The Forbidden Fruit
By: Marylaine Louise Viernes

The tree of life and its forbidden fruits symbolize knowledge, which we must grasp today, with knowing the responsibilities that go along with it. Books guide us, but critics and other authorities don’t always agree with that. They ban these books, but you know how we curious beings are. So read the following list of books and see yourselves looking at book sales and reading them- against the critics’ better judgment:

1. The Book your Church doesn’t want you to read (by Tim C. Leedom, Editor) - The book traces astrological and mythical origins of modern day western religions. A Barnes & Noble bookstore in San Diego refused to stock the book because of its content.

2. Annie on My Mind - The American school board system ordered all copies of this book removed from high school library shelves. It is a story of two women who meet and fall in love and struggle with declaring their homosexuality to family and friends.

3. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner – In 1986, Graves County, Kentucky, the school board banned this book about a poor white family in the midst of crisis, from its high school English reading list because of 7 passages which made reference to God or abortion and used curse words such as "bastard," "goddam," and "son of a bitch."

4. Daddy's Roommate by Michael Willhoite - The favorite of censors, this children's book about gay parenting was the subject of a challenge in the public library. In an all-too-familiar request, a parent complained about references to homosexuality in material for children.

5. Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews – The American board of education decided to remove all school curriculum materials and library books containing any and all "profanity" and "pornography," both concepts ill-defined. The tremendous public outcry made the board backtrack and resolve to review its selection policy. However, after this conciliatory decision, and while the review process still inches along, most of the books in Andrews's popular series Flowers in the Attic were removed from the high-school library for "pornographic" content.

6. Who Built America? Apple Computer has distributed this acclaimed history series created for CD-ROM, as part of a free software package for schools buying its computers. When it received protests about material relating to the history of birth control, abortion, and homosexuality, Apple asked Voyager to delete the offending material. Voyager refused, and Apple suspended distribution. Following many protest letters, Apple reversed its decision and resumed distribution.

7. Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie - The Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran put a price on the head of this author for writing this book which allegedly is critical of the Islam religion. Rushdie, as a result, went into hiding for an indefinite period of time, fearing for his life.

8. The Last of the Wine by Mary Renault - Fifth-century B.C. Athens is the setting of the historical novel that was challenged in a high school for references to homosexuality. Not only did the complainants and their supporters revile the book, which enlivened an honors history class, but they also attempted to humiliate the teacher by calling him a "sexual predator" and accusing him of trying to "recruit" children to homosexuality. The school board supported the teacher and the novel.

9. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut- This appears consistently on the American Library Association's list of "most frequently challenged books". Apparently the fact that it evokes the dreadfully disinterested havoc of war is offensive, rather than necessary. It also uses bad words and black humor, unforgivable in time of war, and employs phrases like "The gun made a ripping sound like the opening of the fly of God Almighty."

10. The Dark by John McGahern - An astonishing study in power, fear, sexuality and religion. It was staggeringly well written and heartbreaking in every possible way.