Banned Book Week: 10 Books to Share With Students

This month, people around the country will be celebrating Banned Books Week, an annual awareness campaign that celebrates the freedom to read by drawing attention to banned or challenged books, and highlighting persecuted individuals.

In school, from September 21-27, celebrate the individual's right to read all books of their choosing by providing students with lists of banned or challenged books. Encourage students to read these books and discover if these books are merited to be banned or challenged.

In celebration of Banned Books Week, EducationWorld has curated a three-part series listing ten banned books with a description and link to Amazon.com. The list is generated from the American Library Association's Banned and Challenged Classics.

1. Animal Farm by George Orwell: This book was challenged and banned in some countries because of its poking fun at the Russian government as well as the criticism of corrupt leaders. The allegory follows a society of overworked animals and their quest to create a perfect society. 
2. The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger: The Catcher in the Rye was challenged and banned in some countries because of its "obscene," "blasphemous" language. The book follows main character Holden Caulfield as he drops out of school and goes underground in New York City. 
3. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury: Fahrenheit 451 has been banned for its offensive language, content, and questionable themes. In this book, Guy Montag is a fireman, and his job isn't to put out fires, it is to start them by burning books that are no longer allowed in society. Follow Montag's journey as he soon discovers that what he is doing is wrong. 
4. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway: This book was banned for "spreading propaganda unfavorable to the state," being too graphic, and for being "pro-Communism." This book follows Robert Jordan and his experiences following a group fighting in the Spanish Civil War. 
5. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell: This book was banned for its offensive language and racial controversy. This novel tells the story of Scarlett O'Hara, who sees her life change in front of her during The Civil War. 
6. Grapes of Wrath by John Steinback: Grapes of Wrath was banned because of its profanity, sexual references, and propaganda. The book follows the story of one family whose lives are changed during the Dust Bowl Migration of the 1930s and the Great Depression. 
7. Howl by Allen Ginsberg: This book was challenged because of its mention of homosexual acts and obscenity. Howl is a compilation of poetry. 
8. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison: Invisible Man was banned from schools and reading lists because of its racism, and inappropriateness. The book follows a nameless narrator growing up in a black community in the South.
9. Moby Dick by Herman Melville: Moby Dick, also known as, The Whale, was challenged due to "conflicts over traditional values." The book follows Captain Ahab and his pursuit of Moby Dick, a big white whale. 
10. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne: The Scarlet Letter falls under the banned and challenged list because of its religious contexts, blasphemy, and "pornographic" aspects. The Scarlet Letter is a book about a woman Hester Prynne, an adulteress who is forced to wear a scarlet "A" on her chest. 

Article by Kassondra Granata, EducationWorld Contributor