Sat, Sept 26, 2009...

...kicks off the "Banned Books Week"....

this is the week where we celebrate our freedom of speech and get to read books that could've been banned, has/had been banned, and might/will be banned....

I have been thinking about re-reading the classics for awhile now...

In the past five years, I have found myself bored with the so called "New York Times Best Seller List" books...

I have been finding that I can't read a lot of the books that critics recommend out there.

And not just books, movies, also...

I am finding myself reading more and more historical books and fact (non fiction)books....which is shocking to me, in a way....

I used to be nuts about fiction, especially science fiction. I gobbled them down and eagered for more...

I hated history books or books based on history.

I have done a complete 180 now...

Often times, someone would suggest a book to us and I'd get it and I can't get through the first chapter...it's gotten that bad...

I have been re-reading some of the classics as of late and am finding a renewed interest in them.
And history has somehow become a hot topic for me, all of a sudden....I am interested in all cultures around the world....

Well, maybe NOT all classics...I don't see myself reading "Walden" or "Moby Dick" ever again...once was enough with that, Ahab....and ennui was the best that I got out of those two books. (And whoever said "Moby Dick" was the greatest book ever written, I will have to harpoon him/her. WOW, "harpoon" really isn't such an obscure word after all!! For those wondering about my fascination with "harpoon" http://digressingnonsequitur.blogspot.com/2009/09/deep-thoughts-090909.html)

but “Fahrenheit 451″ is definitely worth a revisit...

and “The Grapes of Wrath” is probably worth a good re-read especially during hard economic times like this....can't believe it was almost banned...

Where's Waldo was banned in Michigan and NY back then... how about that? Not that I was a fan of Waldo...more of fan of Weirdo Al...LOL (I am not sure if the ban has been lifted or not, though. LOL)

The Complete Fairy Tales Of Brothers Grimm. I am telling you....the original version was so much better..more gore and blood and better than happily ever after. LOL I was fortunate enough to read the original version in Chinese. And when I came over to the U.S. I was surprised to read the watered down, cleaned up, often Disney like versions of their fairy tales....Bleh...

I can't believe NY and Colorado banned "The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer" back in the days. This is perhaps one of my favorite books of all times....

Harry Potter books...I must say, I tried reading Harry Potter...couldn't get into it. But it seems harmless enough...but people tried to ban it because it had "satanic" undertones....give me a break, folks...really...get a life....

During the first Dynasty of China. The first Emperor burned all of the books in all of China....

It is based on his fear....that people would read these books and uprise against him...

they did, anyways.....

I am a big advocate for freedom of speech. Even when the speech is bad...I defend it...I defend the right to make bad speeches but I also defend the right to those that will castigate the bad speeches.

I defend bad books. But I also defend the rights of those people that wants to ban it. They have that right...

it all comes down to democracy. Who gets more vote...

But sometimes, it is truly none sense...people want to shut others up for stupid reasons....reasons beyond common sense because of their own personal agendas...OK, I even defend that but then I say let them burn when others retaliate. Because they have that right, also....

See...I can get riled up....LOL

Anybody reading any good books out there that they think should be banned?? I'd love some good suggestions while I lay in my sick bed...LOL and maybe it'll shut me up....