On Progressive U, we encourage you to express yourself. We want to hear all the opinions you have, so long as you don’t attack others for their opinions. Many others have not been so lucky. Throughout history, a number of authors and books have been banned from being read by various governments and communities for one reason or another.
While Banned Books Week is not until September, we wanted to have a special contest in remembrance of all those books that have been challenged or banned over the years. Plus, we have a special treat for this contest.
Hopefully by now, you all know about our column, Between the Lines. It is designed to review television shows, books, movies, political actions… anything that might be considered progressive. While we have asked many people to submit content to the column, few have taken us up on the offer. We want this column to cater to you all, and so in that vein, we launch this contest.
Below is a list of commonly challenged and banned books in about the past 100 years around the world. Pick one at a time, read it, and submit a review to us (please read the rules below before you submit). The incentive? We will give you 100 points right off for submitting a review. If your review is chosen to be published in the column, we will give you another 150 points. You may do this for up to 4 books (totaling up to 1000 points).
In addition, if your review is chosen to be published, your name will be entered into a drawing for one of 5 copies of Stephanie Meyer’s new book, The Host. More information about the book is included at the end of this post.
Now, the rules.
- Your review must be at least 250 words.
- Your review must contain the following parts: Synopsis of novel; why people should OR should not read it; and a rating (one through five, with five being the best).
- Your review must be submitted through e-mail to betweenthelines[at]progressiveu.org. NOTE: If your review is posted as a blog on the site, you will not be eligible for any points from this challenge, nor will you be eligible for the drawing for a book.
- You must submit your review by midnight PDT on May 31, 2008. Any submissions after this date will not be eligible for bonus points.
- You must include your username in your e-mail. We cannot give you points if you don’t include your username.
- You may only submit four reviews total. We will give points at the end of the bonus point contest period.
- Only reviews written with proper spelling/grammar will be considered for publication. If you wouldn’t turn it in for a grade, don’t turn it in to us.
Please note that if you do not follow these rules, you will not get any points. Period.
List of books to choose from:
1. Daddy's Roommate by Michael Willhoite
2. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
3. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
4. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
5. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
6. Forever by Judy Blume
7. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
8. Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
9. Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
10. My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
11. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
12. The Giver by Lois Lowry
13. It's Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
14. A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
15. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
16. Earth's Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel
17. The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
18. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
19. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
20. Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
21. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
22. The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard
23. The Witches by Roald Dahl
24. Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry
25. The Goats by Brock Cole
26. Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
27. Blubber by Judy Blume
28. Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan
29. We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
30. Final Exit by Derek Humphry
31. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
32. Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
33. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
34. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
35. Beloved by Toni Morrison
36. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
37. The Pigman by Paul Zindel
38. Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard
39. Deenie by Judy Blume
40. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
41. Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden
42. The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar
43. Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat by Alvin Schwartz
44. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
45. Cujo by Stephen King
46. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
47. Ordinary People by Judith Guest
48. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
49. Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
50. Crazy Lady by Jane Conly
51. Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher
52. Fade by Robert Cormier
53. Guess What? by Mem Fox
54. The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
55. The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney
56. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
57. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
58. Native Son by Richard Wright
59. Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women's Fantasies by Nancy Friday
60. Jack by A.M. Homes
61. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya
62. Carrie by Stephen King
63. Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
64. On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
65. Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge
66. Family Secrets by Norma Klein
67. Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole
68. The Dead Zone by Stephen King
69. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
70. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
71. Always Running by Luis Rodriguez
72. Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
73. Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman
74. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
75. Running Loose by Chris Crutcher
76. Sex Education by Jenny Davis
77. The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene
78. How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
79. View from the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts
80. The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
81. The Terrorist by Caroline Cooney
82. Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
83. Animal Farm by George Orwell
84. 1984 by George Orwell
85. And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
86. Apocalypse Culture (and sequel), edited by Adam Parfrey
87. The Cider House Rules by John Irving
88. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
89. Collapse by Jared M. Diamond
90. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
91. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
92. The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
93. The King Never Smiles by Paul M. Handley
94. Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler
95. The Diary of Anne Frank
96. The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck
97. Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
98. Ulysses by James Joyce
99. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
100. Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews
Of course, there are plenty more out there, so if there is one not on the list that you would like to review, send us an e-mail at betweenthelines[at]progressiveu.org for approval first. Be sure to include the title of the book, the author, and where it was challenged/banned.
If you have any questions, feel free to PM mvenus929. She will get back with you as soon as possible.
The Host takes place after a bodysnatchers-style invasion of the earth. We (the humans) lost. Our narrator is Wanderer, one of the invading "souls," who struggles to navigate all the bewildering challenges that come with living inside a human body. She was forewarned about these challenges—the overwhelming emotions, the stunning physical responses, the glut of senses, the too vivid dreams and memories... However, there was one challenge Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body, human survivor Melanie Stryder, refuses to fade away into oblivion the way she should. Melanie lingers as an angry presence in Wanderer's head, holding on to her human secrets and filling Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves—Jared, another human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for the man she's never met. Outside forces combine to make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, and, working together, they set off to search for the man they both love. It's possibly the first love triangle that only involves two bodies.
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