Slashdot (http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/06/09/13/1532230.shtml) has a post on Google's list of banned books. Looking at the list, I am reminded of some books I had to read for school.
"A Separate Peace" - Was it just me? Or was this book terrible? I remember it as terribly depressing, and the ending made no sense. I can think of a lot of better stories than this (how about "Flowers for Algernon"?)
"Heart of Darkness" - Some good quotes here, "Need more rivets", and "Mista Kurtz, he dead". But besides that, not very good.
"The Great Gatsby" - Terrible. Why anyone would bother to ban it is a mystery.
There are some shocking books on this list. Not that they should be banned just because they are shocking...
"Brave New World" - This has lost a lot of its shock value, but only because it has come true...
"1984" - Nuff said.
"The Lord of the Flies" - see above.
"Slaughterhouse Five" - a classic.
"The Call of the Wild" - This is a really good book.
Some books I didn't like didn't make it to this list (not that I think they should be banned). Maybe they weren't shocking enough.
"The Illustrated Man" - We read one science fiction book in 13 years of school, and it had to be this one. If I read another story about a rocket ship blowing up in space, it will be too soon...
Anything by Jane Austin, or the Bronte sisters - ugh.
"The Return of the Native" - 30 pages describing the heath, double ugh.
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2 comments:
I usually go to the library and pick up a couple of books from the list during 'Read a Banned Book Week' - last week in September.
A lot of books that are classics didn't interest me in high school, but I've reread them since then and found out I like them - The Return of the Native is one.
I just read The Great Gatsby last night (and really liked it)!
It's been about 12 years now, so it's fuzzy in my mind...
I assume it was some part after the 30 pages of the heath you liked?
And somebody named Vy falling off a cliff (or being pushed). Something like that...
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