Top 10 Banned Books

1. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, by Harper Lee

"Lee’s insights into the innocence of childhood and the impact of predjudice on society ring as true today as when the book was first published. In our society’s current climate, her lessons are all the more welcome and refreshing."—Susan Moore, Full Circle Bookstore, Oklahoma City,OK

2. KING & KING & FAMILY, by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland

"This illustrated children’s book, a contemporary family story, has a light, comic touch as King Lee and King Bertie take a honeymoon trip to the jungle.This story will strike an affectionate chord with all romantics. The first book in the series—King & King—is the most frequently challenged title in 2004."—Emery Pinter,Chapter 11, Atlanta,GA

3. BRAVE NEW WORLD, by Aldous Huxley

"When I was in high school, this amazing book was my first introduction to science fiction. It became one of my all-time favorites. If this book had been banned in my community, I may have never gotten the spark for science fiction, and, boy,would I be missing out."—Amy M. Filak, Danner’s Books & Coffee Shop, Muncie, IN

4. I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS, by Maya Angelou

"Maya Angelou, esteemed American author and poet, began her five-part autobiography with this memoir of her early years. In turn, loved, neglected, and abused, she was, even as a child, wise. How tragic to think this moving story was ever denied to readers."—Cheryl McKeon, Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park,WA

5. THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN, by Mark Twain

"Huckleberry Finn has been banned because it contains the N-word, and I am sure most of those supporting the ban have never read this book.The N-word is largely used by the clearly ignorant young Huckleberry, and the true hero of the novel is the escaped slave, Jim, who saves Huckleberry’s life."—John Bennett, Bennett Books,Wyckoff, NJ

6. PLACES I NEVER MEANT TO BE: Original Stories by Censored Writers

"A superb collection by some of the best young adult authors writing today.A bonus is a short essay by each author on the topic of censorship."—Judy Park, Mostly Books, Tucson,AZ

7. FAHRENHEIT 451, by Ray Bradbury

"Bradbury’s story of a future society where firemen burn books is surely the foremost fiction classic to deal with book burning and the sublimation of independent thinking."—Laura Hansen, Bookin’ It, Little Falls,MN

8. FOOLS CROW, by James Welch

"You feel as though you are truly seeing through the eyes of a Blackfeet Indian in this timeless coming-of-age novel set among the native people of Montana."—Russ Lawrence, Chapter One Book Store, Hamilton,MT

9. KAFFIR BOY, by Mark Mathabane

"This is Mathabane’s memoir of growing up ‘Kaffir’ (a disparaging term for a black person) in apartheid South Africa. His journey from a black ghetto of Johannesburg to an American university is one of personal courage, luck, hard work, and the strength of family."—Barb Shutt, Colby College Bookstore,Waterville,ME

10. STONES FROM THE RIVER, by Ursula Hegi

"In the store,we have a Banned Book Group, and this is my favorite of the titles we have selected. A customer once told me that this is a book that everyone needs to read, and I agree wholeheartedly. With the current political climate, Hegi’s portrayal of a town led by fear, rather that rational thought, is particularly important."—Jane Phalen, Books Etc., Portland,ME