kt moxie

This is week the official banned book week.  Please, read one.  This is good stuff.  Maya Angelou.  Steinbeck.   Yum.  Amazing how those book banners never want to ban the badly written stuff, huh? 

3 of the top 10 books that have been officially requested to be banned in 2004 are for homosexual content - a new record.  Harry Potter is off the top ten for the first time in 5 years. 

Phew.  I guess the book burners are not so worried about our children becoming witches and wizards.  Just worried about kids reading about somebody gay - cause it's contagious, you know. 

Here's the top ten:

• "The Chocolate War" for sexual content, offensive language, religious viewpoint, being unsuited to age group and violence
• "Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers, for racism, offensive language and violence
• "Arming America: The Origins of a National Gun Culture" by Michael A. Bellesiles, for inaccuracy and political viewpoint
• Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey, for offensive language and modeling bad behavior
• "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky, for homosexuality, sexual content and offensive language
• "What My Mother Doesn't Know" by Sonya Sones, for sexual content and offensive language
• "In the Night Kitchen" by Maurice Sendak, for nudity and offensive language
• "King & King" by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland, for homosexuality
• "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou, for racism, homosexuality, sexual content, offensive language and unsuited to age group
• "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck, for racism, offensive language and violence

Banning lots of gay books...So what does this tell us?  Hmm... well, I think that since gay marriage is fired up in the political sphere, now we better not be able to read about anybody in a gay relationship!  That might make young people form their own opinions!

And Maya Angelou's stuff seems to always get on someone's list - because we don't really want to think too deeply about race and poverty and sexism.  The same goes for Steinbeck.

Captain Underpants?  Teehee.  Modeling bad behavior?  If kids are going to get that from a book... well, good for them!  With Jackass, and wrestling, and Grand Theft Auto, I doubt there's much in Captain Underpants that is really all that much to worry about!

Ok.  I need to find some time to read now.  Captain Underpants is calling my name.  :P