SO I’VE READ 37 of the el cheapo “most-challenged” books, 34 of the “most-challenged classics,” and 47 or 48 of the GRE “recommended reading” list (see below). Classy.

Notes: 1) What on earth is the point of trying to ban Finnegans Wake??? “I’m offended by novels that begin in the middle of a sentence!”

2) Interesting that the American Library Association thinks Gone With the Wind is a classic. So do I (a classic of popular lit anyway), but still….

3) I was assigned, if memory serves, 13 of the challenged books in school. Of those, I actually enjoyed reading 2 and three halves (loved Their Eyes Were Watching God and Invisible Man; was okay with The Color Purple and Huck Finn; mostly loathed the rest). Note to educators: Do not assign Kaffir Boy to junior high school students. The boys will think it’s funny. Also, why was I assigned Things Fall Apart twice???

4) I also note, of course, that to remove a book from a public library is hardly to “ban” it. And what was rejected by the libraries that bought Anne Rice’s softcore porno? “I’m sorry, we can’t afford to stock up on The House of Dies Drear, Agatha Christie, or books on tape. We’ve spent all the money on American Psycho .”

ALA links via Ciceronian.