A Note on Book Banning

Bitch Sensei Inc. is 100% Anti-Censorship

In the interest of maintaining my sanity, I decided not to post back-to-back days this week and spent my Monday cleaning my rug (not a euphemism) and watching trash TV. But then I noticed this week is “Banned Books Week” and wanted to take the opportunity to recommend some books and run my mouth.

Some of my favorite “often-challenged” books:

1984 by George Orwell

Banning this book is so deliciously ironic. If only the people suggesting the banning knew how to read, they’d realize what they’re doing with this one is objectively hilarious.

Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey

*slamming fists on desk* LET THE KIDS HAVE THEIR POOP JOKES!!!

Didn’t realize we were gonna start banning books for being stupid. Bad news guys, the “literary fiction,” criterion collection assholes have decided if you wanna read books you have to have “Good Taste.” Fuck off.

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

If people call this one vile and judge me for liking it I’m like, “yeah, fair.”

That said, if you want to use fiction to explore morality, there is likely to be some violations of said morality in the text. For those of us that can stomach it, it poses some interesting questions about what it means to live in a “free” society and where that line between freedom and control should be drawn.

And isn’t their little slang language so darn fun???

Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Okay full disclosure, I don’t even know if this one holds up and I don’t wanna know.

It was a formative coming-of-age story for me as a tween, and I’d say its content was appropriate for high school kids. It had some sexual content and some vague talk of abuse, but I am 90% sure it is being challenged for either Having a Gay Character or including a teenager talking about being raped as a kid, which really sucks shit.

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

This is one of my favorite books of all time, and its author was my long-time social media namesake. I’ve read this book time and again, and can’t think of a single ban-worthy “inappropriate” scene that a high schooler couldn’t handle.

It’s leading me to think that people decide to ban things just because they don’t like or understand them. I expect they dubbed Vonnegut a commie for being antiwar.

Bridge To Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

You know what? This one was traumatizing and emotionally devastating. Just ban it, I don’t give a shit.

What are some of your favorite banned books? Smite your local censors with violent, offensive, homosexual, “challenging” of all kinds book recs in my comments section.