In honor of banned books week....
The other day I was talking with a few friends about the adult "classic" books we read at what now seem like shockingly young ages--Wuthering Heights at 9, The Catcher in the Rye at 8. The conversation predictably turned to whether kids should be reading such books, and then to broader topics of censorship of books in general.
For three girls Midwestern girls, our experiences were surprisingly different. Nice Friend One remembered actual school sponsored book burnings. Nice Friend Two joked that she had watched an episode of "Family Ties" where a book one of the kids wanted to read was banned by their school, "so it was sort of like it happened" to her. My own experiences (which I will share after allowing you all to comment a bit) were somewhere in between.
So for this week's poll:
What are your experiences with censorship, of books or otherwise? And if you feel comfortable saying (since I noted it above) what general area of the country are you in? For a bonus point, check out the most frequently challenged books of 2006 or the most challenged books between 1990 and 2000--which one surprises you most?
Comment and discuss.
