Book Blogger Hop!!

bunnies think trying to ban a book is silly.   Books are to be chewed on, not banned.

I don't know about y'all, but I'm happy to have reached another Friday.   This week (and especially this morning) have been a bit crazy, so I'm ready to settle in to the weekend.    And .... that means doing a little Hopping.   The Book Blogger Hop, that is --- hosted by Jenn at Crazy for Books.

This Hop's question is: In honor of Banned Books Week, what is your favorite "banned or frequently challenged" book?  She also very nicely included a link to the 2010-2011 list of books, so I thought I'd choose one of those.   I actually saw a bunch of books on the list that I have read and liked, but I think today I'll choose:  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

I really love this book, and the entire trilogy --- and I liked how this book got a lot of people reading, and talking about the story (and not only teens, but adults, as well).    The book landed on the list because in 2010, a parent complained to the Goffstown, N.H. school board about it.  Apparently, her 11-year-old read the book and had nightmares.   The parent also claimed that the book could "numb other students to the effects of violence."

Interesting.  The first thing that popped into my mind when I saw that was --- 11 years old is a bit young for the book.   Maybe this kid is mature for their age, and reads ahead of their grade level, but I don't think Suzanne Collins was aiming the story at that young of a reader.   The second thought I had was that all kinds of stories can give you nightmares; heck, even what you see on tv can give you nightmares.   Watch the news, anyone?   And lastly -- I don't think this book can necessarily "numb students to the effects of violence."   The book is set in a world where there are towns that send kids every year to fight each other to the death.  Last time I checked, this isn't actually happening in our world.  Also, I believe there are a lot of other things that kids these days are exposed to that can affect how they respond to violence: video games, movies, television.   I don't think one book alone has that much power.

And that's just my personal opinion.   I understand if not everyone agrees.  I understand this parent was probably concerned that her child had nightmares, and of course, a parent's first instinct is to protect their child.  However -- I don't think that saying that no one else's child can read this book is the right way to go about things.

Ok - enough about that.   Like many book bloggers, I could go on and on about what I think about challenging and trying to ban books.  However, I'd prefer to get my rant over with, and proceed on with enjoying my Friday and my weekend.

So -- have a great Hop everyone!   And read some dangerous books!!