September 30 - Oct 6, 2012 is the 30th anniversary of Banned Books Week. Take a look at this video link (it's only 2.5 minutes long and loads pretty fast). http://billmoyers.com/content/the-bane-of-banned-books/
After watching, check out some of the links that list the young adult books most banned and why; the classic books most often banned and even the links to the books themselves.
I like the idea of the "what books would you require Americans read." I'm intrigued. Choose a single book you think everyone should read and explain why. It can be a book aimed at any age group - if you have a burning desire to ensure that every two year old reads "Pat the Bunny," explain your reasons. After everyone has posted, go back, read all the book titles and reasons, and vote for your favorite. This means EVERYONE must post by Tuesday, 2 OCT. read each other's post, post your vote and explain your thoughts by Thursday, 4 OCT (remember, Friday is Homecoming, so post early)
This should be fun.
Have you ever wondered about the life and certain atrocities young Somali women go through during the early years of their lives? This could include arranged marriages, female genital mutilation, or even a female’s role in society. Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a great example describing these processes. This story is an autobiography describing the life of a young Somali girl, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and her entire life journey from Somalia, to Ethiopia, to Kenya, and even to the Netherlands and how it shaped her. I believe this book should be aimed at young adult and adult readers as there are certain sections which could be too much to handle for younger readers. Throughout the story Ayaan elucidates on how she ran away from being a Muslim girl with a lot of restrictions as well as very high expectations from family to becoming a western girl and supporting western culture. Being a young Somalian girl from Eastern Africa, she elaborates on her entire journey involving female circumcision, arranged marriages, and being victimized by Islamic law.
ReplyDeleteThe first time I read this book, I couldn’t let go of it. There was so much suspense and certain occurrences just made me flinch because of how harsh life might have seemed for her. At times I would compare her life to mine just to see how different it was from mine.
I believe that everyone should read this book because it teaches about different cultures. Especially as a female, it’s very interesting to see how different a female’s life in Europe is to a Muslim female’s life in Africa. All of these contrasts are identified in Infidel. This book is literally capable of making you cry just by imagining yourself in Ayaan’s shoes. Often, I’ve been told that the Muslim religion in the Middle East is a little bit different from the Muslim religion in West Africa, for example. In this book, it allows everyone to be able to identify these differences as well as to relate to them. I believe that mostly females will enjoy this book only because it’s easier to relate to Ayaan as she is a female as well. Overall, this book should definitely be read by females or even males all over the world because it gives everyone an opportunity to learn about cultures that they had no pre-requisite knowledge on and to be able to make comparisons.
I'm interested. When did read this? In your 1st paragraph you say it's not for younger readers. How young? Would you encourage, say, 7th graders and older?
DeleteAlso, you stress females need to understand the trials this young woman faced. Wouldn't it be necessary for men to understand these as well in order for the opinions that "entrapped" her to change? Somehow I have trouble thinking of women in power keeping a young girl in this world. Am I wrong? Were females in power also striving to keep her enslaved?
Imagine being taken into a country where your cultural values are belittled and your way of living is viewed as inappropriate and immoral. Imagine being forced to live in that country for the rest of your life and being trapped in a place where you are not respected, where you are treated as an imprisoner, unable to make any contact with the outside world. Well, these were the hardships that Betty Mahmoody, a young American mother, married to an Iranian man, faced. Not Without My Daughter by Betty Mahmoody and William Hoffer is a true story conveying a mother’s struggle and courage in trying to escape from a country where women are merely possessions and Westerners are detested.
ReplyDeleteBorn and raised in Iran, Moody decides that he would like to take Betty and Mahtob to visit relatives back home in Iran. Betty is hesitant at first, but is assured by her husband that it will only be for two weeks. Upon their arrival in Iran, Moody informs Betty that they will not be returning to the United States. Trapped and unhappy as hostages in a tyrannical man’s home, Betty and her daughter must learn to survive in a country where they know nothing of the language, customs, or laws. Both her cruel husband and his family mistreat Betty. She is beat and assaulted by her husband and is required to cover her body with the traditional Iranian outfit, Hijab. In addition to this, she must watch as her daughter is constantly scolded and punished at the school that she is required to attend. Slowly, as Betty begins to get freedom, she commences on finding ways to escape from the prison that her husband calls home. Eventually she is put in touch with a group of people who agree to hide and smuggle her daughter and her out of the country. Although risky and dangerous, Betty decides that it may be the only chance for her to leave Iran with her daughter.
This compelling, intense, and touching story is a must read story for all women as well as men, but especially mothers because it is something they may be able to relate to, either because they have children and they would never leave them behind in such a situation or because they’ve experienced such appalling treatment in the past. However, I would not recommend it to young children because their minds may still be developing and this may affect and cause them to fear their country, religion, or even their parents. The horrific situation in which Betty Mahmoody found herself would give any loving mother nightmares. This story portrays a woman's courage, struggles, and total fidelity to her child that will have you rooting for them along every step of their perfidious journey.
I've seen this film, but never read the book. What prompted you to read it? How old were you at the time? Again, I have a young woman saying that a book about a woman's struggles against a male dominated world should be read by women. If the men in the book hold all the power, shouldn't men be reading it in order to help open their eyes to something women already see as something that needs improvement? Why just women?
DeletePeople in general should read books that teach lessons, have meaning, or even just have an interesting story line. But a book that I think everyone should read is hard to find. The voluminous amount of people there are in this world all have different perspectives and many have different tastes in books.
ReplyDeleteThe reason I pick a children’s book that should be ready around the ages of 3 is because I think to myself “how differently can 3 year olds think?” They haven’t experienced the different genres of books, which plays a role in what books they should read. For these children now comes the stages of learning, and a book like “FIVE Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed” should be read during this stage. I personally don’t remember almost anything from when I was 3 but the story about monkeys jumping on a bed never left my mind.
This book should be read because it’s not only a book that will interest 3 year olds, it’s a book that also has some math in it. The child has to count how many monkeys are injured and how many are left. This makes it fun and educational at the same time.
Looking at what others have mentioned before me, I see a trend where they find a book, which has problems that everyone should know about. Its not always about seeing a problem in a book and suggesting it to people so they become aware of it. I believe it’s about starting fresh, and everyone all at once learning something new.
As a matter of fact the book FIVE Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed has no age restriction but is recommended for 3 year olds. Someone learning how to speak English could probably use it to start with. It’s funny, easy to read, and there’s nothing to hate about it. This book is the perfect answer to what people SHOULD read!
Salman, I like your argument at the beginning about 3 year olds being mostly on the same page, no matter where they are from. While they probably well versed in the basic mores of their societies, I think you are right in the thinking they are probably more flexible than someone who has started using higher level thinking or who has formal learning. And a required book that's mainly for fun? Hmmmm.
DeleteThe Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is one of the best books I've read and I would advise it to be a book that middle school students should read. This book has been a best seller since it came out even though the main audiences targeted were young adults; this book has caught the attention of many adults as well. The Hunger Games would make a standard middle school book is because it strikes many topics including teenage suffering, love, poverty, struggle and politics. Just hearing the name of the book captivates the reader and that is one of the many qualities of this book.
ReplyDeleteGenius is I would say a synonym for The Hunger Games. This book is about a 16-year old girl, Katniss, who lives with her mother and sister in the state of Panem. Panem, the after math of the United States is where the plot of this book takes place. Panem is divided into 12 districts and each year these districts hold what is known as The Hunger Games. These 12 districts are ruled by one, the Capitol, which is the most superior amongst all the districts. The hunger games is a brutal game held by the capitol every year where the two selected tributes from each district are put into an arena, until only one is left at the end. Katniss, a tribute from district 12, takes her little sisters place in the hunger games to save her. This book is a series and revolves around Katniss and the hunger games which follow only one motto ‘kill or be killed’. While reading The Hunger games I seemed to somehow embody the characters themselves especially Katniss and this is not me exaggerating rather it is the truth. While reading the book I felt as if I myself was the main character and that is one quality that good books have. Suzanne Collins has done an excellent job of writing this breathtaking and sensational book.
I thus believe that this book should be made a requirement to read in every middle school. This book not only captivates the reader but also touches many topics that interest students and is as good as or even better than books like The Giver. Also last year the eighth graders in our school read the hunger games for their English class, and not from one student did I hear that the Hunger Games was boring. It already has been implemented in our school and thus it has the qualities of being a book all middle school student should be required to read.
You say the book touches many of the topics young adults have a natural interest in: poverty, love, suffering, etc.. Yet, you don't say anything about the way the book handles these topics. Does the overall theme or style of writing matter in book choice? Why is this book genius? Can you be more specific?
DeleteGrowing up my favorite books were by Dr. Seuss. He wrote books like “The Cat in the Hat”, “Green eggs and Ham” and several other books that are always entertaining, thanks to the his creative use of words that often made sentences rhythm. What I continue to love most about his books however, is that he often found a creative way to explain situations that are often deemed too complicated to explain.
ReplyDeleteA good example of a book by Dr. Seuss that explains a complicated situation is “The Butter Battle”. It basically explains in a simple, yet creative way, what was happening during the period of the Cold War. I personally feel everyone should read it, regardless of their age. As it gives you a different way to look at the situation. In the book the hostilities are not between the Soviet Union and the US, but are set in a different world, between the Yooks and the Zooks.In that world the Yooks who wear blue clothes and the Zooks who wear orange cloths are separated by a wall (the Berlin wall in our world) and have an ongoing dispute due to their different ways of eating buttered bread. As the Yooks eat their bread with the butter-side up, while the Zooks eat their bread with the butter-side down. That difference led to an arms race and threats of destruction.
When studying history, it’s easy to pick a side, but the way Dr. Seuss puts it, it makes the point of the Cold War sound ridiculous. Even if it had nothing to do with buttered bread, readers with some knowledge of the war can catch the hidden references, and it’s probably due to those references that what we consider as a harmless children’s book, was banned in a Canadian library. As the book found a creative way to make you think whether all the lives lost, and money and time spent were really worth it in the end.
In a nutshell I feel that any book that can make you see things in a different light is important, as it sheds light on issues that might have been overlooked, and can also change how its readers see the world around them regardless of their age.
I'm impressed. Not many casual readers (who are not political scientists or English teachers and who were not born until way after he wrote) recognize that he wrote analogies. You do say any book that can make you think differently, but I'm guessing your recommended book everyone should read is Butter Battle?
DeleteThe Stranger by Albert Camus was the strangest book I’ve read yet, but I everyone should read it. The book is based on an existentialist who is isolated from society because he chooses to not have anything to do with the outside world and disregards the way people view him. Hence, he is known to be “The Stranger.”
ReplyDeleteMeursault’s personality begins to unravel throughout the novel especially in Part 1 of the book when hears about his mom’s death via telegram. His lack of emotion towards his mom’s death, killing an Arab, and Marie’s love for him just shows his apathy and detachment towards the outside world and environment. But there’s only so much you can resist from society because one day it will come back and haunt you. During this time period, Algiers the French were superior to the Arabs hence, when Meursault was put on trial for Killing the Arab it was a minor and could possibly have gotten away with it. But not obeying French and Christian customs on the other hand could lead to serious consequences or death. Meursault’s lack of emotions makes it difficult to understand who he is and how he perceives things. Towards the end of the novel he ends up murdering someone in self-defense which leads to his incarceration then death. The judge of the trial found Meursault strange in character and decided that if he’s feels such a strong resentment towards life, why spare it?
Everyone should make it point to read this book because there are so many different ways of looking at it, especially during the last few sections when his trial took place. A few of my friends thought nature triggered the tension that arose towards the end of the novel such as the incarceration and death of Meursault, which I found fairly interesting. Meursault tried his hardest not to let society get in between him and influence his opinion but all the characters(Salamano, Therez, “Robot Lady”…) he met throughout his journey to death distracted him from his bubble. The conclusion I came up with was, as different as one tries to make oneself appear from others he must remember that everyone’s floating all on the same boat in the sense that the only commonality shared between an individual and the rest of the world is that we have all been born and eventually will all die.
Am I correct in thinking the reason for your recommendation is that there are multiple interpretations of the books message? If so, why this book in particular - since literally thousands of books are open to interpretation. What is it, specifically, that you love about this one? Is it the message itself - which you are a bit unclear about - that speaks to you? Is it the author's style - which you sort of touched upon?
DeleteI, who have not read many books throughout my life, read the book called, “A Smile as Big as the Moon,” over and over, more than five times. This book is based on the real story of disabled teenagers with various physical and mental disorders, including Tourette syndrome, Downs Syndrome, and dyslexia, and their teacher, Michael Kerjes. I strongly recommend this book for middle school students to read, because this book is about the level of middle school and it has a strong message saying “nothing is impossible.”
ReplyDeleteMichael Kerjes, the author of this book, is a teacher of a class of disabled students and a football coach of the normal high school in United States of America. One day, he discovers the advertisement in the magazine, looking for schools to enter the NASA Space Camp for High school students. He thinks that this would be a great opportunity for his students and it would benefit them. However, everyone says that disabled kids entering NASA Space Camp is ridiculous, because this program was designed especially for the elite teenagers in the U.S.. Also the camp included harsh trainings and various activities similar to those of the real astronauts. People merely supported their challenge but Michael never gives up, since he believed that his students can do this. Throughout the preparation for the camp, not only the students but also Michael and his fellow teachers face hardships. With their limited educational abilities and self-control, students had a hard time learning new things such as scientific languages and appropriate behaviors and the teachers had to run around to get a financial support from others, since the students were mostly grown in a poor families. Step by step, the students begin to learn how to work as a team, support others and use their knowledge. They successfully complete the missions in the NASA Space Camp and some students receive leadership and teamwork awards. This book truly shows how the disabled students overcome the stereotype and obstacles and achieve their goal that seemed impossible to reach.
“What disabled people lack is opportunity not potential,” says the caption of the book. The readers can learn a lot of lessons from reading this book. Its “triumphant story of the power of the human spirit,” greatly inspired me. Although at first I was forced to read this book by the teacher in the academy, now I love this book and will read this book again and again whenever I feel that I am losing motivation.
Your recommendation is clearly presented. Your final paragraph explains not only what brought you to the book to begin with, but also exactly why you believe others should read it. In addition, your plot description was straightforward as well as heartfelt. Sounds like you are a sucker for the "underdog" books and stories. Me, too.
DeleteThere is only one book that stands above all the rest in my mind, which is the Bible. I know that there are a lot of people who aren’t Christian who don’t care or want to read it, but that doesn’t change the fact that I think everyone should. As a Christian I believe that everyone should read it over and over throughout their entire life. It contains many different forms of literature including letters, historical texts, poems, as well as stories. Not all of it is suitable for young children but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t read the stories and parts that are ok for them to hear. The Bible teaches every single life lesson that we need to know during our lives. Within the Bible there are many different sections and separate ‘books’ that have been written by over 40 different people who were all inspired by God to do so. This gives everyone who reads it enormous perspective, even regarding the same events and ideas.
ReplyDeleteAlso, when you read it with the willingness to learn, you will learn. God makes different parts of the text stand out to you in order for you to learn what he wants you to know. Because of the fact that God speaks through the Bible makes it the most important book of all by far. You may disagree, but read it and see for yourself. It is my favorite book and always will be, I will also continue to read it and reread it forever.
Very well expressed. I am especially impressed with your "concession" that many non-Christians will be turned off by the title and subject matter. You provide solid, specific evidence about why the book, in spite of it's religious purpose, is a solid book for everyone to read and think about.
DeleteAlthough reading back in the days was one of my toughest challenge myself to still read, and I personally think that reading can sometimes be boring or interesting. But I can also say that I do not often read books, but there was one book that really had made me realize how reading is interesting and important and that book was called "Killing Mr. Griiffin" by Lois Duncan.
ReplyDeleteThe book is based on a group of seniors that had disliked they english teacher called Brian Griffin which was very when it came to handing in the assignement to the class, and for him if you handed in your work late then th t is a simple F. But throughout the story there we a small amount of students that did not like what Mr. Griffin will do. So they had tried to bond they power together by having most of strongest leaders in the school because there were seniors, and they had firstly thought to prank Mr. Griffin, but one of the students in the crew thought that they will make it more as a revenge so they had decided to kidnap him and to then take him to the moutain so that they could torture him. But it did not turn up as there were thinkning because they forced Mr. Griffin to apologize then there were going to let him go, but he kept on refusing so they took his medecation that he would always carry whever he goes, but after few hours being off the mountain one of the member crew called Susan which had started to feel sorry for the poor teacher had decided to ask one of the boys to go check on Mr. Griffin in the mountains, and after going next thing they find him dead and died because he did not take his specific medecine. And the police tries to do some invetigation, and when they find ou that it was a group of students that Mr. Griffin was teaching,they got arrested for murder.
Even though I will highly recommed this book to the high school students because what had happened to Mr. Griffin was a true story, but also in life especially when you get to high school you start realizing how everything is changing and now you are going to change the way you work to the way that the teacher want, you have big expectation, and responsibilitybecause it is just a way of former a great students.
You have written about this book before, so I know you must really like it. I read it years ago and also enjoyed it. Mr. Duncan as several other books in a similar vein - have you read any of them? Have you re-read this book since the first reading? I didn't realize it was based on a true story. Does that make the book's message (which you don't really tell us) any stronger?
DeleteI vote for Rita's explanation on Dr.Seus books because she really had me convinced. Dr. Seus books are not only fun and entertaining for children to read but also a great way for mothers to aid their children in learning how to read and have them engaged in something fun and productive. Dr. Seus books are a classic, read and known by almost everyone, especially "The Cat in the Hat." His books are great for beginning readers, great for read-aloud books, great for reluctant readers, and great for teaching life lessons.
ReplyDeleteI vote for Sam's post. As a Christian, the Bible is my favorite book however it's not my favorite book because I'm a Christian, it's my favorite book because of all the life lessons that are contained in it, as Sam clearly explained. The way he put it to value really caught my attention and made me reflect on everything I've learnt from the Bible. Personally, I believe that this Book can be a guide to life as I've been reading it ever since I was much younger. For non believers, the Bible can still be extremely interesting in a way that they can relate to it as well just as they would to any other book. It contains a large amount of history in it that is significant to our world, today. Overall, I vote for Sam's post because the Bible is a book that can be read over and over again throughout an entire lifetime without making the reader feel as if the information is too redundant. This can't be done with the majority of other books.
ReplyDeleteI would not normally vote my own anything, but in this case I feel like my reasons for suggesting 5 monkeys on the bed were pretty plausible. For some reason I feel that when suggesting a book you have to see limits. For example if you don’t specify what age to read the book then it affects everything. The older you grow the more experience you have. Therefore an older person will react differently to the book compared to someone who’s younger. It maybe true that a book only teaches a lesson and that there is no age limit for a person to understand the true message in the book but it probably wouldn’t be for everyone. So I’ve decided to stick with Five Monkeys Jumping on the Bed.
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ReplyDeleteI vote for Sam’s proposition for the bible. I vote for this book because it brings curiosity to my mind. As Sam has stated that many would disagree because its religion based but it has so much more to teach us. Well I totally agree with him, the bible certainly has a lot to teach. It would be interesting to read the bible as an English course, so much to learn.
ReplyDeleteI vote for Salman's post, as I feel that regardless of where a child is from,at the age of 3 most children have an innocent view of the world. Salman basically says that as we get older our perspective of the world kinda changes, due to our surrounding ,and also due to the books we have read. So no one is really "starting fresh" and not "everyone all at once learning something new." (Salman).
ReplyDeleteOther reasons why I pick Salman's book is because, I read the book at an early age, and still remember it and it's creative educational benefits. Also, it's not oriented towards one gender or religion, and therefore can appeal to most demographics bands.
Reading a book, which you can relate to by all means, makes you enjoy, and understand the reading, interpreting it in your own way. Catcher in rye is a great book by J.D Salinger and it is about the innocence of childhood and the experiences of an adolescent. Other people, who read the book, might have various opinions about the overall message of the book. It gives people the freedom to express their feelings, and the meaning and the significance of the story. The catcher in the rye is a very intriguing, and realistic book, and it is accurate in reality. Personally, I loved reading catcher in the rye and I believe all mature people should read it, because it is different in its own way. It has various aspects such as the use of obscene and coarse language, references to sex, alcohol and tobacco While, reading this book over summer, I experienced a connection with the character, and these aspects because; it felt realistic, rather than just using imagination. The character is a rebellious boy named Holden, who has a pessimistic view of the world and others. His view includes alienation and maturity, he faces. He behaves and talks like the majority of teenagers in the real word. According to the story, his behavior does not ’have a cause, because he was from a good family and he went to good school. Although, his background it did not excuse him from being unhappy. Holden’s situation is applicable to other people, as everyone behaves a certain way for a specific reason. That is why; I strongly encourage people to read this book, because it is, has themes that occur in real life. After, reading catcher in the catcher in the rye, gives a good way to think about the experience that face a child or an adolescent. Furthermore, I believe this book is especially for teenagers and adults, because it everyone, have these kind of experience at a certain age. Thus, banning a book because of the type of language it has, is ridiculous, because it is accurate and the story itself has an important message, which helps its readers think critically, in an educational way. According to the book, Holden‘s main concerns are about the Importance of childhood innocence. He claims he wants to be the’’ catcher in the rye’. He wants to be saving children from growing up and losing their innonce. I will finish by saying, I highly recommend people to read books they can easily relate to and interpret with strong opinions.
ReplyDeleteI vote for Sam’s post, because I agree with his argument on the bible. The bible is the book that I truly believe in, and the stories in it have always helped make good choices in my life. I think the fact that, it was written by different people, is very interesting because it gives people various perspectives. No matter if you are a Christian or not. It has different stories about the words of God .overall, the bible is not only a sacred book, but also it is the time of book you never get tired of reading, and you can keep on reading it, in your entire life. As Sam said, it has a lot to teach and I think everyone should read it.
ReplyDeleteWell played, everyone. While you all had differing opinions on your own choices, you all recognized the strong voice, arguments and polished style of someone else.
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