Read some of the banned books on the list. 

Some parents objected to the book sexual contents, other parents and adults object because the books are LGBTI friendly.

In a world that we need to teach children diversity and respect, parents are teaching children the opposite because of their religious or personal bigotry. 

Following up reading.

Don’t Take the Freedom to Read for Granted

Seriously. I lived in a place where people crossed border just to buy banned books. So don't ever take that for granted. 

What a good title. An alternative list. That's my kind of list. 

I've read some of the books on the list, so I would list them out. 

3. Beloved by Toni Morrison  

Read it long ago. And it is a literature kind of book. Good read but painful. As the characters in the story were going through so much internal emotional pain. So not an easy read. 

4. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood 

At first, I dislike it so much. How do the future world fall into the hands of religious fanatics so much that women were used for sex and breeding. But then, I found out that it is a warning for people to not let religious fanatics run the world according to religious rule. Look at ISIS and you know that this kind of came to reality. Good people tolerate religious craziness without challenging them out of politeness. But then when this religious ideas went unchallenged for so long to reach the point of harm, it is too late. 

6. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry 

A haunting book about poor in India. The cultural contexts imagined is so strange, and so based on mystery that you could not look away. 

7. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace 

Great book that make you think and rethink about human, individual. It is like watching a man go naked and revealing himself, with all his vulnerability. In the end, you kind of comprehend, and get to know the character. Good book. Highly recommended. 

8.Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Another good book. Short and thoughtful. If you like the TV series M.A.S.H., you would probably love this one. 

9.  The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien 

One great book about a world where good and defeat evil. Where nature being destroyed by industry could fight back. It is a good story and the language of the book is great. Unforgettable characters, complex story, good read.

10. I, Lucifer by Glen Duncan 

So happy this make the list. I have this book and I like it. It is a story about the devil. The devil is not the cardboard character that many books describe, but the devil has a mind and his psychology and philosophy. 

11. Harry Potter series by JK Rowling

I love Harry Potter. Good story about a boy who lost his parents could grow up to become a a good person, a  sorcerer, a great friend. 

Book about magic, adventure and friendship. What's not to love?

12. Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A Heinlein

This is on my to-read pile. I got it already somewhere but now it make it to the list. I think I would move this one up. 

The 10 most challenged titles of 2013 were:

1. Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey
2. The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison

3. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
4. Fifty Shades of Grey, by E.L. James
5. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
6. A Bad Boy Can Be Good for A Girl, by Tanya Lee Stone
7. Looking for Alaska, by John Green
8. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
9. Bless Me Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya
10. Bone (series), by Jeff Smith

How could Looking for Alaska by John Green. John Green is one of the nicest person ( from his many videos on YouTube) 

I've read John Green's books and nothing in it would trigger this book banning challenge. It is so strange that this book made into top 10 in 2013. 

Captain Underpants books are fun. Why challenge this? I've also read this and it is funny. 

The Bluest Eye is literature. Read that too. 

I hate Fifty Shades of Grey, the only book that I really dislike. But still banning it is going too far.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is on my to-read pile. 

People who hate books should stay away from bookstores and library. They should not be so mean as to ban books that other people like to read. 

Books reading is a freedom. It is a right. 

Every year the ALA puts together a top ten list of the most frequently challenged books. This year, Captain Underpants beat out The Bluest Eye, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, and Fifty Shades of Grey to take the dubious honor of being number one for the second year in a row. I guess I'm happy on some level that Americans object more to words like "pee-pee" and "wedgie" than heart-rending portrayals of the effects of racial inequality, but...actually, I'm maybe not all that happy about that. The juxtaposition is ludicrous. 

Anyway, it was interesting to go through the lists year by year to see what changes and what stays the same. The books are a weird mix of downright classics -- lo, people still hate To Kill a Mockingbird and John Steinbeck -- popular fiction, comics, and the occasional sex-ed manual. I was charmed to see the Scary Stories series made the list last year. I just loved how horribly creepy those illustrations were when I was a kid, and it's nice to see that they still pack a punch. For example, I just did a GIS thinking maybe I'd include one here, and -- shudder -- I decided against that. You're welcome. 

Live from the NYPL: an interview of Toni Morrison by Junot Díaz, which occurred last night. 

"I think the most sustained love of mine," Díaz has said, "the one that’s carried me through all these years, is my relationship with Toni Morrison. I’m telling you, I’m one of those people who’s still cracking my head on many of the ideas Toni Morrison both suggested and elaborated on in her work." Witness a powerful event as Díaz comes face to face with his literary hero to celebrate her remarkable career.