Banned Books Week

This Saturday, September 26th, begins Banned Books Week, sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and other organizations to raise awareness about challenged titles --- books some people would like to see removed from library shelves. It will be kicked off with the Banned Books Week Read-Out! in Chicago in Bughouse Square from noon to 2 p.m.

What are some of the titles that have been challenged over the years?

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Click here to read a post by RGG.com contributor Jennifer Hart, aka Book Club Girl, who explains why she loves Banned Books --- and why you might want to consider selecting one of the challenged titles for a reading group pick.

Check out the Banned Books Week pages on Facebook and MySpace.