want to seem like a coward in front of Tony, suggests instead going swimming in a forbidden Vermillion River, not knowing that Tony can't swim. The boys race each other to a sand bar, but the story ends in tragedy. Tony can not swim and drowns. Joel lives with the horrible secret until Tony's father finds out. The book is frequently read in the United States as part of elementary school curricula.

The title, "On My Honor" is taken from a promise Joel makes to his father.


Can't have books with morals in them...

 

What's the problem with this book?

 

Probably just cause the kid dies; a lot of great books about dealing with grief and guilt get challenged because kids die in them. But that's kind of the point of them; to have a kid die and deal with it in an honest and resonant way. I find this kind of censorship more infuriating than almost any other kind. Kids have to learn about death and I'm so sick of the 'pretend it doesn't exist' mantra of our Western culture.

 

It might be that, but I'd have thought it was more about kids behaving badly. Same with Tom Sawyer and Lord of the Flies.

 

I don't get it.

 

That's because you're (reasonably? ) well adjusted. I think people are always trying to censor things that they never got adjusted too.

 

37. The Figure in the Shadows - John Bellairs

Can't find out anything about this one. It's part of a series of teenage gothic horror novels about a character called Lewis Barnavelt, but no idea why this one is singled out.

 

Never heard of it either. I did manage to find it's Amazon page, as well as a review on MuggleNet:

Amazon
MuggleNet review

Apparently it's the 2nd book in a series concerning the character of Lewis Barnavelt. A short summary from a user on Amazon:

Not sure why it was banned, but some comments suggest that Lewis' growing obsession with the talisman is presented as akin to drug addiction. Several reviews also point out it takes a "very frightening" turn later in the book. Without having read the book myself though it's a bit hard to nail exactly why people would have issues with it.

 

Never heard of that one.

 

36. The Great Gilly Hopkins - Katherine Paterson

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Gilly_Hopkins

Long story short, she's in a foster home and wants to find her mother, but she finds out her mother wants nothing to do with her. Her nan's ok though.

 

Katherine Paterson? I know that name . . . oh, duh, Bridge to Terabithia. She's a more mature author than most who write for kids; I keep meaning to read Jacob I Have Loved, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

 

I would guess it's the kid's racism.