Banned Books Week is September 29 to October 6

Yahoo.com recently reported that one in four Americans admitted to not having read a single book during 2006. Not one. I find that number appalling, which is why I'm planning to take the time (and liberty) to read a "challenged" book this year for Banned Books Week.

There were over 500 challenges made to the American Library Association over books people found "questionable" during 2006 for any number of reasons, including (but certainly not limited to) things like offensive language and homosexuality. That's odd, don't you think? Especially since so many people aren't even reading.

I won't include the entire list -- there are too many -- but the top ten "challenged" books for 2006 include the following:

1. Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell's And Tango Makes Three
2. Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye
3. Cecily Von Ziegesar's Gossip Girls
4. Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's Alice
5. Carolyn Mackler's The Earth, My Butt, and Other Round Things
6. Alvin Schwartz's "Scary Stories" series
7. Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower
8. Toni Morrison's Beloved
9. Robert Cormier's The Chocolate War
10. Chris Crutcher's Athletic Shorts

Toni Morrison should be given a medal for being "Most Offensive Author," while Carolyn Mackler should be awarded the "Best Title for a Banned Book" award.

Curiously, many of these books deal with the issue of sex, either in the form of sexual orientation or the fact that the book contains sexually explicit language and/or scenes.

Obviously we don't want anyone reading about sex, especially our children. They might get confused. Their morals might be compromised. They might even become sexual predators lurking around chat rooms and ending up on an episode of NBC's Dateline. Who knows?