If you didn’t already know, today marks the beginning of the American Library Association’s annual Banned Books Week. The ALA celebrates this more poorly-acronymed event (BBW?) by trying to raise public awareness of banned or challenged books while reminding us all of the importance of intellectual freedom. The issue of banned books often gets placed exclusively under the broad umbrella of censorship, but it’s a much deeper, more personal problem. It boils down to the suppression of thought; the freedom of expression. There are many horrible, violent viewpoints available in books that not many people will agree with, but somebody agrees and wants to read about it and doing so should be a pretty fundamental freedom. There’s probably some wise old saying that goes something like, “If you don’t like it, then don’t read it”. I think I would agree with that.

I like books, and I’m lucky enough to live somewhere fairly tolerant. (America, not Oklahoma.) As my access to the things I want to learn or read is pretty vast, I’ve been able to enjoy quite a few of these “questionable” books and wasn’t shocked to see many of my favorites on the list of classics. I think you’ll be at least a little surprised by a few of the books that someone doesn’t want you or your adorable, whining child to be able to read. (Where’s Waldo? Really?) The sources of these challenges come from all over, so I won’t lay any blame, but there’s plenty of amazing writing on that list that would be greatly missed if banned. So this week we thought we’d take a look at some of these titles and give a little synopsis on a book-by-book basis. These particular examples were chosen by my helper monkey, Rasheed. What can I say? Rasheed loves him some Judy Blume. If you happen to think that we’ve gotten any of these summations wrong, then by all means, let us know in the comments. We’d hate for you to have to go read a book to prove us wrong.

Check out a few questionable literary giants after the jump.

Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

This is the story of Margaret, the young daughter of a Christian mother and a Jewish father. As Margaret is entering her adolescence, she is confronted with a number of issues that every girl has to face in her pre-teens, including buying that first bra, having her first period, boys, jealousy, yada, yada, yada. You get the idea. The main focus of the book’s story is on Margaret’s conflicted religious beliefs. It’s a great book for any girl growing up in America, and it’s one of those books that girls probably “should” read. I remember sneaking a peek at it in elementary school, and all I remember is the stuff about her period. Terrifying.

Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs

When Burroughs finished writing Naked Lunch in 1958 it is said that he actually stood up, walked to the center of the room, and began a hearty prospector’s dance while shouting, “I found gold! Yeehoo! This’n’s the one!” As hard as that is to believe, Naked Lunch truly is a work of art. Centering on the story of Claire, an upbeat waitress at a bummed-out diner, it careens from slapstick action to tragic erotica. As a child in rural Nebraska, Claire realized that she was different from the other kids. They all seemed to enjoy playing outside and listening to their favorite shows on the dumb radio technology of the time, but Claire only enjoyed one thing: serving people lunch while completely nude. Oh, she has her growing pains alright. With boy trouble, run-ins with the police, and the ever-dangerous hot grease, Claire’s story is a classic one. It’s a tale of love, lunch and nudity, and it’s all told through the eyes of a lonely, blind waitress. Oh yeah; she’s blind.

Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole

For those of you into these newer genres such as “vampire erotica” and “urban fiction”, Mommy Laid an Egg is right up your alley, as it’s a seminal title in the burgeoning “feral children adventure” genre. It’s the story of Oscar Billings, a young boy left in the wild by his parents at birth, deep in the heart of Appalachia. Orphaned only for a short while, Oscar is soon taken in and raised by a loving family of wild chickens, never thinking he is different from them. The son of typical hill folk, Oscar is mercilessly too stupid to be able to discern the different chickens that have raised him his entire life, thinking he’s had the same chicken mom all along. All is well until he somehow gets cast in a blockbuster Hollywood movie, and the truth about his upbringing comes to light. It’s a great coming-of-age tale with a slight emphasis on day-to-day chicken life. An all-around wonderful book that everyone should be allowed to read.