October's Book of the Month

Hello Everyone! I chose the picture posted above because it reminds me of reading to my daughter Mareena when she was little. Every afternoon until she was about eight or nine years old, we would take one of her books that she wanted to read or that she was reading and we would curl up together on my big bed. 

We would spend an hour or so reading a chapter of her book, and then take a nap together. Her absolutely favorite author at that time was an English author named Enid Blyton. Ahh, nice memories...

My picks for 'Books of the Month' will be decidedly more adult these days, but they will be from almost any genre. October's Book of the Month is: 

Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

Published as: Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever in September 2011

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.

Birth Name: William James O'Reilly

Born: 10 September 1949 in New York, New York

Canonical Name: Bill O'Reilly

Pseudonyms: None

Birth Name: Martin Dugard

Born: 1 June 1961 in Maine

Canonical Name: Martin Dugard

Pseudonyms: None

Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard was the eighty-seventh book that I read in 2012. I had had this ebook on my virtual TBR bookshelf since December 6, 2011 although I didn't actually read it until October of 2012. It took me three days to read this book and I purged the ebook after I had finished reading it on October 16, 2012.

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Jane Hamilton - Disobedience

93. Disobedience by Jane Hamilton (2000)
Length: 273 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 29 October 2012
Finished: 31 October 2012
Where did it come from? From Bookmooch
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 27 October 2012
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and Jane Hamilton is a new author for me.

Henry Shaw is a high school senior who, at seventeen years old, is about as comfortable with his family as any teenager can be. His father, Kevin, teaches history with a decidedly socialist tinge at the Chicago private school Henry and his sister attend. His mother, Beth, who plays the piano in a group specializing in antique music, is a loving, attentive wife and parent. Henry even accepts the offbeat behavior of his thirteen-year-old sister, Elvira, who is obsessed with Civil War reenactments and insists on dressing in handmade Union uniforms at inopportune times.

When he stumbles on his mother's email account, however, Henry realizes that all is not as it seems. There, under the screen name Liza38, a name Henry innocently established for her, is undeniable evidence that his mother is having an affair with one Richard Polloco, a violin maker and unlikely paramour who nonetheless has a very appealing way with words and a romantic spirit that, in Henry's estimation, his father woefully lacks. 

Against his better judgement, Henry charts the progress of his mother's infatuation with Richard - her feelings of euphoria, of guilt, and of profound, touching confusion. His knowledge of Beth's secret life colors his own tentative explorations of love and sex with the ephemeral Lily, and casts a new light on the arguments - usually focused on Elvira - in which his parents routinely indulge. Over the course of his final year in high school, Henry observes each member of the family, trying to anticipate when they will find out about the infidelity and what that knowledge will mean to each of them. Henry's observations, set down a decade after that fateful year, are so much more than the "old story" that his mother deemed her affair to be.

I thought that this book was just okay - to my mind, the story could have been told more simply, without such intense focus being paid to Elvira's obsession about the Civil War. Disobedience by Jane Hamilton wasn't perhaps my favorite book of all time, but I am certainly still interested in reading more books by Jane Hamilton. I give Disobedience by Jane Hamilton an A!

A! - (90-95%)    

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Thomas T. Noguchi, M. D. and Joseph DiMona - Coroner

92. Coroner by Thomas T. Noguchi, M. D. and Joseph DiMona (1983)
Coroner Series Book 1
Length: 252 pages
Genre: True Crime
Started: 25 October 2012
Finished: 28 October 2012
Where did it come from? From Bookmooch
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 18 October 2012
Why do I have it? I like true crime and had read and enjoyed Coroner at Large by the same authors.

In Thomas T. Noguchi's memoir, Coroner, the former Chief Medical Examiner of Los Angeles County and the "coroner to the stars", reveals the full evidence behind the headline-making deaths of Robert F. Kennedy, Janis Joplin, Sharon Tate, Marilyn Monroe and others - the shocking and surprising facts can now be released in this stunning memoir.

I had wanted to read this book ever since reading the sequel back in September and was excited when I received this book in the mail last week. It was very interesting reading certainly, but I'm glad to have finished it when I did - I think that it was just a tad too long for me. Definitely not boring at all, just longer and a little more involved than I had expected the book would be when I first started it. I would certainly recommend Coroner to anyone who likes to read about true crime and give this book an A!

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Pamela K. Kinney - Spectre Nightmares and Visitations

91. Spectre Nightmares and Visitations by Pamela K. Kinney (2010)
Length: 128 pages
Genre: Horror
Started: 23 October 2012
Finished: 25 October 2012
Where did it come from? Many thanks to Pamela for sending me a copy of this book to read.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 19 October 2012
Why do I have it? I like horror and Pamela K. Kinney is a new author for me. 

We can be scared by many things. However, the most frightening things that we encounter are those that can infect our own nightmares and imaginations. Monsters from the closet or from another dimension, ghosts that haunt more than houses. Shapeshifters of every species and description, children can be stolen by more than the human kind of monster. Even the most normal circumstances can suddenly shift into times of the most heart-pounding terror.

I have to say that I really enjoyed this book. I believe Pamela K. Kinney has an incredible imagination - there was a huge variety of horrors that she wrote about, they were not just the 'run-of-the-mill' horror stories. In my opinion, she is an emerging author to keep an eye on. I give Spectre Nightmares and Visitations by Pamela K. Kinney an A! and am looking forward to reading the two other books by Pamela K. Kinney that I have on my TBR pile.

A! - (96-100%)
  
Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Anne Rivers Siddons - Islands

90. Islands by Anne Rivers Siddons (2004)
Length: 374 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 21 October 2012
Finished: 23 October 2012
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 20 July 2012
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

Anny Butler has always been a caretaker, a nurturer, first for her own brothers and sisters, and then as the director of an agency devoted to the welfare of children. What she has never had is a family of her own to care for. That all changes when she meets and marries Lewis Aiken, an exuberant surgeon fifteen years Anny's senior.

When they marry, Anny finds her family - not a traditional one, but a group of childhood friends from Charleston who are inseparable; who are one another's surrogate family. They call themselves The Scrubs, and they all, in some way, are connected by the cord of family. Instantly upon meeting them at the old beach house on Sullivan's Island, which they co-own, Anny knows that she has ultimately found home and family. They vow that, when the time comes, they will find a place by the sea where they can live together.

Bad things begin to happen - a hurricane, a fire, deaths - but still the remaining Scrubs cling together. They are watched over and bolstered by Camilla Curry, the heart and core of the group, always the healer. For the first time in her life, Anny allows Camilla to enfold her and to care for her with a kind of love and support that Anny has never experienced.

I loved this book; it was one of those books that you can get lost in the storytelling of it. I'm really beginning to enjoy Anne Rivers Siddons as an author and look forward avidly to the next book of hers that I read. I have added three more books by Anne Rivers Siddons on to my Wish List and give Islands by Anne Rivers Siddons an A+!

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Felicity Cochrane - Margaret Trudeau: The Prime Minister's Runaway Wife

89. Margaret Trudeau: The Prime Minister's Runaway Wife by Felicity Cochrane (1978)
Length: 173 pages
Genre: Non-Fiction
Started: 19 October 2012
Finished: 20 October 2012
Where did it come from? From Bookmooch
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 19 October 2012
Why do I have it? I like biographies and autobiographies and Felicity Cochrane is a new author for me.

The whole world watched in spellbound fascination as beautiful, young Margaret Trudeau - wife of Canada's powerful Prime Minister, struck up an open friendship with the rock group, The Rolling Stones. Shortly afterward, the six-year long marriage between the handsome, debonair and elegant politician in his mid-fifties and the gorgeous twenty-something rebel was officially on the rocks. But this was only the latest chapter in the story of the fairy tale marriage between Pierre and Margaret Trudeau. 

The 'Rolling Stones' incident was only the latest one of many scandals that Margaret Trudeau was somehow linked with during her tumultuous marriage to Pierre Trudeau. From Margaret's own early involvement with radical politics to Pierre's ties to other women - including Barbra Streisand - this biography reveals all!

I did enjoy reading this book and started it immediately on the day that it arrived in the mail all the way from Israel. However, I found that I didn't really learn much more about Margaret Trudeau's life and marriage that I didn't already know from reading Margaret Trudeau's own autobiography, Beyond Reason, which I had read in September of 2012. I give this book an A!

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Jane Smiley - At Paradise Gate

88. At Paradise Gate by Jane Smiley (1981)
Length: 224 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 17 October 2012
Finished: 19 October 2012
Where did it come from? From Bookmooch
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 15 October 2012
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and Jane Smiley as an author. I have also read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

While seventy-seven year old Ike Robison is dying in his bedroom upstairs, his wife Anna defends the citadel of their marriage from the ill-considered, albeit loving invasion, of their three middle-aged daughters and twenty-three year old granddaughter. Helen, Claire and Susanna claim they have come to help their mother, Anna, and to cheer their father towards recuperation. Although, it appears to their mother that her daughters have arrived only to raid her refrigerator and to gripe and snipe at each other about their recollections of old rivalries. 

Bright, fresh-faced Christine arrives and presents the family with a new set of problems - her impending pregnancy and forthcoming divorce. Anna, herself, is reflecting on her life. Her life has been difficult for Anna, her marriage to Ike harshly violent, uprooting and cold. Unburdened by sentiment, Anna acknowledges to herself that she is angry at her husband for abandoning her and that her daughters remain so dependent, even into their adulthood.

Despite the simmering anger and resentment which is directed at her husband, Anna has grown used to Ike and truly can't imagine her life without him. She is confronted by her own frailties, and the imminence of Ike's death has left her in a devastating conundrum about what she should do next. Anna ultimately achieves a quiet certainty about her right to what's left of her world.

I thought this was a very good book. It was an easy read for me, and even though nothing earth-shattering happened in the plot, At Paradise Gate by Jane Smiley was still a very pleasant read. This book was filled with moments of quiet introspection, rather than huge cliffhanger plot twists. The writing was beautiful and I give this book an A+! I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes contemporary fiction.

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard - Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever

87. Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard (2011)
The Killing Series Book 1
Length: 336 pages
Genre: Non-Fiction
Started: 13 October 2012
Finished: 16 October 2012
Where did it come from? From Amazon
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 6 December 2011
Why do I have it? Mareena bought this book as an early Christmas present for me last year, along with eight other ebooks which she downloaded on to her Kindle for me to read.

The American Civil War was an incredibly bloody four year long conflict, that mercifully came to an end in the spring of 1865. Amid the tremendous toll suffered by both sides, President Abraham Lincoln's generous terms for Robert E. Lee's surrender are devised to fulfill President Lincoln's dream of healing a divided nation. The former Confederates were allowed to reintegrate into American society with no ostensible repercussions to be visited upon them by the populace.

Simmering hatred and resentment still bubbled among a few members of society, even as America began the slow process of reconstruction and healing from her battle wounds. John Wilkes Booth - a popular stage actor, charismatic ladies' man and impenitent racist - gathers around himself a similar group of four angry and resentful men who simply could not tolerate the outcome of the Civil War and the fact that Abraham Lincoln was President of the United States. A plot to kidnap President Lincoln, as well as several members of his cabinet, changed to an assassination plot on the night of April 14, 1865.

On a night of what was meant to be joyous celebration, Abraham Lincoln, his wife Mary Todd Lincoln and a group of their closest friends and acquaintances went to Ford's Theater to watch a performance of the play, Our American Cousin. At precisely 10 o'clock that night, one gunshot changed America's future irrevocably. A furious eleven-day manhunt ensued, as John Wilkes Booth became America's number one most wanted fugitive.

I really enjoyed this book. It was very engrossing for me, and was a book that I have wanted to read ever since it came out last year. I have always thought that I should increase my knowledge of American history, as I have been a naturalized American citizen since 1989. As I read this book, I found myself - a definitely staunch supporter of the Union - sympathizing with the Confederacy, because of the immense hardships that the soldiers of the South faced and struggled through during the Civil War. If I may say, as General William Tecumseh Sherman did in an address to the graduating class of the Michigan Military Academy on June 19, 1879 - War is Hell! - for both the victors of any war, as well as for those who are defeated.

I would give Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard an A+! This book might not have been as interesting to me as my favorite book from September, Henry and Clara by Thomas Mallon was, but both books were so close together in terms of my rating system, that the difference between them was barely noticeable to me. I give this book five shiny gold stars! :)

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Jason F. Wright - The Wednesday Letters

86. The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright (2007)
The Letters Series Book 1
Length: 280 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 8 October 2012
Finished: 9 October 2012
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 20 July 2012
Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and Jason F. Wright is a new author for me.

Jack and Laurel Cooper's story begins with one letter on their wedding night, a letter from the groom, promising to write his bride every week - for as long as they both shall live. Thirty-nine years later, with his wife cradled in his arms, and before Jack takes his last breath, he scribbles his last "Wednesday Letter" to his wife. That night, Jack and Laurel die in each other's arms.

When their adult children return to the family bed and breakfast in order to arrange their parents funerals, they discover the boxes and boxes full of love letters that their father wrote to their mother every Wednesday. As they begin to open and read each letter, the children discover the shocking truth about the past that ultimately forces them to face a life-changing moment.

As each letter reveals the joys and sorrows of their parents marriage, the children must face and deal with their own present-day challenges. Matthew, Jack and Laurel's eldest son, is struggling in a troubled marriage; Samantha, Jack and Laurel's only daughter, is a single mother, and Malcolm is the black sheep of the family, returning after a two year absence.

I liked this book and give it an A+! It was perhaps not my favorite book, but it was an easy read and interesting enough to keep me involved until the end. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes books about families and will say that this particular book could possibly be read in one day - I read fifty pages before I went to bed last night and finished up the book today.

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Jane Smiley - Duplicate Keys

85. Duplicate Keys by Jane Smiley (1984)
Length: 306 pages
Genre: Contemporary Mystery
Started: 4 October 2012
Finished: 7 October 2012
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 10 October 2007
Why do I have it? I like contemporary mysteries and I have read and enjoyed two books by this author in the past.

Alice Ellis is a refugee from the Midwest living in Manhattan. Still recovering from a painful divorce, Alice depends on the companionship and camaraderie of a circle of tightly knit friends. At the center of this circle is a struggling rock band trying to navigate New York City's erratic music scene, and an apartment/practice space with approximately fifty key-holders. One day, Alice enters the apartment and finds two of the band members shot dead.

As the double murder sends shock waves throughout all their lives, this group of friends begins to unravel, and dangerous secrets begin to be revealed one by one. When Alice begins to notice things amiss in her own apartment, she realizes that she's not the only person with a key, and that she might not get a chance to change the locks before something happens to her.

I enjoyed this book and was hooked in to trying to discover who the murderer was. I found that although the plot was slightly dated for being written in 1984, it was still a great story that showed off what a talent Jane Smiley is an author. I give this book an A! and have placed several more books by Jane Smiley on my Wish List.

A! - (90-95%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Most Frequently Challenged Authors of the 21st Century

I'll admit that being born in Derry, Northern Ireland and being raised in Manchester, England from age three to adulthood, has led me to not know that many authors on this list. I think that many of these authors are American, aren't they?  

2001: J. K. Rowling, Robert Cormier, John Steinbeck, Judy Blume, Maya Angelou, Robie Harris, Gary Paulsen, Walter Dean Myers, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, and Bette Greene.

2002: J.K. Rowling, Judy Blume, Robert Cormier, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Stephen King, Lois Duncan, S.E. Hinton, Alvin Schwartz, Maya Angelou, Roald Dahl, and Toni Morrison.

2003: Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, J. K. Rowling, Robert Cormier, Judy Blume, Katherine Paterson, John Steinbeck, Walter Dean Myers, Robie Harris, Stephen King, and Louise Rennison.

2004: Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Robert Cormier, Judy Blume, Toni Morrison, Chris Lynch, Barbara Park, Gary Paulsen, Dav Pilkey, Maurice Sendak, and Sonya Sones.

2005: Judy Blume, Robert Cormier, Chris Crutcher, Robie Harris, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Toni Morrison, J. D. Salinger, Lois Lowry, Marilyn Reynolds, and Sonya Sones.  

2006: Chris Crutcher, Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, Toni Morrison, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Cecily von Ziegesar, Carolyn Mackler, Alvin Schwartz, Stephen Chbosky, Alex Sanchez, Judy Blume.

2007: Robert Cormier, Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, Mark Twain, Toni Morrison, Philip Pullman, Kevin Henkes, Lois Lowry, Chris Crutcher, Lauren Myracle, Joann Sfar.

2008: Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, Philip Pullman, Lauren Myracle, Jim Pipe, Alvin Schwartz, Chris Crutcher, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Rudolfo Anaya, Stephen Chbosky, Cecily Von Ziegesar.

2009: Lauren Myracle, Alex Sanchez, P.C. Cast, Robert Cormier, Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, Stephen Chbosky, Chris Crutcher, Ellen Hopkins, Richelle Mead, John Steinbeck.

2010: Ellen Hopkins, Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, Sonya Sones, Judy Blume, Ann Brasheres, Suzanne Collins, Aldous Huxley, Sherman Alexie, Laurie Halse Anderson, Natasha Friend.  

2011: Lauren Myracle, Kim Dong Hwa, Chris Crutcher, Carolyn Mackler, Robert Greene, Sonya Sones, Dori Hillestead Butler, Sherman Alexie, Suzanne Collins, Aldous Huxley, Harper Lee, Eric Jerome Dickey, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Dav Pilkey, Cecily von Ziegesar.

2012: Dav Pilkey, Sherman Alexie, Jay Asher, E.L. James, Ellen Hopkins, Jimmy Santiago Baca, Patricia Polacco, John Green, Luis Alberto Urrea, Alvin Schwartz, Dagberto Glib.

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Most Frequently Challenged Books Written by Authors of Color: 2000-2009

I'll admit that being born in Derry, Northern Ireland and being raised in Manchester, England from age three to adulthood, has led me to not know that many authors on this list. I think that many of these authors are American, aren't they? These books and authors actually appeared on the list of 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2000-2009 and the number beside each one is its ranking within the above list.

6: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

• Reason for challenges: racism, homosexuality, sexually explicit, offensive language, unsuited to age group 

11: Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers

• Reason for challenges: racism, offensive language, violence

15: The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

• Reason for challenges: sexually explicit, offensive language

17: The Color Purple by Alice Walker

• Reason for challenges: sexually explicit, offensive language, violence 

26: Beloved by Toni Morrison

• Reason for challenges: sexually explicit, violence

32: Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya

• Reason for challenges: sexually explicit, offensive language, occult

39: Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane

• Reason for challenges: homosexuality, sexually explicit

66. Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

• Reason for challenges: offensive language

68: Always Running by Luis Rodriguez

• Reason for challenges: sexually explicit, offensive language 

 72: Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

• Reason for challenges: racism, sexually explicit, offensive language

81: Black Boy by Richard Wright

• Reason for challenges: sexually explicit, offensive language, violence

84: So Far From the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Watkins

• Reason for challenges: sexually explicit, distorted perspective of history, violence

97: The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende

• Reason for challenges: sexually explicit, offensive language 

Other books written by authors of color challenged during this period include: Hoops by Walter Dean Myers (sexually explicit; offensive language) and Monster by Walter Dean Myers (sexually explicit; offensive language; violence).  

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Most Frequently Challenged Books Written by Authors of Color: 1990-1999

I'll admit that being born in Derry, Northern Ireland and being raised in Manchester, England from age three to adulthood, has led me to not know that many authors on this list. I think that many of these authors are American, aren't they? These books and authors actually appeared on the list of 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-1999 and the number beside each one is its ranking within the above list.

3: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

• Reason for challenges: racism, homosexuality, sexually explicit, offensive language, unsuited to age group 

17: The Color Purple by Alice Walker

• Reason for challenges: sexually explicit, offensive language, violence 

31: Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane

• Reason for challenges: homosexuality, sexually explicit 

34: The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

• Reason for challenges: sexually explicit, offensive language 

36: Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers

• Reason for challenges: racism, offensive language, violence 

45: Beloved by Toni Morrison

• Reason for challenges: sexually explicit, violence 

69: Native Son by Richard Wright

• Reason for challenges: sexually explicit, offensive language, violence 

73: The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende

• Reason for challenges: sexually explicit, offensive language 

78: Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya

• Reason for challenges: sexually explicit, offensive language, occult 

84: Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

• Reason for challenges: racism, sexually explicit, offensive language 

85: Always Running by Luis Rodriguez

• Reason for challenges: sexually explicit, offensive language 

Other books written by authors of color challenged during this period include: Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry by Mildred D. Taylor (offensive language) and American Indian Myths and Legends by Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz (sexually explicit).

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Irving Stone - The President's Lady: A Novel About Rachel and Andrew Jackson

84. The President's Lady: A Novel About Rachel and Andrew Jackson by Irving Stone (1951)
Length: 338 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Started: 30 September 2012
Finished: 4 October 2012
Where did it come from? From a Library Book Sale
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 10 October 2007
Why do I have it? I like historical fiction and Irving Stone is a new author for me.

Andrew Jackson was a newly certified attorney when he met Rachel Donelson Robards in 1788 at her mother's residence in Tennessee. He was traveling through from Salisbury, North Carolina and had stopped there on the advice of friends. At the time, Rachel was married but separated from her first husband, Lewis Robards. The couple had tried to reconcile several times, however, when Rachel was falsely accused by Lewis of having an affair with Andrew Jackson, the marriage was officially over in her mind.

The gallant Andrew confronted Lewis about his treatment of Rachel, in an effort to protect her reputation, and Lewis returned to Kentucky without his wife. When Rachel heard rumours that Lewis was returning to collect her, she fled to Natchez and Andrew accompanied her, giving Lewis just cause to pursue a divorce. In 1791, under the impression that Lewis Robards had obtained the divorce, Andrew asked for Rachel's hand in marriage.

Almost two years into their marriage, the Jacksons learned that Rachel was still married to Lewis Robards. Her first husband had only obtained permission for the divorce, but had never actually brought the case to court in order to go through a jury trial. Finally, in 1793, Lewis was granted his divorce - only the second in Kentucky's history - and Rachel and Andrew quietly remarried in Nashville.

The confusion surrounding Andrew's and Rachel's courtship and marriage haunted the couple for the rest of their lives. Rachel died only a month after Andrew was elected as the seventh president of the United States in 1829. President Jackson was always convinced that the gossip and malicious rumors spread by his political rivals during the vicious election campaign contributed to Rachel's death. He mourned his wife's death for the rest of his life.

The Jacksons' marriage was definitely a love match for them right from the beginning, however many of Andrew's financial decisions caused the couple to lose much of their fortune at certain times in history. The couple rebuilt that fortune multiple times, but could never entirely tamp down the scandal of Rachel's first marriage and divorce.

Andrew Jackson was known to have an incendiary temper, challenging three men to duels by the time he was forty years old. On May 30, 1806, Andrew Jackson fought a duel with Charles Dickinson, a young lawyer who initially had accused Andrew Jackson of reneging on a horse bet, calling him a coward and an equivocator. Charles Dickinson also called Rachel Jackson a bigamist and Andrew Jackson demanded the satisfaction of a duel for that insult. Andrew Jackson killed Charles Dickinson during the duel, after being seriously wounded by a bullet which lodged so close to Andrew Jackson's heart, it couldn't be removed.

I really enjoyed this book although I found it somewhat slow in certain parts. I found that Rachel and Andrew Jackson's marriage was extremely harsh and difficult for them and felt extremely sorry for the couple with what they had to face together. I think that it's amazing that I read this book during the 2012 presidential election; I certainly didn't choose this book because of that fact, but it seemed appropriate that I was reading a book about Andrew and Rachel Jackson's love story.

It was very interesting for me to compare the election of 1828 to the election of 2012. I am not that interested in presidential elections, but it seemed to me that both elections are and were similarly vicious!  I give The President's Lady: A Novel About Rachel and Andrew Jackson by Irving Stone an A+!

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

100 Most Frequently Challenged Books: 2000-2009

I'll admit that being born in Derry, Northern Ireland and being raised in Manchester, England from age three to adulthood, has led me to not know that many authors on this list. I think that many of these authors are American, aren't they? Although I know that I have read at least five of the books on this list as an early adult.

1. Harry Potter (series) by J.K. Rowling - (Mareena has the entire series on her bookshelf and has read the first two books - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - for fun when she was a freshman in college. I have also read the first book.)
2. Alice (series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
3. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
4. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
5. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck - (I remember reading this book in college, and Mareena read it in ninth or tenth grade English. Her English teacher commented on her reading assignment for the book - the class had to write a deleted scene from the book as a creative writing assignment - that Mareena wrote almost identically to John Steinbeck's style! I read her assignment myself and literally could not tell the difference. :))
6. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
7. Scary Stories (series) by Alvin Schwartz - (I know that Mareena read two out of the three books in this series - Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark - when she was about eight or nine years old.)
8. His Dark Materials (series) by Philip Pullman
9. ttyl; ttfn; l8r g8r (series) by Lauren Myracle
10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
11. Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
12. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
13. Captain Underpants (series) by Dav Pilkey
14. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
15. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
16. Forever by Judy Blume
17. The Color Purple by Alice Walker - (I know that Mareena read this book for a high school reading assignment - maybe twelfth grade - but I never have.)
18. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
19. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger - (I read this book sometime in my late teens and have gotten another copy to reread at some point in the future. Mareena read this book in the eleventh grade English.)
20. King and King by Linda de Haan
21. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee - (Mareena read half this book for her seventh grade English class, but we moved to Cape Cod and she never was able to finish reading the book. Several years ago, she bought the 50th Anniversary Edition from Barnes and Noble which she has on her bookshelf.)
22. Gossip Girl (series) by Cecily von Ziegesar
23. The Giver by Lois Lowry
24. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
25. Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan - (Mareena read this book for ninth grade English.)
26. Beloved by Toni Morrison
27. My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Lincoln Collier
28. Bridge To Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
29. The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney
30. We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
31. What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones
32. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
33. Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson - (I acquired a copy of this book on 7 August 2009.)
34. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
35. Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison
36. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
37. It’s So Amazing by Robie Harris
38. Arming America by Michael Bellasiles
39. Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
40. Life is Funny by E.R. Frank
41. Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher
42. The Fighting Ground by Avi
43. Blubber by Judy Blume
44. Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher
45. Crazy Lady by Jane Leslie Conly
46. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
47. The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby: The First Graphic Novel by George Beard and Harold Hutchins, the creators of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey
48. Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez
49. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
50. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
51. Daughters of Eve by Lois Duncan
52. The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
53. You Hear Me? by Betsy Franco
54. The Facts Speak for Themselves by Brock Cole
55. Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Green
56. When Dad Killed Mom by Julius Lester
57. Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause
58. Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going
59. Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes
60. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
61. Draw Me A Star by Eric Carle
62. The Stupids (series) by Harry Allard
63. The Terrorist by Caroline B. Cooney
64. Mick Harte Was Here by Barbara Park
65. The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
66. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor
67. A Time to Kill by John Grisham
68. Always Running by Luis Rodriguez
69. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
70. Harris and Me by Gary Paulsen
71. Junie B. Jones (series) by Barbara Park
72. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
73. What’s Happening to My Body Book by Lynda Madaras
74. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold - (Mareena aquired a copy of this book on 12 March 2010 and loaned it to me to read.)
75. Anastasia Krupnik (series) by Lois Lowry
76. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving - (Mareena read this book in tenth grade English.)
77. Crazy: A Novel by Benjamin Lebert
78. The Joy of Gay Sex by Dr. Charles Silverstein
79. The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss
80. A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
81. Black Boy by Richard Wright
82. Deal With It! by Esther Drill
83. Detour for Emmy by Marilyn Reynolds
84. So Far From the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Watkins
85. Staying Fat For Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher
86. Cut by Patricia McCormick
87. Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
88. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
89. Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissenger
90. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle - (Mareena recently gave away her copy of this book.)
91. Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
92. The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar
93. Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard
94. Goosebumps (series) by R.L. Stine
95. Shade’s Children by Garth Nix
96. Grendel by John Gardner
97. The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
98. I Saw Esau by Iona Opte
99. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume - (Mareena read this book for fun when she was about eleven or twelve years old.)
100. America: A Novel by E.R. Frank

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

100 Most Frequently Challenged Books: 1990-1999

I'll admit that being born in Derry, Northern Ireland and being raised in Manchester, England from age three to adulthood, has led me to not know that many authors on this list. I think that many of these authors are American, aren't they? Although I know that I have read at least five of the books on this list as an early adult.

1. Scary Stories (series) by Alvin Schwartz - (I know that Mareena read two out of the three books in this series - Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark - when she was about eight or nine years old.)
2. Daddy’s Roommate by Michael Willhoite
3. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
4. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck - (I remember reading this book in college, and Mareena read it in ninth or tenth grade English. Her English teacher commented on her reading assignment for the book - the class had to write a deleted scene from the book as a creative writing assignment - that Mareena wrote almost identically to John Steinbeck's style! I read her assignment myself and literally could not tell the difference. :))
7. Forever by Judy Blume
8. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
9. Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
10. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger - (I read this book sometime in my late teens and have gotten another copy to reread at some point in the future. Mareena read this book in the eleventh grade English.)
11. The Giver by Lois Lowry
12. My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
13. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
14. Alice (series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
15. Goosebumps (series) by R.L. Stine
16. A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
17. The Color Purple by Alice Walker - (I know that Mareena read this book for a high school reading assignment - maybe twelfth grade - but I never have.)
18. Sex by Madonna
19. Earth’s Children (series) by Jean M. Auel - (I think I may have the first two books in this series - The Clan of the Cave Bear and The Valley of Horses on my downstairs bookshelf, although I haven't read them.)
20. The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
21. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
22. The Witches by Roald Dahl
23. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle - (Mareena recently gave away her copy of this book.)
24. The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein
25. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
26. The Goats by Brock Cole
27. The Stupids (series) by Harry Allard
28. Anastasia Krupnik (series) by Lois Lowry
29. Final Exit by Derek Humphry
30. Blubber by Judy Blume
31. Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam
32. Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
33. Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
34. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
35. What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents and Daughters by Lynda Madaras
36. Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
37. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
38. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
39. The Pigman by Paul Zindel - (Mareena read this book in ninth grade English.)
40. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - (Mareena read half this book for her seventh grade English class, but we moved to Cape Cod and she never was able to finish reading the book. Several years ago, she bought the 50th Anniversary Edition from Barnes and Noble which she has on her bookshelf.)
41. We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
42. Deenie by Judy Blume
43. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes - (I know that Mareena read this book - maybe in eighth grade English.)
44. Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden
45. Beloved by Toni Morrison
46. The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar
47. Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat by Alvin Schwartz
48. Harry Potter (series) by J.K. Rowling - (Mareena has the entire series on her bookshelf and has read the first two books - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - for fun when she was a freshman in college. I have also read the first book.)
49. Cujo by Stephen King - (I read this book about 30 years ago.)
50. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
51. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein - (Mareena read this book for fun when she was about ten years old.)
52. Ordinary People by Judith Guest - (I read this book in June of 2010 and here is my review of it.)
53. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
54. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
55. Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
56. Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard
57. Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole
58. What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents and Sons by Lynda Madaras
59. The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell
60. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume - (Mareena read this book for fun when she was about eleven or twelve years old.)
61. Boys and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
62. Crazy Lady by Jane Conly
63. Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher
64. Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan - (Mareena read this book for ninth grade English.)
65. Fade by Robert Cormier
66. Guess What? by Mem Fox
67. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
68. Lord of the Flies by William Golding - (I read this book about 30 years ago and Mareena read it for tenth grade English.) 
69. Native Son by Richard Wright
70. Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies by Nancy Friday
71. Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen
72. On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
73. The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
74. Jack by A.M. Homes
75. Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge
76. Family Secrets by Norma Klein
77. Mommy Laid an Egg by Babette Cole
78. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya
79. Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle
80. The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney
81. Carrie by Stephen King - (I read this book when it was first published and this was Mareena's first Stephen King book that she read at age 14. She recently acquired another copy that's on her bookshelf.)
82. The Dead Zone by Stephen King - (I'm currently trying to trying to track down this book and hope to acquire a copy very soon. I've never read this book, but recently saw the movie with Christopher Walken and it sparked my interest.)
83. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
84. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
85. Always Running by Luis Rodriguez
86. Private Parts by Howard Stern
87. Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford
88. Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
89. Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
90. Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman
91. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett - (My brother-in-law and his wife gave Mareena this book when they visited us two years ago.)
92. Running Loose by Chris Crutcher
93. Sex Education by Jenny Davis
94. Jumper by Steven Gould
95. Christine by Stephen King - (I may have this book on my downstairs bookshelf)
96. The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene
97. That Was Then, This is Now by S.E. Hinton
98. Girls and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
99. The Wish Giver by Bill Brittain
100. Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Reading Wrap-up for September at Moonshine and Rosefire

 

Hello everyone out there and I hope that you all had a terrific reading month for yourselves. I am known as Rosefire around the Internet and this is my new personal reading blog. I originally posted my reviews over at my daughter's blog, Emeraldfire's Bookmark but am now in the process of transferring them all over to my own blog. My daughter makes blogging look like so much fun that I thought that I would try it out for myself! :)

Anyway, I started out September with 656 unread books lying around the house and ended the month with 646 books unread. All the books that I acquired this month came from authors and Price Chopper.

Let me try to break down the influx for you:

Rereads
- Beyond Reason by Margaret Trudeau
- The Good Mother by Sue Miller

Changes to the TBR pile

Read from my TBR pile (Yes! I am a reading machine :))
- To Die is Not Enough: A True Account of Murder and Retribution by Donald Delano Wright
- Scare Tactics by John Farris 
- Henry and Clara by Thomas Mallon
- 13 by Philip Loraine
- Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King
- Shades of Souls Passed: True Accounts of Ghostly Encounters in Madison County, New York by Teresa R. Andrews
- Coroner at Large by Thomas T. Noguchi, M. D. and Joseph Dimona
- Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout

Added to my TBR pile (oh well, you win some and you lose some! Not too bad though, I suppose:))
- Pyramid of Skulls: A Novel of Timur, Warrior and Emperor by Martin Fructman

Taken off my TBR pile and sent to a new home (Yay! Happy Dance! :))
- Horror House by J. N. Williamson
- Let the Magic Begin: Opening the Door to a Whole New World of Possibility by Cathy Lee Crosby
- The Letters by Luanne Rice and Joseph Monninger
- Servant of the Bones by Anne Rice
- Henry and Clara by Thomas Mallon

Well, there it is...the breakdown! All in all, a very good reading month for me. Here's a further breakdown:

Books Read: 10
Pages Read: 2,809
Grade Range: A+! to A!

So, there you go! The reading month that was September. I hope that you all had an equally good reading month; if not a little better. :) See you all next month! :)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight

Banned and Challenged Classics

On July 21, 1998, the Radcliffe Publishing Course compiled and released its own list of the century's top 100 novels at the request of the Modern Library Editorial Board. According to the Office of Intellectual Freedom, at least 46 titles on this list have been the target of ban attempts.

1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

• Challenged at the Baptist College in Charleston, SC (1987) because of "language and sexual references in the book."

2. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger 

Since its publication, this title has been a favorite target of censors.

• In 1960, a teacher in Tulsa, OK was fired for assigning the book to an eleventh grade English class. The teacher appealed and was reinstated by the school board, but the book was removed from use in the school.
• In 1963, a delegation of parents of high school students in Columbus, OH, asked the school board to ban the novel for being "anti-white" and "obscene." The school board refused the request.
• Removed from the Selinsgrove, PA suggested reading list (1975). Based on parents' objections to the language and content of the book, the school board voted 5-4 to ban the book. The book was later reinstated in the curriculum when the board learned that the vote was illegal because they needed a two-thirds vote for removal of the text.
• Challenged as an assignment in an American literature class in Pittsgrove, NJ (1977). After months of controversy, the board ruled that the novel could be read in the Advanced Placement class, but they gave parents the right to decide whether or not their children would read it.
• Removed from the Issaquah, WA optional High School reading list (1978).
• Removed from the required reading list in Middleville, MI (1979).
• Removed from the Jackson Milton school libraries in North Jackson, OH (1980).
• Removed from two Anniston, AL High school libraries (1982), but later reinstated on a restrictive basis.
• Removed from the school libraries in Morris, Manitoba (1982) along with two other books because they violate the committee's guidelines covering "excess vulgar language, sexual scenes, things concerning moral issues, excessive violence, and anything dealing with the occult."
• Challenged at the Libby, MT High School (1983) due to the "book's contents."
• Banned from English classes at the Freeport High School in De Funiak Springs, FL (1985) because it is "unacceptable" and "obscene."
• Removed from the required reading list of a Medicine Bow, WY Senior High School English class (1986) because of sexual references and profanity in the book.
• Banned from a required sophomore English reading list at the Napoleon, ND High School (1987) after parents and the local Knights of Columbus chapter complained about its profanity and sexual references.
• Challenged at the Linton-Stockton, IN High School (1988) because the book is "blasphemous and undermines morality."
• Banned from the classrooms in Boron, CA High School (1989) because the book contains profanity. Challenged at the Grayslake, IL Community High School (1991).
• Challenged at the Jamaica High School in Sidell, IL (1992) because the book contains profanities and depicts premarital sex, alcohol abuse, and prostitution.
• Challenged in the Waterloo, IA schools (1992) and Duval County, FL public school libraries (1992) because of profanity, lurid passages about sex, and statements defamatory to minorities, God, women, and the disabled.
• Challenged at the Cumberland Valley High School in Carlisle, PA (1992) because of a parent's objections that it contains profanity and is immoral.
• Challenged, but retained, at the New Richmond, WI High School (1994) for use in some English classes.
• Challenged as required reading in the Corona Norco, CA Unified School District (1993) because it is "centered around negative activity." The book was retained and teachers selected alternatives if students object to Salinger's novel.
• Challenged as mandatory reading in the Goffstown, NH schools (1994) because of the vulgar words used and the sexual exploits experienced in the book.
• Challenged at the St. Johns County Schools in St. Augustine, FL (1995).
• Challenged at the Oxford Hills High School in Paris, ME (1996). A parent objected to the use of the 'F' word.
• Challenged, but retained, at the Glynn Academy High School in Brunswick, GA (1997). A student objected to the novel's profanity and sexual references.
• Removed because of profanity and sexual situations from the required reading curriculum of 
• the Marysville, CA Joint Unified School District (1997). The school superintendent removed it to get it "out of the way so that we didn't have that polarization over a book."
• Challenged, but retained on the shelves of Limestone County, AL school district (2000) despite objections about the book's foul language.
• Banned, but later reinstated after community protests at the Windsor Forest High School in Savannah, GA (2000). The controversy began in early 1999 when a parent complained about sex, violence, and profanity in the book that was part of an Advanced Placement English class.
• Removed by a Dorchester District 2 school board member in Summerville, SC (2001) because it "is a filthy, filthy book."
• Challenged by a Glynn County, GA (2001) school board member because of profanity. The novel was retained.
• Challenged in the Big Sky High School in Missoula, MT (2009).

3. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck 

• Burned by the East St. Louis, IL Public Library (1939) and barred from the Buffalo, NY Public Library (1939) on the grounds that "vulgar words" were used. 
• Banned in Kansas City, MO (1939).
• Banned in Kern County CA, the scene of Steinbeck's novel (1939).
• Banned in Ireland (1953).
• On Feb. 21, 1973, eleven Turkish book publishers went on trial before an Istanbul martial law tribunal on charges of publishing, possessing and selling books in violation of an order of the Istanbul martial law command. They faced possible sentences of between one month's and six months' imprisonment "for spreading propaganda unfavorable to the state" and the confiscation of their books. Eight booksellers were also on trial with the publishers on the same charge involving The Grapes of Wrath.
• Banned in Kanawha, IA High School classes (1980).
• Challenged in Vernon Verona Sherill, NY School District (1980). 
• Challenged as required reading for Richford, VT (1981) High School English students due to the book's language and portrayal of a former minister who recounts how he took advantage of a young woman.
• Banned in Morris, Manitoba, Canada (1982).
• Removed from two Anniston, Ala. high school libraries (1982), but later reinstated on a restrictive basis.
• Challenged at the Cummings High School in Burlington, NC (1986) as an optional reading assignment because the "book is full of filth. My son is being raised in a Christian home and this book takes the Lord's name in vain and has all kinds of profanity in it." Although the parent spoke to the press, a formal complaint with the school demanding the book's removal was not filed.
• Challenged at the Moore County school system in Carthage, NC (1986) because the book contains the phase "God damn."
• Challenged in the Greenville, SC schools (1991) because the book uses the name of God and Jesus in a "vain and profane manner along with inappropriate sexual references."
• Challenged in the Union City, TN High School classes (1993)

4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 

• Challenged in Eden Valley, MN (1977) and temporarily banned due to words "damn" and "whore lady" used in the novel.
• Challenged in the Vernon Verona Sherill, NY School District (1980) as a "filthy, trashy novel."
• Challenged at the Warren, IN Township schools (1981) because the book does "psychological damage to the positive integration process" and "represents institutionalized racism under the guise of good literature." After unsuccessfully trying to ban Lee's novel, three black parents resigned from the township human relations advisory council.
• Challenged in the Waukegan, IL School District (1984) because the novel uses the word "nigger."
• Challenged in the Kansas City, MO junior high schools (1985). Challenged at the Park Hill, MO Junior High School (1985) because the novel "contains profanity and racial slurs." Retained on a supplemental eighth grade reading list in the Casa Grande, AZ Elementary School District (1985), despite the protests by black parents and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People who charged the book was unfit for junior high use.
• Challenged at the Santa Cruz, CA Schools (1995) because of its racial themes. Removed from the Southwood High School Library in Caddo Parish, LA (1995) because the book's language and content were objectionable.
• Challenged at the Moss Point, MS School District (1996) because the novel contains a racial epithet. Banned from the Lindale, TX advanced placement English reading list (1996) because the book "conflicted with the values of the community."
• Challenged by a Glynn County, GA (2001) School Board member because of profanity. The novel was retained. Returned to the freshman reading list at Muskogee, OK High School (2001) despite complaints over the years from black students and parents about racial slurs in the text.
• Challenged in the Normal, IL Community High School's sophomore literature class (2003) as being degrading to African Americans.
• Challenged at the Stanford Middle School in Durham, NC (2004) because the 1961 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel uses the word "nigger." 
• Challenged at the Brentwood, TN Middle School (2006) because the book contains “profanity” and “contains adult themes such as sexual intercourse, rape, and incest.” The complainants also contend that the book’s use of racial slurs promotes “racial hatred, racial division, racial separation, and promotes white supremacy.” 
• Retained in the English curriculum by the Cherry Hill, NJ Board of Education (2007). A resident had objected to the novel’s depiction of how blacks are treated by members of a racist white community in an Alabama town during the Depression. The resident feared the book would upset black children reading it. 
• Removed (2009) from the St. Edmund Campion Secondary School classrooms in Brampton Ontario, Canada because a parent objected to language used in the novel, including the word “nigger."

5. The Color Purple by Alice Walker 

• Challenged as appropriate reading for Oakland, CA High School honors class (1984) due to the work's "sexual and social explicitness" and its "troubling ideas about race relations, man's relationship to God, African history, and human sexuality." After nine months of haggling and delays, a divided Oakland Board of Education gave formal approval for the book's use.
• Rejected for purchase by the Hayward, CA school's trustee (1985) because of "rough language" and "explicit sex scenes."
• Removed from the open shelves of the Newport News, VA school library (1986) because of its "profanity and sexual references" and placed in a special section accessible only to students over the age of 18 or who have written permission from a parent. Challenged at the public libraries of Saginaw, MI (1989) because it was “too sexually graphic for a 12-year-old.” 
• Challenged as a summer youth program reading assignment in Chattanooga, TN (1989) because of its language and "explicitness." 
• Challenged as an optional reading assigned in Ten Sleep, WY schools (1990).
• Challenged as a reading assignment at the New Burn, NC High School (1992) because the main character is raped by her stepfather.
• Banned in the Souderton, PA Area School District (1992) as appropriate reading for 10th graders because it is "smut." Challenged on the curricular reading list at Pomperaug High School in Southbury, CT (1995) because sexually explicit passages aren’t appropriate high school reading.
• Retained as an English course reading assignment in the Junction City, OR high school (1995) after a challenge to Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel caused months of controversy. Although an alternative assignment was available, the book was challenged due to "inappropriate language, graphic sexual scenes, and book's negative image of black men."
• Challenged at the St. Johns County Schools in St. Augustine, FL (1995). Retained on the Round Rock, TX Independent High School reading list (1996) after a challenge that the book was too violent.
• Challenged, but retained, as part of the reading list for Advanced Placement English classes at Northwest High Schools in High Point, NC (1996). The book was challenged because it is "sexually graphic and violent."
• Removed from the Jackson County, WV school libraries (1997) along with sixteen other titles. Challenged, but retained as part of a supplemental reading list at the Shawnee School in Lima, OH (1999). Several parents described its content as vulgar and "X-rated."
• Removed from the Ferguson High School library in Newport News, VA (1999). Students may request and borrow the book with parental approval.
• Challenged, along with seventeen other titles in the Fairfax County, VA elementary and secondary libraries (2002), by a group called Parents Against Bad Books in Schools. The group contends the books "contain profanity and descriptions of drug abuse, sexually explicit conduct, and torture.” 
• Challenged in Burke County (2008) schools in Morganton, NC by parents concerned about the homosexuality, rape, and incest portrayed in the book. 

6. Ulysses by James Joyce 

• Burned in the U.S. (1918), Ireland (1922), Canada (1922), England (1923) and banned in England (1929).

7. Beloved by Toni Morrison 

• Challenged at the St. Johns County Schools in St. Augustine, FL (1995). Retained on the Round Rock, TX Independent High School reading list (1996) after a challenge that the book was too violent.
• Challenged by a member of the Madawaska, ME School Committee (1997) because of the book's language. The 1987 Pulitzer Prize winning novel has been required reading for the advanced placement English class for six years.
• Challenged in the Sarasota County, FL schools (1998) because of sexual material. Retained on the Northwest Suburban High School District 214 reading listing in Arlington Heights, IL (2006), along with eight other challenged titles. A board member, elected amid promises to bring her Christian beliefs into all board decision-making, raised the controversy based on excerpts from the books she’d found on the Internet. 
• Challenged in the Coeur d’Alene School District, ID (2007). Some parents say the book, along with five others, should require parental permission for students to read them.
• Pulled from the senior Advanced Placement (AP) English class at Eastern High School in Louisville, KY (2007) because two parents complained that the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about antebellum slavery depicted the inappropriate topics of bestiality, racism, and sex. The principal ordered teachers to start over with The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne in preparation for upcoming AP exams.

8. The Lord of the Flies by William Golding 

• Challenged at the Dallas, TX Independent School District high school libraries (1974). 
• Challenged at the Sully Buttes, SD High School (1981). Challenged at the Owen, NC High School (1981) because the book is "demoralizing inasmuch as it implies that man is little more than an animal."
• Challenged at the Marana, AZ High School (1983) as an inappropriate reading assignment.
• Challenged at the Olney, TX Independent School District (1984) because of "excessive violence and bad language." A committee of the Toronto, Canada Board of Education ruled on June 23, 1988, that the novel is "racist and recommended that it be removed from all schools." Parents and members of the black community complained about a reference to "niggers" in the book and said it denigrates blacks.
• Challenged in the Waterloo, IA schools (1992) because of profanity, lurid passages about sex, and statements defamatory to minorities, God, women and the disabled.
• Challenged, but retained on the ninth-grade accelerated English reading list in Bloomfield, NY (2000).

9. 1984 by George Orwell 

• Challenged in the Jackson County, FL (1981) because Orwell's novel is "pro-communist and contained explicit sexual matter."

10. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner

11. Lolita by Vladmir Nabokov 

• Banned as obscene in France (1956-1959), in England (1955-59), in Argentina (1959), and in New Zealand (1960). The South African Directorate of Publications announced on November 27, 1982, that Lolita has been taken off the banned list, eight years after a request for permission to market the novel in paperback had been refused. 
• Challenged at the Marion-Levy Public Library System in Ocala, FL (2006). The Marion County commissioners voted to have the county attorney review the novel that addresses the themes of pedophilia and incest, to determine if it meets the state law’s definition of “unsuitable for minors.” 

12. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck 

• Banned in Ireland (1953); Syracuse, IN (1974); Oil City, PA (I977); Grand Blanc, MI (1979); Continental, OH (1980) and other communities.
• Challenged in Greenville, SC (1977) by the Fourth Province of the Knights of the Ku Klux KIan; Vernon Verona Sherill, NY School District (1980); St. David, AZ (1981) and Tell City, IN (1982) due to "profanity and using God's name in vain."
• Banned from classroom use at the Scottsboro, AL Skyline High School (1983) due to "profanity." The Knoxville, TN School Board chairman vowed to have "filthy books" removed from Knoxville's public schools (1984) and picked Steinbeck's novel as the first target due to "its vulgar language."
• Reinstated at the Christian County, KY school libraries and English classes (1987) after being challenged as vulgar and offensive. 
• Challenged in the Marion County, WV schools (1988), at the Wheaton Warrenville, IL Middle School (1988), and at the Berrien Springs, MI High School (1988) because the book contains profanity.
• Removed from the Northside High School in Tuscaloosa, AL (1989) because the book "has profane use of God's name."
• Challenged as a summer youth program reading assignment in Chattanooga, TN (1989) because "Steinbeck is known to have had an anti business attitude." In addition, "he was very questionable as to his patriotism." 
• Removed from all reading lists and collected at the White Chapel High School in Pine Bluff, AR (1989) because of objections to language.
• Challenged as appropriate for high school reading lists in the Shelby County, TN school system (1989) because the novel contains "offensive language." 
• Challenged, but retained in a Salina, KS (1990) tenth grade English class despite concerns that it contains "profanity" and "takes the Lord's name in vain."
• Challenged by a Fresno, CA (1991) parent as a tenth grade English college preparatory curriculum assignment, citing profanity" and "racial slurs." The book was retained, and the child of the objecting parent was provided with an alternative reading assignment. 
• Challenged in the Rivera, TX schools (1990) because it contains profanity.
• Challenged as curriculum material at the Ringgold High School in Carroll Township, PA (1991) because the novel contains terminology offensive to blacks. 
• Removed and later returned to the Suwannee, FL High School library (1991) because the book is "indecent"
• Challenged at the Jacksboro, TN High School (1991) because the novel contains "blasphemous" language, excessive cursing, and sexual overtones. 
• Challenged as required reading in the Buckingham County, VA schools (1991) because of profanity. In 1992 a coalition of community members and clergy in Mobile, AL requested that local school officials form a special textbook screening committee to "weed out objectionable things." Steinbeck's novel was the first target because it contains "profanity" and "morbid and depressing themes."
• Temporarily removed from the Hamilton, OH High School reading list (1992) after a parent complained about its vulgarity and racial slurs.
• Challenged in the Waterloo, IA schools (1992) and the Duval County, FL public school libraries (1992) because of profanity, lurid passages about sex, and statements defamatory to minorities, God, women, and the disabled. 
• Challenged at the Modesto, CA High School as recommended reading (1992) because of "offensive and racist language." The word "nigger" appears in the book.
• Challenged at the Oak Hill High School in Alexandria, LA (1992) because of profanity. Challenged as an appropriate English curriculum assignment at the Mingus, AZ Union High School (1993) because of "profane language, moral statement, treatment of the retarded, and the violent ending."
• Pulled from a classroom by the Putnam County, TN school superintendent (1994) "due to the language." Later, after discussions with the school district counsel, it was reinstated.
• The book was challenged in the Loganville, GA High School (1994) because of its "vulgar language throughout."
• Challenged in the Galena, KS school library (1995) because of the book's language and social implications.
• Retained in the Bemidji, MN schools (1995) after challenges to the book's "objectionable" language. Challenged at the Stephens County High School library in Toccoa, GA (I995) because of "curse words." The book was retained.
• Challenged, but retained in a Warm Springs, VA High School (1995) English class. Banned from the Washington Junior High School curriculum in Peru, IL (1997) because it was deemed "age inappropriate."
• Challenged, but retained, in the Louisville, OH high school English classes (1997) because of profanity.
• Removed, restored, restricted, and eventually retained at the Bay County schools in Panama City, FL (1997). A citizen group, the 100 Black United, Inc., requested the novel's removal and "any other inadmissible literary books that have racial slurs in them, such as the using of the word 'Nigger.'"
• Challenged as a reading list assignment for a ninth grade literature class, but retained at the Sauk Rapids Rice High School in St. Cloud, MN (1997). A parent complained that the book's use of racist language led to racist behavior and racial harassment.
• Challenged in O'Hara Park Middle School classrooms in Oakley, CA (1998) because it contains racial epithets.
• Challenged, but retained, in the Bryant, AR school library (1998) because of a parent's complaint that the book "takes God's name in vain 15 times and uses Jesus's name lightly." 
• Challenged at the Barron, WI School District (1998). Challenged, but retained in the sophomore curriculum at West Middlesex, PA High School (1999) despite objections to the novel's profanity.
• Challenged in the Tomah, WI School District (1999) because the novel is violent and contains obscenities.
• Challenged as required reading at the high school in Grandville, MI (2002) because the book "is full of racism, profanity, and foul language."
• Banned from the George County, MS schools (2002) because of profanity. Challenged in the Normal, IL Community High Schools (2003) because the books contains "racial slurs, profanity, violence, and does not represent traditional values." An alternative book, Steinbeck's The Pearl, was offered but rejected by the family challenging the novel. The committee then recommended The House on Mango Street and The Way to Rainy Mountain as alternatives. 
• Retained in the Greencastle-Antrim, PA (2006) tenth-grade English classes. A complaint was filed because of “racial slurs” and profanity used throughout the novel. The book has been used in the high school for more than thirty years, and those who object to its content have the option of reading an alternative reading. 
• Challenged at the Newton, IA High School (2007) because of concerns about profanity and the portrayal of Jesus Christ. Newton High School has required students to read the book since at least the early 1980s. In neighboring Des Moines, it is on the recommended reading list for ninth-grade English, and it is used for some special education students in the eleventh and twelfth grades. 
• Retained in the Olathe, KS ninth grade curriculum (2007) despite a parent calling the novel a “worthless, profanity-riddled book” which is “derogatory towards African Americans, women, and the developmentally disabled.”

13. Charlotte's Web by E. B. White

14. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
15. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller 

• Banned in Strongsville, OH (1972), but the school board's action was overturned in 1976 by a U.S. District Court in Minarcini v. Strongsville City School District.
• Challenged at the Dallas, TX Independent School District high school libraries (1974); in Snoqualmie, WA (1979) because of its several references to women as "whores."

16. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 

• Banned in Ireland (1932). 
• Removed from classrooms in Miller, MO (1980), because it makes promiscuous sex "look like fun."
• Challenged frequently throughout the U.S.as required reading. Challenged as required reading at the Yukon, OK High School (1988) because of "the book's language and moral content."
• Challenged as required reading in the Corona-Norco, CA Unified School District (1993) because it is "centered around negative activity." Specifically, parents objected that the characters' sexual behavior directly opposed the health curriculum, which taught sexual abstinence until marriage. The book was retained, and teachers selected alternatives if students object to Huxley's novel.
• Removed from the Foley, AL High School Library (2000) pending review, because a parent complained that its characters showed contempt for religion, marriage, and family. The parent complained to the school and to Alabama Governor Don Siegelman.
• Challenged, but retained in the South Texas Independent School District in Mercedes, TX (2003). Parents objected to the adult themes—sexuality, drugs, suicide—that appeared in the novel. Huxley's book was part of the summer Science Academy curriculum. The board voted to give parents more control over their children's choices by requiring principals to automatically offer an alternative to a challenged book. 
• Retained in the Coeur D’Alene, ID School District (2008) despite objections that the book has too many references to sex and drug use.

17. Animal Farm by George Orwell 

• A Wisconsin survey revealed in 1963 that the John Birch Society had challenged the novel's use; it objected to the words "masses will revolt." In 1968, the New York State English Council's Committee on Defense Against Censorship conducted a comparable study in New York State English classrooms. Its findings identified the novel on its list of "problem books"; the reason cited was that "Orwell was a communist."
• Suppressed from being displayed at the 1977 Moscow, Russia International Book Fair.
• A survey of censorship challenges in the schools, conducted in DeKalb County for the period of 1979 to 1982, revealed that the novel had been objected to for its political theories.
• Banned from Bay County's four middle schools and three high schools in Panama City, FL by the Bay County school superintendent in 1987. After 44 parents filed a suit against the district claiming that its instructional aids policy denies constitutional rights, the Bay County School Board reinstated the book, along with sixty-four others banned.
• Banned from schools in the United Arab Emirates, along with 125 others in 2002. The Ministry of Education banned it on the grounds that it contains written or illustrated material that contradicts Islamic and Arab values - in this text, pictures of alcoholic drinks, pigs, and other "indecent images."

18. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway 

• Banned in Boston, MA (1930), Ireland (1953), Riverside, CA (1960), San Jose, CA (1960). 
• Burned in Nazi bonfires in Germany (1933).

19. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner 

• Banned in the Graves County School District in Mayfield, KY (1986) because it contains "offensive and obscene passages referring to abortion and used God's name in vain." The decision was reversed a week later after intense pressure from the ACLU and considerable negative publicity.
• Challenged as a required reading assignment in an advanced English class of Pulaski County High School in Somerset, KY (1987) because the book contains "profanity and a segment about masturbation."
• Challenged, but retained, in the Carroll County, MD schools (1991). Two school board members were concerned about the book's coarse language and dialect. Banned at Central High School in Louisville, KY (1994) temporarily because the book uses profanity and questions the existence of God.

20. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway 

• The June 1929 issue of Scribner's Magazine, which ran Hemingway's novel, was banned in Boston, MA (1929).
• Banned in Italy (1929) because of its painfully accurate account of the Italian retreat from Caporetto, Italy.
• Burned by the Nazis in Germany (1933).
• Banned in Ireland (1939). Challenged at the Dallas, TX Independent School District high school libraries (1974).
• Challenged at the Vernon-Verona-Sherill, NY School District (1980) as a "sex novel."

21. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

22. Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne

23. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston 

• Challenged for sexual explicitness, but retained on the Stonewall Jackson High School's academically advanced reading list in Brentsville, VA (1997). A parent objected to the novel's language and sexual explicitness.

24. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison 

• Excerpts banned in Butler, PA (1975).
• Removed from the high school English reading list in St. Francis, WI (1975).
• Retained in the Yakima, WA schools (1994) after a five-month dispute over what advanced high school students should read in the classroom. Two parents raised concerns about profanity and images of violence and sexuality in the book and requested that it be removed from the reading list.

25. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison 

• Challenged, but retained, in the Columbus, OH schools (1993). The complainant believed that the book contains language degrading to blacks, and is sexually explicit.
• Removed from required reading lists and library shelves in the Richmond County, GA. School District (1994) after a parent complained that passages from the book are "filthy and inappropriate."
• Challenged at the St. Johns County Schools in St. Augustine, FL (1995). Removed from the St. Mary's County, MD schools' approved text list (1998) by the superintendent, overruling a faculty committee recommendation. Complainants referred to the novel as "filth," "trash," and "repulsive." 
• Reinstated in the Shelby, MI school Advanced Placement English curriculum (2009), but parents are to be informed in writing and at a meeting about the book’s content. Students not wanting to read the book can choose an alternative without academic penalty. The superintendent had suspended the book from the curriculum.

26. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell 

• Banned from Anaheim, CA Union High School District English classrooms (1978). 
• Challenged in Waukegan, IL School District (1984) because the novel uses the word "nigger."

27. Native Son by Richard Wright 

• Challenged in Goffstown, NH (1978); Elmwood Park, NJ (1978) due to "objectionable" language; and North Adams, MA (1981) due to the book's "violence, sex, and profanity." 
• Challenged at the Berrian Springs, MI High School in classrooms and libraries (1988) because the novel is "vulgar, profane, and sexually explicit."
• Retained in the Yakima, WA schools (1994) after a five-month dispute over what advanced high school students should read in the classroom. Two parents raised concerns about profanity and images of violence and sexuality in the book and requested that it be removed from the reading list. 
• Challenged as part of the reading list for Advanced Placement English classes at Northwest High School in High Point, NC (1996). The book was challenged because it is "sexually graphic and violent."
• Removed from Irvington High School in Fremont, CA (1998) after a few parents complained the book was unnecessarily violent and sexually explicit.
• Challenged in the Hamilton High School curriculum in Fort Wayne, IN (1998) because of the novel's graphic language and sexual content.

28. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey 

• Challenged in the Greeley, CO public school district (1971) as a non-required American Culture reading.
• In 1974, five residents of Strongsville, OH, sued the board of education to remove the novel. Labeling it "pornographic," they charged the novel "glorifies criminal activity, has a tendency to corrupt juveniles and contains descriptions of bestiality, bizarre violence, and torture, dismemberment, death, and human elimination."
• Removed from public school libraries in Randolph, NY, and Alton, OK (1975).
• Removed from the required reading list in Westport, MA (1977).
• Banned from the St. Anthony, ID Freemont High School classrooms (1978) and the instructor fired. The teacher sued. A decision in the case—Fogarty v. Atchley—was never published.
• Challenged at the Merrimack, NH High School (1982).
• Challenged as part of the curriculum in an Aberdeen, WA High School honors English class (1986) because the book promotes "secular humanism." The school board voted to retain the title.
• Challenged at the Placentia-Yorba Linda, CA Unified School District (2000) after complaints by parents stated that teachers "can choose the best books, but they keep choosing this garbage over and over again."

29. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut 

• Challenged in many communities, but burned in Drake, ND (1973).
• Banned in Rochester, MI because the novel "contains and makes references to religious matters" and thus fell within the ban of the establishment clause. An appellate court upheld its usage in the school in Todd v Rochester Community Schools, 41 Mich. App. 320, 200 N. W 2d 90 (1972).
• Banned in Levittown, NY (1975), North Jackson, OH (1979), and Lakeland, FL (1982) because of the "book's explicit sexual scenes, violence, and obscene language."
• Barred from purchase at the Washington Park High School in Racine, WI (1984) by the district administrative assistant for instructional services.
• Challenged at the Owensboro, KY High School library (1985) because of "foul language, a section depicting a picture of an act of bestiality, a reference to 'Magic Fingers' attached to the protagonist's bed to help him sleep, and the sentence: 'The gun made a ripping sound like the opening of the fly of God Almighty."' 
• Restricted to students who have parental permission at the four Racine, WI Unified District high school libraries (1986) because of "language used in the book, depictions of torture, ethnic slurs, and negative portrayals of women."
• Challenged at the LaRue County, KY High School library (1987) because "the book contains foul language and promotes deviant sexual behavior.”
• Banned from the Fitzgerald, GA schools (1987) because it was filled with profanity and full of explicit sexual references:' Challenged in the Baton Rouge, LA public high school libraries (1988) because the book is "vulgar and offensive".
• Challenged in the Monroe, MI public schools (1989) as required reading in a modem novel course for high school juniors and seniors because of the book's language and the way women are portrayed. 
• Retained on the Round Rock, TX Independent High School reading list (1996) after a challenge that the book was too violent.
• Challenged as an eleventh grade summer reading option in Prince William County, VA (1998) because the book "was rife with profanity and explicit sex:"
• Removed as required reading for sophomores at the Coventry, RI High School (2000) after a parent complained that it contains vulgar language, violent imagery, and sexual content.
• Retained on the Northwest Suburban High School District 214 reading list in Arlington Heights, IL (2006), along with eight other challenged titles. A board member, elected amid promises to bring her Christian beliefs into all board decision-making, raised the controversy based on excerpts from the books she'd found on the internet. 
• Challenged in the Howell, MI High School (2007) because of the book's strong sexual content. In response to a request from the president of the Livingston Organization for Values in Education, or LOVE, the county's top law enforcement official reviewed the books to see whether laws against distribution of sexually explicit materials to minors had been broken. "After reading the books in question, it is clear that the explicit passages illustrated a larger literary, artistic or political message and were not included solely to appeal to the prurient interests of minors," the county prosecutor wrote. "Whether these materials are appropriate for minors is a decision to be made by the school board, but I find that they are not in violation of criminal laws."

30. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway 

• Declared non-mailable by the U.S. Post Office (1940). On Feb. 21, 1973, eleven Turkish book publishers went on trial before an Istanbul martial law tribunal on charges of publishing, possessing, and selling books in violation of an order of the Istanbul martial law command. They faced possible sentences of between one month's and six months’ imprisonment "for spreading propaganda unfavorable to the state" and the confiscation of their books. Eight booksellers also were on trial with the publishers on the same charge involving For Whom the Bell Tolls.

31. On the Road by Jack Kerouac

32. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

33. The Call of the Wild by Jack London 

• Banned in Italy (1929), Yugoslavia (1929), and burned in Nazi bonfires (1933).

34. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

35. Portrait of a Lady by Henry James

36. Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin 

• Challenged as required reading in the Hudson Falls, NY schools (1994) because the book has recurring themes of rape, masturbation, violence, and degrading treatment of women. 
• Challenged as a ninth-grade summer reading option in Prince William County, VA (1988) because the book is "rife with profanity and explicit sex."

37. The World According to Garp by John Irving

38. All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren 

• Challenged at the Dallas, TX Independent School District high school libraries (1974).

39. A Room With a View by E. M. Forster

40. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

• Burned in Alamagordo, NM (2001) outside Christ Community Church along with other Tolkien novels as satanic.

41. Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally

42. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

43. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

44. Finnegans Wake by James Joyce

45. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

• Banned from public libraries in Yugoslavia (1929). Burned in the Nazi bonfires because of Sinclair's socialist views (1933).
• Banned in East Germany (1956) as inimical to communism. 
• Banned in South Korea (1985).

46. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
47. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

48. Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence

• Banned by U.S. Customs (1929).
• Banned in Ireland (1932), Poland (1932), Australia (1959), Japan (1959), India (1959).
• Banned in Canada (1960) until 1962. 
• Dissemination of Lawrence’s novel has been stopped in China (1987) because the book “will corrupt the minds of young people and is also against the Chinese tradition.”

49. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

• In 1973 a bookseller in Orem, UT was arrested for selling the novel. Charges were later dropped, but the book seller was forced to close the store and relocate to another city. 
• Removed from Aurora, CO high school (1976) due to "objectionable" language and from high school classrooms in Westport, MA (1977) because of "objectionable" language.
• Removed from two Anniston, AL High school libraries (1982), but later reinstated on a restricted basis.

50. The Awakening by Kate Chopin

• Retained on the Northwestern Suburban High School District 214 reading list in Arlington Heights, IL along with eight other challenged titles in 2006. A board member, elected amid promises to bring her Christian beliefs into all board decision-making, raised the controversy based on excerpts from the books she'd found on the Internet.
• First published in 1899, this novel so disturbed critics and the public that it was banished for decades afterward.

51. My Antonia by Willa Cather
52. Howards End by E. M. Forster
53. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

• Banned, but later reinstated after community protests at the Windsor Forest High School in Savannah, GA (2000). The controversy began in early 1999 when a parent complained about sex, violence, and profanity in the book that was part of an Advanced Placement English Class.

54. Franny and Zooey by J. D. Salinger
55. The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie

• Banned in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Somalia, Sudan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Quatar, Indonesia, South Africa, and India because of its criticism of Islam.
• Burned in West Yorkshire, England (1989) and temporarily withdrawn from two bookstores on the advice of police who took threats to staff and property seriously.
• In Pakistan five people died in riots against the book. Another man died a day later in Kashmir.
• Ayatollah Khomeni issued a fatwa or religious edict, stating, "I inform the proud Muslim people of the world that the author of the Satanic Verses, which is against Islam, the prophet, and the Koran, and all those involved in its publication who were aware of its content, have been sentenced to death." 
• Challenged at the Wichita, KS Public Library (1989) because the book is "blasphemous to the prophet Mohammed."
• In Venezuela, owning or reading it was declared a crime under penalty of 15 months' imprisonment.
• In Japan, the sale of the English-language edition was banned under the threat of fines.
• The governments of Bulgaria and Poland also restricted its distribution.
• In 1991, in separate incidents, Hitoshi Igarashi, the Japanese translator, was stabbed to death and its Italian translator, Ettore Capriolo, was seriously wounded. In 1993 William Nygaard, its Norwegian publisher, was shot and seriously injured.

56. Jazz by Toni Morrison
57. Sophie's Choice by William Styron

• Banned in South Africa in 1979.
• Returned to La Mirada High School library (CA) in 2002 after a complaint about its sexual content prompted the school to pull the award-winning novel about a tormented Holocaust survivor.

58. Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner

59. A Passage to India by E. M. Forster

60. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton

61. A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor

62. Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald

63. Orlando by Virginia Woolf
64. Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence

• In 1961 an Oklahoma City group called Mothers United for Decency hired a trailer, dubbed it "smutmobile," and displayed books deemed objectionable, including Lawrence's novel.

65. Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe
66. Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

• The Strongsville, Ohio School Board (1972) voted to withdraw this title from the school library; this action was overturned in 1976 by a U.S. District Court in Minarcini v. Strongsville City School District, 541 F. 2d 577 (6th Cir. 1976). 
• Challenged at Merrimack, NH High School (1982).

67. A Separate Peace by John Knowles

• Challenged in Vernon-Verona-Sherill, NY School District (1980) as a "filthy, trashy sex novel."
• Challenged at the Fannett-Metal High School in Shippensburg, PA (1985) because of its allegedly offensive language.
• Challenged as appropriate for high school reading lists in the Shelby County, TN school system (1989) because the novel contains "offensive language." 
• Challenged, but retained in the Champaign, IL high school English classes (1991) despite claims that “unsuitable language” makes it inappropriate. 
• Challenged by the parent of a high school student in Troy, IL (1991) citing profanity and negative attitudes. Students were offered alternative assignments while the school board took the matter under advisement, but no further action was taken on the complaint.
• Challenged at the McDowell County, NC schools (1996) because of "graphic language."

68. Light in August by William Faulkner
69. The Wings of the Dove by Henry James
70. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
71. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
72. A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
73. Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs

• Found obscene in Boston, MA Superior Court (1965). The finding was reversed by the State Supreme Court the following year.

74. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

• Alabama Representative Gerald Allen (R-Cottondale) proposed legislation that would prohibit the use of public funds for the "purchase of textbooks or library materials that recognize or promote homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle." The bill also proposed that novels with gay protagonists and college textbooks that suggest homosexuality is natural would have to be removed from library shelves and destroyed. The bill would impact all Alabama school, public, and university libraries. While it would ban books like Heather Has Two Mommies, it could also include classic and popular novels with gay characters such as Brideshead Revisited, The Color Purple or The Picture of Dorian Gray (2005).

75. Women in Love by D.H. Lawrence

• Seized by John Summers of the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice and declared obscene (1922).

76. Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe
77. In Our Time by Ernest Hemingway
78. The Autobiography of Alice B. Tokias by Gertrude Stein
79. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
80. The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer

• Banned in Canada (1949) and Australia (1949).

81. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
82. White Noise by Don DeLillo
83. O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
84. Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller

• Banned from U.S. Customs (1934).
• The U.S. Supreme Court found the novel not obscene (1964). Banned in Turkey (1986).

85. The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells

86. Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad

87. The Bostonians by Henry James

88. An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser

• Banned in Boston, MA (1927) and burned by the Nazis in Germany (1933) because it "deals with low love affairs."

89. Death Comes For the Archbishop by Willa Cather

90. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

91. This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald

92. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

93. The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles

94. Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis

95. Kim by Rudyard Kipling

96. The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
97. Rabbit, Run by John Updike

• Banned in Ireland in 1962 because the Irish Board of Censors found the work "obscene" and "indecent," objecting particularly to the author's handling of the characters' sexuality, the "explicit sex acts" and "promiscuity." The work was officially banned from sales in Ireland until the introduction of the revised Censorship Publications Bill in 1967.
• Restricted to high school students with parental permission in the six Aroostock County, ME community high school libraries (1976) because of passages in the book dealing with sex and an extramarital affair.
• Removed from the required reading list for English class at the Medicine Bow, WY Junior High School (1986) because of sexual references and profanity in the book.

98. Where Angels Fear to Tread by E. M. Forster

99. Main Street by Sinclair Lewis

100. Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

Okay, I just have a couple of questions: A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, a "sex novel"? Huh?!? Oh, yes, and by all means we must protect innocent children from the 'satanic hobbits' portrayed in The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien!!! Please! Do these people actually read any of the books they try to challenge or ban?

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight