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Well, it's not intended to mislead. These books are challenged, according to the ALA -- that's a fact. My intention to point out that there are efforts afoot to discourage and remove them from schools - something akin to attempts at "belief control," in my opinion. And in some areas they ARE...

I would bet J.K. Rowling had no idea she was that deep! This reminds me of the joke about the guy who was shown ink blots by his psychiatrist. He described something luridly sexual happening in each one. So the psychiatrist says, "You have an obsession with sex." The guy answers, "No, YOU do...

In the minds of the censors, you've read 10 books too many. And are therefore corrupt. Harry Potter is on the list because wizardry is demonic. A Wrinkle in Time is on the list because it vaguely suggests (in one paragraph) that there are great souls throughout history in addition to Jesus...

Here is a link to the 100 most challenged books of the 1990s: http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bbwlinks/100mostfrequently.htm I'm just curious as to how many of these books everyone has read - and loved. Most of them are children's books, but you'll see that isn't always the case...

Absolutely read Go Ask Alice!!! I read it when I was a teenager. It was just amazing. And furthermore - if you're like I was, this will be the best part - it's one of the books on the "banned" list for schools!! So there are grownups out there who don't want you reading it!!

I loved The Hobbit when I was a teenager, and had just about made it through the second book of the Lord of the Rings trilogy when I happened upon the book "Bored of the Rings" by The Harvard Lampoon. It's a totally irreverent satire, and completely destroyed "Lord of the Rings" for me. I could...

A Shortcut in Time, by Charles Dickinson had a terrible ending. It's a time travel book about a guy who goes back in time, returns to the future and discovers that everything has changed - then the book ends!! The author had this great opportunity to explore and develop the protagonist's...

I would try Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut, which isn't ABOUT the religion, Bokannon, but just presents it as an important part of a very good story - it's truly a classic. Another good one is Threads: The Reincarnation of Anne Boleyn by Nell Gavin. That's an historical fantasy that goes into...

This is a "don't hit me moment" I'm having. I really enjoyed the book, first of all. It had something to say, and the author knew how to tweak my heart strings. And I thought that a story that emphasized the worth of every human being was certainly worthwhile. I think the problem was that I...

There are several copies on Ebay right now, going for about $1.00.

Thanks for the tip! I contacted him, and he responded by saying he would love to scan and post the book to his web site (evidently he can do that with any book printed before 1922) but had no clue as to where to find it. He suggested libraries. So I guess the search is on!

I just finished reading "About Grace" by Anthony Doerr. It's about a man who has dreams about events before they occur, then one night dreams he's responsible for the death of his baby daughter, Grace. So he sacrifices everything in order to change the future and save her life. The author is...

I finished the book, but didn't consider it "high literature" or anything. The concepts it presented were thought provoking and intriguing and kept me turning pages. However, the action was irritating because they ALWAYS had someone chasing them, inches away, and ALWAYS slipped out of their...

I have two suggestions in the Humor category. Both of them are VERY funny and poignant. Both either take place or look back on the 1960s. One is out of print, but you can usually find used copies for next to nothing on Amazon Marketplace: "The Junk Drawer Corner Store Front Porch Blues" by...

Where does one begin to look for something this obscure?

Earlier today I had the most amazing phone call from someone taking a survey. I am a writer, therefore I oppose censorship. It doesn't work anyway with the Internet. As I recall, there is a site somewhere wholly devoted to scanning every word in every book censored anywhere in the world, and...

I had a wonderful WONDERFUL week when I read "The Kite Runner" and went to Afghanistan, then immediately turned around and picked up "Heaven Lake" and journeyed all across China. The greatest thing was that both books were equally superb!

I agree. Sociology, maybe...

Years ago I picked up a strange book in the library. It was published around 1900, and was written by a 12-year old girl who claimed to have vivid recollections of a past lifetime in Atlantis, just before it submerged. React to that as you will, but she wrote about it and they published it. As I...

I absolutely agree with you about Herman Hesse. Though I would add, read the books in chronological order as he wrote them. He "evolved" you could say, and his books struck me as sort of a record of this. The only one I could never quite get into was "Steppenwolf." I don't know why that was...