We Will Not Be Silenced!

As many of you already know, it's Banned Books Week this week. Books have been censored since, well, probably since the first book was ever written. There is always someone out there who will try to stop the spread of joy and knowledge. That's why this week is so important. Oppressing peoples' right to read is taking away their chance to learn and grow.

Let's look at some of my favorite banned books.

• The Hunger Games: Honestly, this one isn't a shocker. It's a very tough subject. But it's also an important subject. It was the third most challenged book last year. Why was it challenged? Well, offensive language and violence, for one. Insensitivity... okay, I get that. But anti-ethnic and anti-family? I'm not sure I understand where they get those claims from. The whole reason Katniss is in the games is to protect her family. And where do they get anti-ethnic from? 
• Twilight: Yes, I'll admit it. I liked the books. We're not discussing movies right now, so let's put that whole debate aside. In 2010, Twilight was #10 on the top list. Reasons? Violence and religious viewpoint. Twilight isn't really all that violent. It pales compared to a lot of books I've read, even when I was a child. And where do they get religious viewpoint from? Sure, Meyer is Mormon, but nowhere through that series did I get that she was trying to stuff her religion down my throat. 
• The #1 most challenged book in the last decade has been... wait for it... Harry Potter. The most sited reason? Occult/satanism. Not surprising, really. Some people just don't understand that some books aren't meant to be taken literally. I highly doubt Ms. Rowling was trying to convince us all to worship the devil. But hey, what do I know? 

What are some of your favorite banned books of all time?  Why were they banned?

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