In tonight's episode, Catch-22 and Slaughterhouse Five were mentioned as books pulled from the shelves. Has anybody read these books? I never have and I'm curious as to why they are controversial. If you read them, did you like them?

I think that I may have seen the Slaghterhouse Five movie, and I think that it was very graphic and violent.

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Andrew Carden

I've read both of them. They are both classic pieces of literature and it is beyond me why there is a need to ban them. It's been a good 10 years since I read Slaughterhouse Five, but I try to read Catch-22 every year or two. I went to a private school with an awesome teacher who encouraged us to read all these banned books.

Catch-22: THis one was banned for different reasons, depending on who you talk to. It was banned originally during the Vietnam War. There were alot of anti-captialism/anti-USA messages in this book. Yossarian, the main character, was in WW2 and at one point refused to fight, and some people were worried that high school students reading this would follow this example when they were drafted. It's all crap, if you ask me. Oh, and there is some strong language in the book as well. That's why it is still banned today.

Slaughterhouse Five: Violence, profanity, sexually explicit. People actually burn this book alot. Sometimes this country really pisses me off....

Talk with your parents first, but I would suggest ordering either of these books and getting familiar with them. They are incredible! In fact, about 90% of banned books are amazing.

Originally posted by coily2:

In fact, about 90% of banned books are amazing.

Yup. Most of my favorite books are on a banned list somewhere. I loved my AP English III teacher in high school that said if your parents didn't sign the waiver on the books we were reading then you would have to transfer to a regular English III class. She was the best!

Weren't there burnings of 'Catcher In the Rye' as well? And 'Farhenheit 451'? That's absurd, really.
But can you believe that some extreme Christians are burning the Harry Potter books because they are of 'pagan' sorts. 'Pagan' my ass! Geez, it's only magic...

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"It was just like Saturday Night Fever, only it was a Friday."

Cokies- Catcher In the Rye tops just about every banned book list. Huck Finn is another widely banned book, and we read both in AP English III! I'm not sure about the other one you mentioned.

Hey Cokies my whole family is Christians and we would definately NOT go to the extremes of burning the Harry Potter books. In fact i dont see anything away with them. I dont read em but one of my best friends (also a Christian) read em.

So i have no prob with them.

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nancysbiggestfan

Nancy and Jo and Jinny
Rules!!

For He sent his only begotten Son that whosoever that believeth on Him might have eternal life.
John 3:16

we did this thing in english about book banning ad book buring and like name a book and i gurrente you that it has been banned somewhere! its insane when people burn or ban books!! i forget where but somewhere they are banning dr. susse(sp) i have no clue why and other places like harry potter...when u think about you can inturrpet anything in a way that u think is wrong it is stupid, if they ban most books they might as well ban all BOOKS!! sry i am venting on and on but i just think that banning books is crazy and that is totally not called for!

my class read farhenhiet 451 and i dont understand y it was banned, well actully because of all the book burings but neways my respone should proabley beon the chit chat board but o well..

Originally posted by lesliem14:
Cokies- Catcher In the Rye tops just about every banned book list. Huck Finn is another widely banned book, and we read both in AP English III! I'm not sure about the other one you mentioned.

Huck Finn!! I had no idea that book was banned. Now THAT is definitely pathetic. And actually 'Catcher In the Rye' isn't that controversial, compared to today's standards. But back in the 50's,( when it was published, I can understand). 'The Butterfly Revolution' was another supposed 'controversial' book back in the day. Yet we read it in eigth grade, and it was very good. Sort of like 'The Lord of the Flies' . Wasn't that ANOTHER banned book?


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"It was just like Saturday Night Fever, only it was a Friday."

Thanks, coily2. I'll definately have to put Catch-22 at the top of my summer reading list, when I'll actually have time to read something of my own choosing. I enjoy books that have a theme which isn't 'mainstream'. I also like books which show the truth about war, from the point of view of a 'simple soldier.' "All's Quiet on the Western Front" is a good one illustrating what it's like for the poor guys who have to do the actual fighting, because of orders made by some bigwig who doesn't even have to risk his own life.

And I agree with all of you about book banning. I get so angry when I hear talk about banning books!!

Originally posted by Lynn:
I also like books which show the truth about war, from the point of view of a 'simple soldier.' "All's Quiet on the Western Front" is a good one illustrating what it's like for the poor guys who have to do the actual fighting, because of orders made by some bigwig who doesn't even have to risk his own life.




Oh my word, I just read that book in Lit 2, it was pretty good. Very sad when the guy gave up his shoes...



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"It was just like Saturday Night Fever, only it was a Friday."

Originally posted by Cokies:
Huck Finn!! I had no idea that book was banned. Now THAT is definitely pathetic. And actually 'Catcher In the Rye' isn't that controversial, compared to today's standards. But back in the 50's,( when it was published, I can understand). 'The Butterfly Revolution' was another supposed 'controversial' book back in the day. Yet we read it in eigth grade, and it was very good. Sort of like 'The Lord of the Flies' . Wasn't that ANOTHER banned book?




Catcher in the Rye is an amazing book as well. Huck Finn has been banned for quite some time (at least 20 years). I think Huck calls someone the "n" word, so it causes some people to be sensitive - understandably. I don't think banning books is the answer, but that one makes more sense than other banned books. Never read the Butterfly Revolution, but Lord of the Flies is banned - violence. I don't really care for that book, but I realize that I am in the minority.

I was talking to my husband about this last night and he told me he heard that The Outsiders was banned because the kids come from a broken home and are violent. Unbelievable. The Hitler Youth rise again.....

I haven't read Catch-22 or Slaughterhouse Five, but those are definitely on my long, long reading list. Huck Finn, however, was a great book.

I can understand why those books would be deemed controversial. However, as a person who firmly believes in free speech, I don't understand why books should be banned. I always thought the concept was silly.

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Natalie: A flashback within a flashback..I'm so brillant it scares me

Originally posted by coily2:

I was talking to my husband about this last night and he told me he heard that The Outsiders was banned because the kids come from a broken home and are violent. Unbelievable. The Hitler Youth rise again.....



The Outsiders! That was the first book I ever read on my own, I was pretty proud of myself for that in 6th grade...Anyway, that's the most absurd I've heard yet. The Outsiders perfectly depicted the life of 'greasers' in the 60's and it wouldn't be too far off to say it mirrors our society today...


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"It was just like Saturday Night Fever, only it was a Friday."

Farenheit 451 is/was banned? We're going to read that in English this quarter (with only 26 school days left, it looks like it'll be another speed-reading unit. We took FOREVER to read Call of the Wild, but with Farewell to Manzanar we were done in two weeks, with Glory Field two and a half... but anyway). And the Outsiders.... I never actually read that book. My class did last year, but it was fourth quarter and since the next year (this year) I was to be in accelerated, my teacher wanted me to get caught up and read some of the books they had read that year. Which were Good Night Mr. Tom, Tom Sawyer (Ugh. It may be a classic, but it didn't particularly catch my fancy), and Watership Down (which I never actually got around to reading but I heard it was really good). Ad if Christians are burning Harry Potter for magic... they might not want to know about the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. In that one, Lord Asriel trys to kill God... which is weird... but they're really good books, and I reccommend them.

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