Score

Wow. What a brilliant and sobering list.

The mere fact that "1984" is on this list says it all.

Is this serious?

ETA. Okay, so a whole bunch of books really have been banned in the Tucson school district. Wow.

http://drcintli.blogspot.com.au/2012/...

If they would only spend more time reading them than banning them!

Hayes wrote: "If they would only spend more time reading them than banning them!"

Amen. What disturbs me just as much, though, is the idea that some of the people behind the decision to ban these books actually DID read them ...

Wow Arizona just keeps outdoing itself!

Like Water for Chocolate, the Hunger Games, and Wicked were never banned at my school. We actually read Like Water for Chocolate in my old English class.

Nicole wrote: "Like Water for Chocolate, the Hunger Games, and Wicked were never banned at my school. We actually read Like Water for Chocolate in my old English class."

Reading silently is not the same as being taught a book by a qualified instructor. To clarify for all who follow this list, here is a quote from the Tucson Weekly that refers to silent reading vs. teacher instruction of books:

"In the junior level class they were studying Mexican Revolution-era literature and reading Like Water for Chocolate. Those students have decided to keep reading that book during silent reading. One irony in this process is that an American literature book [that one instructor] was provided to use in her classes has two pieces she’s taught in her Chicano literature classes including Yo Soy Joaquin, a poem that captures heart and soul of the Chicano movement by Rodolfo Corky Gonzales. 'It’s OK to teach it if it’s in this book, but not in (a Chicano literature) class,' she said, obviously frustrated." Tucson Weekly, Jan. 17, 2012

According to The Huffington Post:

" . . .ethnic-studies programs were suspended after Arizona State Superintendent John Huppenthal ruled that the high school MAS [Mexican American Studies] courses were in direct violation to ARS 15-112, a segment of the controversial law Arizona HB 2281, signed by Gov. Jan Brewer in 2010, according to a TUSD press release.

"ARS 15-112 focuses on 'prohibited courses and classes; enforcement' and it states that a program in a school district or charter school in Arizona shall not:

•Promote the overthrow of the United States government.
•Promote resentment toward a race or class of people.
•Are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group.
•Advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals.

"Based on this criteria, TUSD suspended its MAS program on January 10th. The reaction was immediate, and many TUSD students, 60% of which are of Mexican descent, fled the streets in protest." The Huffington Post, January 31, 2012.

Therefore, the books on this Goodreads list, whether in practice or in theory, are potentially in violation of this so-called "law." I included books like The Hunger Games and Wicked on this list because they include revolutionary themes and movements against fascism, imperialism, and totalitarianism. I can't imagine teaching these books without discussing parallels to current historical events--especially to junior high and high school level children.

I work for a public library in Colorado and on a positive note, I find this list very useful to make sure our collection has most of them.

"A book whose sale's forbidden all men rush to see, and prohibition turns one reader into three." - Italian proverb