Holy calamity, scream insanity!

100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990 - 2000 (in America)

This list is of the books most requested by people in America to be banned in libraries. Some seem to have a point, but others truly make me question the mental stability of America as a nation.

There's got to be something crazy going on when people are wanting to ban books including:

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier, which was part of the year 10 curriculum in English at my High School.
Bridge to Terebithia by Katherine Paterson, which we studied in Year 9.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. A classic, something of childhood and Summer afternoon reading... why would you want to ban this book!?
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. I remember nearly crying my eyes out when I read this book, and was glad that I'd decided to read ahead and finish the book rather than waiting to go chapter-by-chapter with the class in Year 9. The story is wonderfully sad and beautiful and leaves something with you when you go away from it.
The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger. Oh dear oh dear oh dear... sheer madness...
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous. I think this is the diary of an anorexic, and if that's what I'm thinking it is, it's really sad to read but also very important. Brutally honest.
The Witches by Roald Dahl, which really should be compulsory reading for all kiddies, along with the rest of Dahl's books for children. I loved them when I was growing up. Maybe it explains why I'm as warped as I am as an adult... *lol*
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. To want to ban a book as brilliant as this is sheer insanity, and I'm so horrified by the thought that anyone would even think about wanting to ban it that I can't articulate my disgust. I first read it when I was 12, and was blown away by it, and that was just compounded when we studied it in High School.
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Will the insanity never end!?
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis. It's a boring read, to be honest, but explores some interesting issues.
The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney. I'm assuming this is the same as the movie of the same title, but I could be wrong. The movie was incredibly moving.
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. Obviously the insanity will never end...
Lord of the Flies by William Goldring. Yes, yes, disturbing and scary but such great social commentary!
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. You would have to be bonkers to want to ban a classic novel like this!

As a totally dedicated book lover (who owns somewhere between 500 and 600 books), I can't imagine why people would want others to not be able to read something. Clearly people have choices about what they read and it should be up to the individual to choose their material for reading. When I was younger, my Mum and I would go to the public library basically every Sunday and borrow mountains of books to take home and read. I started out with a total love of Each Peach Pear Plum (and can still recite it by heart) and grew up through various books and styles and genres, expanding my perspectives, learning new things, developing an appreciation for the world and the people in it.

There are some books that make you uncomfortable for the wrong reasons. But then there are also books that make you uncomfortable for the right reasons - they make you think, they challenge things you do, they challenge you and your beliefs - and it's a shame to see that there are a lot of the "right" kind of uncomfortable books on this list.