For The L♥ve of Reading discussion

Classics are up for this debate for sure. These authors were brave and break through in their writing during their times.

1.To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
2.Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.
3.The Color Purple by Alice Walker.
4.I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.
5.Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.
6.Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

I read To Kill a Mockingbird (which I hated), and I had to applaud Harper Lee for writing this while it was a big issue.

The only one that I read was also To Kill a Mockingbird. I recently as in late last year listened to it while I was driving to school (45 mins). I enjoyed it but then again I didn't have to listen to stupid radio commercials.

I own Of Mice and Men and Little Women.... TBR.

All of the above are on my TBR list. The fact that they are/were banned makes me want to move them up the list.

I would think that it would be important to read books about race so that the bigotry in the world may be waylaid at least a little bit.

Read four of them and loved them all:D I wonder why Little Women is on the list?

Yeah,Little Women would seem like a pretty safe book to me. What was so contriversial about it?

I've read To Kill a Mockingbird and really liked it. I thought it was really something that it was the only book Harper wrote. She didn't set out to be an author; she just had something to say and she left it at that.

I know it kind of makes the book have that much more impact.

To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my all time favorite books. What an incredibly seminal book on both race and gender! It made a huge impact on me. Of Mice and Men also made a huge impact on me. I think I read way back in high school but the story is still fresh in my mind even to this day.

The only one on your list I haven't read is Little Women. I should add it to my to be read list.

I remember reading Little Women in middle school, and it seemed fine to me. Maybe the way Jo is such a strong character is offensive? I can't imagine what would be questionable about this book.

Maybe Beth? Don't want to spoil, but...

Hmmm... I guess you could be right, but really we see a lot of death in books geared toward young people now. It must have been more of touch subject to write about then.

Maybe the Beth situation, but still. I don't see how that would be too controversial.

Death is a society tabboo. Nobody wants to talk about it and many people tend to hide death from the youth. I'm guilty. About 4 years ago, We were walking and my oldest two spotted a squished animals. I said it was hit by a car. I probably said that it was sleeping. But I remember being called out. "No mom it is dead. Probably in heaven if it was good. Not sleeping." At the point I realized that I it was better to be straight with them and that they were way more smarter then I gave them credit for. :) Lessons for mom by a three year old.