Group Presentations:

• http://bravenewwiki.wetpaint.com/
• Brave New World's banning is understandable for the people of the 1930's, but it really surprised me to see it challenged recently in the United States. The book is age appropriate for most high-school aged people depending on their maturity, since some may not understand what is written. It was an interesting read, but I think over-rated. The highlight of the book for me was to see the parallels to our current global situations, especially the conditioning of people to suit the agenda of the "higher powers". I would reccommend this those interested in classic literature, or anyone interested in something of a time capsule to see how our current situation came about.
• http://kiterunnerbanned.wetpaint.com/
• The Kite Runner - I have to say this truly is one of the best books I have read. The story is a valuable lesson in friendships, family relationships and loyalty to the people in ones life. It reveals the heartfelt long term emotional consequences when wrong choices are made, the ways one can face ones fears, come to terms with the original sin and also forgive oneself. I believe is an excellent read for the teens and adults of our time.
• http://themegroup.wetpaint.com/
• 1984 - There are many themes throughout the book, such as fear, control; brain wash, obedience and oppression just to name a few. But what I found interesting was that Winston even though he was obedient and did everything he was told to do, deep down he knew better, he knew that the government was brain washing him.

  The Catcher in the Rye -

• http://thechocolatewar.wetpaint.com/
• The Chocolate War is a story of student, Jerry Renault; our protagonist, who ‘dares to disturb the universe’. He is inspired by a poster he taped inside his locker with the heading “Do you dare to disturb the universe?”. Jerry takes on a gang who calls themselves the Vigils and Brother Leon, a crooked bully of a teacher who has secret aspirations of being principal. Jerry refuses to participate in the school fundraiser of selling chocolates even after fulfilling his 'assignment' to not sell, given to him by The Vigils.

Solo Presentations:

• http://goosebumpsbooks.wetpaint.com/
• R.L. Stine's Goosebumps Series -
• http://judyblumebannedbooks.wetpaint.com/
• Judy Blume’s Young Adult and Children’s books all touch on several aspects of growing up. The protagonists are normal kids, living normal lives, coping with normal issues. They often live in New Jersey, Blume’s own childhood home state. The main characters, whether they have lost a family member, moved to a new state or live in their childhood homes, tend to make friends easily and are self-conscious of what their friends and society think of them. They are all morally true to themselves. They are not the kid sneaking alcohol from a parent’s personal bar, though they are often the subject of peer pressure and to some degree participate in drinking. They do not steal and are appalled when they learn that a friend does. They are, for the most part, good kids.
• http://lengleawrinkleintime.wetpaint.com/
• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle is a science fiction novel traveling you through the universe. With three children Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin who are sent out on this mission to find Meg and Charles Wallace's Father, Mr. Murry with help from so called guardians Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which. There was also a movie series made for A Wrinkle in Time directed by John Kent Harrison and was aired on May 10, 2007.
• http://jakesbannedbook.wetpaint.com/
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: This story is about two things. The first is how the society in the book would send people who did not act like the rest of normal society to crazy homes to surpress there ideas and behavior. The best example of this was McMurph a man who did not walk the line. A person who enjoyed drinking gambiling and having too much sex. The second is a man would would not be beaten our allow others to be controlled by a nurse that acted like a dictator.
• http://homosexualityinthemovies.wetpaint.com/
• Vito Russo wrote a book called The Celluloid Closet which demonstrates a history of homophobia in movies. "In a hundred years of movies, homosexuality has only rarely been depicted on the screen. When it did appear, it was there as something to laugh at—or something to pity—or even something to fear. These were fleeting images, but they were unforgettable, and they left a lasting legacy. Hollywood, that great maker of myths, taught straight people what to think about gay people … and gay people what to think about themselves." Vito Russo
• http://smcmary.wetpaint.com/
• John Grisham - A Time to Kill: “I want you to pretend with me for a moment. I want you to use your imaginations. I want you to close your eyes and listen to nothing but my voice…” A member in the jury is speaking, she is describing to them this little girl that was brutally attacked, raped, beaten, and left for dead. The courtroom drama is due to the killing of two white men accused of this horrendous act. The girl has described the vehicle they were driving. There is no mistaking this vehicle and its owner and partner. The two men are arrested. One admits to what they had done. After their arraignment in court they are being brought back to their cells. As the prisoner’s walk by a closet, Carl Lee, the father of the girl bursts through and starts shooting. The two men lay dead and bleeding one on top the other. Most people wouldn’t have missed their sorry souls, but this is the deep south, and the two men are white and the shooter is black. The question is obvious, "can a black man get a fair trial with an all white jury?" It also causes you to question what would you do?
• http://americanpsycho.wetpaint.com/
• American Psycho is the story of Patrick Bateman. Bateman has some version of OCD because he has an obsessive need to describe what everyone is wearing, what the topic on The Patty Winters Show is, and a need to always return his videotapes on time. He is also obsessed with money, looking good, and serial killers. He always wants to go out to eat and makes reservations that he doesn’t always keep, using his Zagat guide to see how good the food is. His use of drugs and alcohol are never ending, making for some interesting and hard to understand chapters. His friends and girlfriend don’t always understand him but he doesn’t seem to care.
• http://maya-iknowwhycagedbirdsings.wetpaint.com/
• Maya Angelou's book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is ranked by The American Library Association as the 5th most challenged book of the 21st century. Maya is well known to Oprah Winfrey and is considered by Oprah to be a wonderful mother - mentor figure in her life. I have listened to Maya many mornings on Oprah and Friends via satellite radio and always wanted to read her books. Caged Bird Sings was cited for sexually explicit content and is one of the most frequently challenged and banned books in America ranking as third on the list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000. Since 1983 schools throughout the United States have tried to ban I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings even though it is celebrated for its elegant prose.
• http://harrypotterbanned.wetpaint.com/
• Ever since becoming popular, the Harry Potter series has been among the most frequently challenged books, as measured by the American Library Association. While the series has been welcomed by many parents and teachers for getting children interested in reading, not to mention being a good story, others feel that the series presents dangerous ideas and attitudes that are bad for readers. In some parts of the United States and United Kingdom, the Potter books have been banned from being read in school, taken out of libraries, and even burned in public. The most prominent objections to Harry Potter fall into three categories: they promote witchcraft; they set bad examples; and they're too dark. Let's take a look at each of those.
• http://fahrenheit451bradbury.wetpaint.com/
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury talks about a future in which firemen create fires, the educated are seen as troublemakers, and books are burned. Guy Montag, our main character, starts out as a firemen who thinks life is normal is the way it should be. But he meets a young girl named Clarisse who asks him, "Are You Happy?" and he realizes that he is not happy. Guy goes on a journey, looking at his life, his wife, the things he burns, the books, the people, the thoughts. Where nuclear wars are over in 24 hours or less, a society in which people don't think, have complete conversations, or remember them afterwards.He makes a decision that changes his whole life, that makes him a fugitive that constantly has to run. What makes him run? he wants to know, he wants to be human, to understand, not just hear or not hear.