Banned books I have read

From the previous post, and the American Library Association list, I counted about 30 banned and challenged books that I have read.
Four on the list I attempted--and never got all the way through: Ulysses, As I Lay Dying, All the King's Men, The Satanic Verses.
In addition I've read a part of a few books banned in other countries: The Gulag Archipelago by Solzhenitsyn, Dr. Zivago by Pasternak, and The Bible, The Quran.
Many of these have been challenged in schools and libraries because people found them offensive in terms of language, racism, sex, or in the case of Harry Potter, Satanic. 
People have a right not to read books, but not to prescribe what other people do. Most books that are challenged find the wrath of governments, or religions. 
Challenging or banning books actually adds to their appeal, but narrow-minded authoritarian  governments and people who don't want people to think for themselves--thought Nazis-- don't seem to get that message. I'll admit, I read some of them as a teenager because they were openly sexual, but so what? 
Have you read these? 

 Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald 

The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck 
The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding 
1984, by George Orwell 
Lolita, by Vladmir Nabokov 
Catch-22, by Joseph Heller 
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley 
 Animal Farm, by George Orwell
 The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway
 As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner 
A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway  
Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell 
 For Whom the Bell Tolls, by Ernest Hemingway 
The Call of the Wild, by Jack London
 All the King's Men, by Robert Penn Warren 
The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien 
The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair 
Lady Chatterley's Lover, by D.H. Lawrence
 A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess  
In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote
 The Satanic Verses, by Salman Rushdie 
The Naked and the Dead, by Norman Mailer  
Tropic of Cancer, by Henry Miller

It would be such an honor to have written a banned book. That means you've written something significant.
Of course my favorite book, about banning books, is Ray Bradbury's classic Fahrenheit 451. I mentioned this in a class the other day, and sadly, none of the students had read it.

Banned books, Huck Finn and I are coming

I just finished The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain. First book of the year.
Along the way, I learned it is the fifth most banned book in recent times.
Why? Probably because it's real, including racist language and characters, but also because it is real literature and makes you think.
Book banners hate you to think. That's why Hitler burned them. Why the conservatives and GOP want to shut down NPR. 
More on this later, including lists from the library association about banned books in America. I therefore vow to read at least one banned book a month this year. 
Following is a list of the most banned books in this century from the library association, including Harry Potter.
This is a display about banned books in Full Circle Book Store September.
Here's the American Library Association's list of the top 21  banned and challenged books in the 2st Century. How many have you read?
1. Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling
2. Alice series, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
3. The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
4. And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell
5. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
6. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
7. Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz
8. His Dark Materials (series), by Philip Pullman
9. ttyl; ttfn; l8r g8r (series), by Lauren Myracle
10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
11. Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers
12. It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris
13. Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey
14. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
15. The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
16. Forever, by Judy Blume
17. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
18. Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous
19. Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
20. King and King, by Linda de Haan
21. To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
And from the 20th Century:
1. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
3. The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck
4. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
5. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
6. Ulysses, by James Joyce
7. Beloved, by Toni Morrison
8. The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
9. 1984, by George Orwell
11. Lolita, by Vladmir Nabokov
12. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
15. Catch-22, by Joseph Heller
16. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
17. Animal Farm, by George Orwell
18. The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway
19. As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner
20. A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway
23. Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston
24. Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison
25. Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison
26. Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell
27. Native Son, by Richard Wright
28. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, by Ken Kesey
29. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
30. For Whom the Bell Tolls, by Ernest Hemingway
33. The Call of the Wild, by Jack London
36. Go Tell it on the Mountain, by James Baldwin
38. All the King's Men, by Robert Penn Warren
40. The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien
45. The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair
48. Lady Chatterley's Lover, by D.H. Lawrence
49. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess
50. The Awakening, by Kate Chopin
53. In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote
55. The Satanic Verses, by Salman Rushdie
57. Sophie's Choice, by William Styron
64. Sons and Lovers, by D.H. Lawrence
66. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
67. A Separate Peace, by John Knowles
73. Naked Lunch, by William S. Burroughs
74. Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh
75. Women in Love, by D.H. Lawrence
80. The Naked and the Dead, by Norman Mailer
84. Tropic of Cancer, by Henry Miller
88. An American Tragedy, by Theodore Dreiser
97. Rabbit, Run, by John Updike

Soul "de-tox" and spiritual hunger

Physical health-conscious Americans toss the word "de-tox" around a lot these days. 
That means there must be tons of toxins in our society. It makes you aware that America's processed, and fast foods are full of toxins--poisons that were foreign to us two generations ago perhaps when a majority of Americans--rural Americans-- ate a lot of home grown food
 I have a friend who gave up caffeine, soft drinks, most sugars, all alcohol and more for a period of 30 days. We have anti-toxin green teas and other foods we're supposed to eat. People exercise and do yoga to cleanse the toxins out of their bodies.
So it caught my eye when I learned of a "soul de-tox" group this past year, thanks to an invite from a friend.

'Why do our souls need de-toxifying?'

The first reaction was a question, about the title naturally (pun intended). I was leery at first, based on my religious background and experience. I had a  prof once who said he was a "recovering fundamentalist." I understand better now, I think. I have more questions than I have answers these days--about, well everything.
After about six months of gathering Sunday evenings in an Edmond home, I've come up with more questions, and that's good. There are usually about ten people or so who show up. Most are regular fundamentalist church goers who consider themselves Christians, though there have been atheists, Unitarians, and well, me. It's not a Bible study, but a study of spirituality, based loosely on different books that we  read and discuss.

Significantly the first book they were in the middle of when I arrived was "Living the Questions," about progressive Christianity. 
I've never asked the question, where did you come up with the title for the group, but I've figured out how appropriate it is, by enjoying the informal hospitality of these people.
First question is, "Why do our souls need de-toxifying, especially among church goers?" 
If that question disturbs you, then you already have a hint. And if there is a need for such a group, there must be tons of toxins affecting souls in this very religious state.
In this group there are no have-to-believe rules, no 'thou-shalt-nots." There is no judgment for anything said or believed,  There is an openness and acceptance for all viewpoints.  There is a realization that spirituality and religion are not necessarily synonyms.
And at the very foundation, most telling, there is a hunger in their souls not being fed by organized religion.
So what are the soul toxins? The opposites of the previous two paragraphs.

• Being afraid, or forbidden, to question religious beliefs
• Narrow-minded exclusion of others
• Thinking America is God's chosen
• Believing Jesus was white
• Putting God in a box
• Believing only one religious group is correct 
• Using organized religion to promote political ends
• Being responsible for enforcing  religious doctrine on others
• Short-sighted view of the rest of the world
• Believing mankind is more important than the rest of creation
• Having to "go" to church to be spiritual
• Having to be correct in every religious observance
• The complete inerrancy of the Bible

There are more, but it seems to me that these toxins separate the soul from God, Allah, or whatever you choose to name of the spiritual creator, and/or the source of  spirituality. They keep you from being spiritual.
It is ironic that this small group is very akin to what First Century Christians did on the first day of the week...gathering in homes for support and spirituality...before the Bible was written and organized religion took over.

'...much spiritual hunger in Oklahoma and America.'

The group has helped de-toxify my soul--my spirituality, or at least start. I'm no where near the smartest or well-read person in the group, and my sins are many and I have lots of questions, but they don't care.  I  attend because I'm hungry and organized religion didn't feed me nutritious food--which was also my fault. I write this not to preach--it is only valid for me. You don't have to agree and I'm not offended if you don't. 
But I see much spiritual hunger in Oklahoma and  America. I heard one person say they were "home-churching" their children because the churches were so mean and judgmental and political. When Hal Holbrook was at UCO a week ago, his quotes from Mark Twain on organized religion causing hatred and wars and narrow-mindedness a century ago struck a chord with today's crowd. 
"S0ul de-tox." I wrote part of this in my head last night, "de-toxifying."

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Another person on this journey is  a former member of the Church of Christ, who became an alcoholic, who has become a tattooed, profane female pastor in the Lutheran church, ministering to the lower classes not welcome in most organized religions. Her book is Pastrix, available on Amazon. I learned this from my son Derrick on my last visit to Columbia, Mo. Here's a Washington Post story on her.
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(I avoid politics and religion as subjects in this blog, because there are already plenty of such blogs, for one reason. Another is that nobody wants to hear someone else preach or gripe. And, no matter what you write, you're not going to change any body's minds on those deeply emotional subjects. Plus, I respect others' beliefs. Who am I to judge? But I do try some satire, some off-the-wall approaches to dealing with religious and political issues and hypocrisy, and when they overlap with my specialty, "news" media, which happens all the time, but I try to address that from a media viewpoint. And here, well, it's just on my mind.)

February cabin at sunset

Watercolor, 7 by 10, 140 pound paper

Where I'd like to be snowed in today...

Perking coffee kind of day

Morning snowfall.
20 degrees outside.
Fire in fireplace.
New York Times
brings the world inside.
Leather couch.
Two cats in windows
watching birds on feeder.
Doves, cardinals, juncos, wrens, titmice.
Out of fancy coffee maker cups.
Grinding the beans.
Uncle Mike's
Percolator perking.
Reading Huck Finn,
Sipping real coffee.
That kind of February day.