Suggested Reading: Banned & Challenged Books

I am often asked for suggestions or recommendations of books containing particular themes, styles, settings, etc. So rather than looking through books and making lists for one person at a time, I decided to start featuring these suggestions in blog posts. Much more efficient, right? And perhaps it will encourage some people to try new things or to further explore some of the areas of literature that they've enjoyed in the past.

This time I'm featuring books that have been banned or challenged, in honor of Banned Books Week 2011. You can find more information on Banned Books Week at the following websites:
www.bannedbooksweek.org
American Library Association

Some of these I've read and liked, and some are in my bookshelf or on my to-read list. I've provided links to Amazon and Goodreads for easy wish listing. There are also links to my reviews for the ones that I've reviewed on the blog.

Pay attention to how many of these have won awards or been made into movies or recognized in some other way as being culturally significant. Fight censorship, and read a banned book this week.

Realistic/Contemporary Fiction:
Looking for Alaska by John Green   Amazon | Goodreads
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson   Amazon | Goodreads
Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler   My Review | Amazon | Goodreads
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie   Amazon | Goodreads
Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott   My Review | Amazon | Goodreads
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky   Amazon | Goodreads
The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler   Amazon | Goodreads
Forever by Judy Blume   Amazon | Goodreads

Verse:
Crank by Ellen Hopkins   Amazon | Goodreads
What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones   Amazon | Goodreads

Fantasy:
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling   Amazon | Goodreads
The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien   Amazon | Goodreads
Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead   Amazon | Goodreads

Science Fiction:
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley   Amazon | Goodreads
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card   Amazon | Goodreads
The Giver by Lois Lowry   Amazon | Goodreads
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood   Amazon | Goodreads
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins   Amazon | Goodreads
Unwind by Neal Shusterman   Amazon | Goodreads
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle   Amazon | Goodreads

Classics:
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain   Amazon | Goodreads
All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren   Amazon | Goodreads
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson   Amazon | Goodreads
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger   Amazon | Goodreads
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell   Amazon | Goodreads
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald   Amazon | Goodreads
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou   Amazon | Goodreads
Lord of the Flies by William Golding   Amazon | Goodreads
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck   Amazon | Goodreads
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton   Amazon | Goodreads
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut   Amazon | Goodreads
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee   Amazon | Goodreads

If you've read some of these, comment with whether or not you liked them! And if you see anything on this list that you will be adding to your to-read list, or know some other banned or challenged books that you'd like to suggest, share that as well.

If you would like to see suggestions for a particular genre or theme, send me your request(s) and I'll do what I can to conjure up a list!