Banned Books Challenge 2016

I did this one for the first time this year. It was fun, so I am in again. I got to 14 books and will try to get the same again, or maybe more.  Sign up here.

I can hardly believe this will be my fourth year hosting the Banned Books Challenge! I was completely blown away by the number of participants in 2015and am excited to continue the challenge for another year.

The idea is to read some books this year that people have tried to keep off the shelves. Here in the US, we are fortunate that the government does not legally ban books, but that has not stopped the challenges to school and library materials. (Bear in mind, I am not advocating for any sort of illegal activity here -- read at your own risk!)

This is a very low pressure challenge, so I'm starting the levels low -- but if you're feeling daring, try for one of the higher levels!

DATES: January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2016

RULES: Any book that has been banned or challenged counts. Books can be any format, any length, and can overlap with other challenges. Graphic novels, children's books, picture books are all fine -- any book that has been banned or challenged works for this challenge.

WHERE CAN I FIND BOOK SUGGESTIONS? There isn't one specific list to work from, but there are many different resources you can check out for ideas:

• The ALA's lists of frequently challenged books. There are multiple lists split up by author, year, decade, and a separate list for classics, so there are a lot of options from all different genres.

• GoodReads has several listopia lists on the subject -- this is particularly helpful for identifying books you already have on your shelves if you are a user of the site.

• The Banned Books Week Facebook Page is great about reporting current information on bans and challenges.

• I've written posts about Banned Book Victories as well as Additional Banned Books Resources including some information on challenged graphic novels. I will also try to share more banned books info throughout the year here on Buckling Bookshelves.

• If you learn about a book getting challenged in the news, on a book blog, around the web, or wherever else you get your bookish news, it's fair game. One book that made headlines in 2014 was The Miseducation of Cameron Post -- it doesn't need to make any of the big lists to count. And if you learn about a new incident, I'd love to hear about it!

HOW TO SIGN-UP: Write a post identifying which level you are aiming to complete and linking to this sign-up post. If you don't have a blog, just leave a comment below stating what level you are trying for. Listing the books you'd like to read for the year is optional. If you do make a list, you are welcome to change it at any time.

OPTIONS FOR TRACKING THE CHALLENGE:

• Reviews are not required, but if you do choose to review your selections, you can link them up here, so we can read them! You can link to reviews on your blog, GoodReads, or any other similar site where you post reviews. Please link directly to your review, not to a homepage or profile page.

• If you don't have a blog or don't wish to write reviews, you can share your thoughts and/or completed reading list in the comments of the Review Linky Page. 

• Write a wrap-up post listing your completed books for the year. This can be done whether or not you post reviews throughout the year. If you choose to write a wrap-up post, you may link it up in the review linky as well.

LEVELS: Below are the levels you can choose from. Changing your mind is OK -- you can go up or down in level at any time. I said low-pressure, remember? I'm not the book police, I promise.

     Making Waves: 1-2 Challenged Books
     Trouble-Maker: 3-5 Challenged Books
     Rabble-Rouser: 6-9 Challenged Books
     Rebel: 10-14 Challenged Books
     Leader of a Revolution: 15+ Challenged Books

Here is what I am reading:

1. The Education of Little Tree--Forrest Carter
2. The Pillars of the Earth--Ken Follett
3. Falling Up--Shel Silverstein
4. Everything On It--Shel Silverstein
5. Leaves of Grass--Walt Whitman
6. To Kill a Mockingbird--Harper Lee
7. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest--Ken Kesey
8. Persepolis--Marjane Satrapi
9. Persepolis 2--Marjane Satrapi
10. The Higher Power of Lucky--Susan Patron
11. Eleanor & Park--Rainbow Rowell
12. Looking for Alaska--John Green
13. The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty--A.N. Roquelaure
14. The Kite Runner--Khaled Hosseini
15. The Bell Jar--Sylvia Plath
16. The Catcher in the Rye--J.D. Salinger
17. Blood and Chocolate--Annette Curtis Klause
18. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time--Mark Haddon

Challenge completed on December 1