The Hunger Games, a Challenged Book! F the what...

"It almost makes me happy to hear books still have that kind of power,"

-Alexie

This just in folks, apparently The Hunger Games is a bad, bad book. So bad in fact that it made it into the American Library Association's annual top 10 list of books most criticized in their communities!! I don't know if to cry tears of joy, because I'm very proud, or cry out in fits of anger, while still keeping my sense of being proud mind you.

It's number 5 in the list and everything! Oh the joy!

"In recent years, J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" books and Stephenie Meyer's vampire novels also have been on the association's list.

"Hunger Games" ranked No. 5 this year and was joined Monday by Meyer's "Twilight" (No. 10), which debuted on the list last year, and Sherman Alexie's "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," winner in 2007 of the National Book Award for young people's literature. Criticisms of Alexie's novel include language, racism and sexual content."

Another great highlight from the article:

"The library association reported 348 challenges to books in 2010 and at least 53 outright bans, with other challenges and bans likely undocumented. The ALA defines a challenge as an effort "to remove or restrict materials from school curricula and library bookshelves."

Collins said "The Hunger Games" was recommended for ages 12 and up but said kids sensitive to the material might want to wait longer."

When I first read the article my mind experienced what is called a brain fart. I just... don't get people. I really don't. What is going through your head? Do you think your kids aren't reading worse stuff on the Internet? Do you think that your kid is better off being completely sheltered? These books, these amazing books I might add, touch on subjects that need to be touched, subjects that need discussion; they are books you can learn valuable lessons from. What is your problem? STOP CENSORING GOOD READING. Mind your own business, damn (although I guess censoring things IS your business, hmm I got an answer for that, CHANGE CAREERS!). It just makes me mad when children, tweens, teen, or anybody for that matter can't read what they want, and be themselves. In this time and age you would think that our minds would have broadened enough that we wouldn't do this kind of things anymore.


What do you think your sheltering your kid from? News flash, war is going on around the world, kids are being harassed for being different in every sense of the word all over the world 24/7... And guess what, it's not going to change. You might want to live in a perfect world but unfortunately that is not on the menu. Kids need these kinds of reads to prepare them for whats to come, to broaden their minds. These books aren't exposing kids to the big bad of the world, on the contrary, these books are helping them understand the world a little better and feel connected.

Let them read!

Other books that make us think too much:

"Crank," Ellen Hopkins (drugs, language, sexual content).
"Lush," Natasha Friend (language, sexual content).
"What My Mother Doesn't Know," Sonya Sones (sexism, sexual content).
"Revolutionary Voices," a collection of gay-themed stories edited by Amy Sonnie (homosexuality, sexual content).

Read the complete article here.

FTW= Fuck The What