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Friday, October 01, 2010

the everyday girl reads.


We almost missed banned book week!

Quick - grab the library card (or what is it these days, the kindle? the ipad thingy? sure, why not, if you're techy like that) and dive (or hit download? or play, or something like that?) into a book that was banned.

Why banned books? (other than the fact that for the most part, they're totally vintage.)

Maybe because they've been banned for things like:

1. objectionable language.
2. explicit sex acts.
3. the use of the phrase "whore lady."
4. anti-white sentiments.
5. the use of the phrase "god damn."
6. promoting homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle.

I mean - on those points alone, I'm riveted with curiosity about what heathen laden books I'd be opening.

The phrase "whore lady?"

I think I just fainted. As well as lost any moral character I possessed.

Oh ... wait. Awww...you're going to be disappointed. These banned books are classic novels! Here I thought I was getting a trashy, harlequin, bodice ripping saga about a gay atheist whore lady.

I had no idea these mandatory readings were causing such a ruckus. That's right - those six reasons are actually legitimate reasons people like mayors, state representatives, school superintendents and parents fought fight to have these books banned from libraries. According to the American Library Association - The Catcher in the Rye was just challenged in a high school library in Montana last year.

If you're curious -- The Catcher in the Rye matches number 4 above. That's right, banned for it's "anti-white sentiments." (among other things) Hm.

And if you're wondering what other indecent novels you could check out this weekend ... (like literally, check out from the library. oh, you got it? got the play on words there? no need to spell it out? yeah, ok.) We recommend all of them. (blouse loves a banned book.)

(they match up with the numbers above!)

1. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
2. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (i must have missed whore lady)
4. The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
5. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.
6. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

p.s. fun banned book week fact: In 1961 an Oklahoma City group called Mothers United for Decency hired a trailer, dubbed it "smutmobile," and displayed books deemed objectionable. Not sure about 1961, but I feel like a "smutmobile" today would just gather a different kind of crowd. Like, the semi-truck driver kind of crowd. On another note - the acronym for this group is MUD.

p.p.s. now I'm in the mood to start The Everyday Girl Book Club. we could alternate these classic novels with a good trashy one every once in a while? or, yeah, maybe more often than that? any takers?

2 comments:

Shauna said...

I am totally into the book club idea...just so you know - I'm a huge fan of books that are also movies. Just sayin' ;)

Alicia H said...

I'm in! One if my life goals is to read all of the books on the banned books list, but its really really long!

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