Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Banned Books

Inspired by a recent post on the awesome blog Indie Fixx, I thought I would share which of my favorite books have the dubious distinction of being on the Top 100 Banned Books List. As it turns out, my three favorite books of all time are on the list. Guess I'm a rebel at heart. :)

Bridge To Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson
By far, one of my favorite books growing up. While I was always a big reader, this was my first "I can't put it down" book. I remember sitting on my stairs reading when my mom called me down for dinner. The whole time we were eating I had the feeling that I was missing something- as though the book as a television show. It captured my imagination and helped me visualize the stories I read from then on.

A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving
My best friend suggested this book to me and I went to the store looking for "A Prayer of O and Mimi". I loved this story so much that I went out and bought every John Irving book I could find. Not a good idea. While he's an amazing author most of his other books had so many random, uncomfortable sexual situations I really couldn't enjoy them. Owen Meany, though, is more gentle, with more heart.

The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
This is my most recent read on the list. Hosseini is an incredible writer. His words bring to life a world and culture unfamiliar to most Americans and do so in a raw, courageous, unapologetic way. I think I burst into tears ever 10-20 pages throughout the entire book. My cousin became so engrossed in the story that her husband woke up in the middle of the night to find her huddled on the couch, reading and hysterically crying. It's intense but also beautiful. Sad but also hopeful. I highly recommend Kite Runner and Hosseini's second book, A Thousand Splendid Suns. At the end of the second book I found myself slightly depressed, not because of the story, but because I realized it was only recently published and I would therefore have to wait for quite some time before another book was published. I do hope he's out there writing something.


What are your favorite books? Are any of them on the list? I'd encourage you to check it out and read a couple. Books that get people bent out of shape enough to try to ban them generally have a lot to keep your interest at the very least. :)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I loved Bridge to Terabithia as a child as well. I haven't seen the movie because I don't want it to interfere with what my imagination created while reading the book, if that makes sense.

I've seen the movie version of The Kite Runner and must read the book sometime.

My favorite books tend to be nonfiction, and my favorite is probably Rascal by Sterling North. I love everything about it!

P.S. This is Dusty731 from the Lucy group! Great blog!