Have you read any of the banned books? Do you feel guilty? #NoBannedBooks
Thank you, up front, to “I Am A Reader, Not A Writer” and Jen @ I Read Banned Books for hosting this awesome hop! 
What is a banned book?
Well … it’s a book that’s been deemed by some to be offensive or inappropriate or just plain wrong and thus it shouldn’t be read by others. From Banned Book week, here are the top 10 banned books.
The 10 most challenged titles of 2011 were:
- ttyl; ttfn; l8r, g8r (series), by Lauren Myracle
- The Color of Earth (series), by Kim Dong Hwa
- The Hunger Games trilogy, by Suzanne Collins
- My Mom’s Having A Baby! A Kid’s Month-by-Month Guide to Pregnancy, by Dori Hillestad Butler
- The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
- Alice (series), by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
- Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
- What My Mother Doesn’t Know, by Sonya Sones
- Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily Von Ziegesar
- To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
Reasons: offensive language; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group
My comment: Offensive language? Religious viewpoint? Don’t we have freedom in this country?
Reasons: nudity; sex education; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group
My comment: Nudity? (shhhh…. don’t read my book)
Reasons: anti-ethnic; anti-family; insensitivity; offensive language; occult/satanic; violence
My comment: Yes, I despise the premise of this book, but I’d never stop someone from reading it. That is MY preference.
Reasons: nudity; sex education; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group
My comment: Say what???? Kids need to understand. Are there picture of vaginas and birthing babies inside? Well … my girls found that on YouTube. O_O
Reasons: offensive language; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group
My comment: Don’t know anything about this book … but WHO is to say something is unsuited to an age group? Only a parent.
Reasons: nudity; offensive language; religious viewpoint
My comment: ??
Reasons: insensitivity; nudity; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit
My comment: Geez Louise.
Reasons: nudity; offensive language; sexually explicit
My comment: Seriously, don’t read my book. Definitely not Hide & Seek. Even my mom said there was a ‘lot of language’. 
Reasons: drugs; offensive language; sexually explicit
My comment: ??????????????????????????????
Reasons: offensive language; racism
My comment: Racism? Yes, because it’s period literature!! C’mon people! Get a grip!
There you go. Do you want others to dictate what you can and can’t read? Only my Mom and Dad could do that and only until I turned 18. No one else gets to do that. Period.
Get involved with freedom to read … Banned Books Weeks.
Have you read any of the banned books? Do you feel guilty?
Answer in the comments and register to win through the widget below!
Check out what others think about banned books:
I’ve read A Brave New World and To Kill A Mockingbird. (both required reading in my high school!) And no I do not feel guilty at all!
Hi Emi. To be honest, I haven’t read any banned books… YET! I haven’t even read To Kill A Mockingbird, but I will
I don’t think I will feel guilty at all though. It’s just a book. 
On your list, i have read the Hunger Games trilogy, Brave New World, and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. The last 2 made me think quite a bit, even if I didn’t agree with all parts of the book. Sometimes we have examples in our life (people or books) that show us WHAT NOT TO BE and that can be just was important as having positive examples.
I have read To Kill A Mockingbird, some of the Gossip Girl books, and some of the other ones on the list and no I don’t feel guilty at all. Thanks for the chance to win!
I’ve read the Hunger Games trilogy and I think I’ve read one of the ttyl; ttfn; l8r, g8r series. I’ve really been looking forwards to reading To Kill a Mocking Bird and I still am. I don’t feel guilty about this at all, I didn’t find anything all that offensive in the books.
Thanks for the giveaway.
I have read The Hunger Games of course! And I read Brave New World and To Kill A Mockingbird in school. I watch the Gossip Girl show lol but haven’t read the books. Not ashamed at all! If it’s banned that means I’ll probably like it. I can’t decided what is appropriate to read myself. I’m an adult. No one should dictate what I read. The best reads are the ones that hit sensitive and important issues.
To Kill A Mockingbird will always be one of my very, very favorites. And The Hunger Games are sitting on my dresser, just waiting for me to start them. I have another favorite book on my shelf that was next-to-impossible to find before the internet made things so much easier because it’s sexual content caused it to be banned all over the place, and my copy is AUTOGRAPHED! I will not be sharing it with my younger children for quite a few more years, but my oldest son knows about it and will read it this Christmas break – Firefly by Piers Anthony.
Yes, i have…nop!
Yep and I don’t feel guilty. There’s no reason to if you know how to think for yourself.
I’ve read a lot of them and definitely don’t feel guilty.
I have read several of the books on the list and no I don’t feel guilty it’s my right to read what I wish.
I have read of the classics. We were required to read them in school. Go figure! And guess what? I’m still a good person, LOL. Thanks for the hop!
I have read several banned books. I don’t feel guilty at all as I don’t believe in censorship of press. =)
Harry Potter and not at all.
Yes, I’ve read many banned and challenged books and I feel not a bit of guilt.
I’ve read The Hunger Games trilogy, by Suzanne Collins and not even a teensy bit of guilt!
Yes, I have read quite a few of the banned books. I do not feel one bit guilty. Most of them I don’t understand why the ban anyway. Everyone should have the freedom to read whatever they want. Thanks for the giveaway!
I’ve read a bunch of books that made it on the banned book list.. and I am not guilty at all! I love books and I love to read! Banning these books is just going to make kids want to read them more.. I learned more bad language, and things about sex from my friends than I did from any of these books. It’s out there taking away reading isn’t going to stop your children from learning the kinds of things that are in these books. It’s just going to make the urge to read them stronger.
Absolutely, I’ve read banned books, and I will continue to do so. Instead of feeling guilty, I feel proud to not allow others’ prejudices to influence my choices of reading material. I try to keep an open mind – even if I don’t always agree with a writer’s message, I find there’s usually something to be learned anyway.
I haven’t read any of the top ten, but have read several of the bigger list. Do I feel guilty? Heavens no. I think I am more likely to read something if I am told not to.
Most of the books that were on my required reading list (Slaughterhouse Five, To Kill a Mockingbird, etc.) for high school are apparently on this ‘banned’ lists – so no, I do not feel guilty at all.
I have lots of banned books, but only one on that list: To Kill a Mockingbird. That was back in high school. And, no, I don’t feel guilty!
I’ve read several banned books. I’ve never felt guilty about it. Sometimes I didn’t even know it was banned.
From your list, I have read the *The Color of Earth* manhwa trilogy. No, I do not feel guilty. I quite enjoyed that series.
I’ve read quite a few banned books off of the different list I’ve seen. To kill a mockingbird was one that we had to read at school. I don’t feel guilty about reading banned books, although some of them I can see why people might be offened by them but that’s life isn’t it.
I have read lots of banned books and feel no guilt at all! From the list you posted, I’ve read hunger games, the alice series, what my mother doesn’t know and to kill a mockingbird
I have read many banned books and I absolutely don’t feel guilty at all! What I feed my brain with should be my choice and I enjoy my choices.
I don’t think I have.. but I may have and just didn’t know that it was a banned book. If I have, I will not feel guilty at all
It’s my right to read any book I want.
Guilty? No way!
Then again, I don’t care what anyone thinks, I read whatever I like!
I had someone tell me I was reading an ‘uncool’ book in elementary school, so I returned it to the library. It took me 5 years to find a copy of the book again! After that, I NEVER let anyone stop me from reading a book.
I’ve read many and I don’t feel one ounce of guilt
I have read a quite a bit od banned books and never knew it and I dont fell guilty
I’ve read many many banned books..and do I feel guilty about it? No.I don’t believe in banning books… so why would I care about a small-minded person’s decision to decide what is ight for me or my kiddos?
I have read several such as the Harry Potter series and the Hunger Games trilogy… no guilt… I did not even know people were trying to ban them!!
I have read some, but I personally found nothing wrong with them. I’m glad that I live in a place where our books are not censored!
I’ve read challenged and banned books before, unaware they were so. No, I didn’t feel guilty. That’s a part of advocating literacy. Reading diverse works and as much as you can! Thanks for the giveaway!
I’ve read The Hunger Games and To Kill A Mockingbird and loved them both
Thanks, everyone for the awesome comments! I wouldn’t feel guilty either. It’s not up to someone else to dictate what I read for my own pleasure.
Onward to no banned books!