Yep, jump on board your local public transport, peel the plastic off your copy of Brett Easton Ellis’ American Psycho, shout verses from Howl or revel in the so called obsecnity of Naked Lunch but wherever you are, celebrate Banned Books Week.
While this is a US phenomenon, I think it is something that needs to be embraced worldwide. Freedom of expression is something we should never take for granted. In essence, it is always under attack. We need more writers like Burroughs in the world today, writers unafraid to stare into the abyss and report back, writers who cast off the term outlaw on the basis that to be an outlaw, you must have once been inside the law. We need more danger!
So if you need some assistance getting your hands on a once or currently Banned Book, check out one of these Top Ten Lists.
Alternative Reel’s Top 10 Banned Books of the 20th Century
Time Magazine’s Most Challenged Books
I mean, this list contains some of the books that shaped my life… Grapes of Wrath, Lolita and Brave New World which is the book I credit as turning me on to literature in Yr 10.
Go on, get your hands on a Banned Book today.
