Thursday Thirteen

1. This story on AOL states that America's favorite book is the Bible. The Reuters version of it is here.

2. Men like Lord of the Rings and women like Gone with the Wind, the story says.

3. It doesn't say if people actually read these books (including the Bible). All three of those books are not the easiest reading.

4. According to this old Washington Post article, only 45 percent of Americans read anything in 1999.

5. This up-to-date Reuters article says that one third of Americans read more than 10 books a year.

6. That means about 66 percent of Americans read less than 10 books a year.

7. This article says that women read more than men and they like mysteries, romances and religious books.

8. Here is a list of books banned somewhere by somebody in the United States. J. K. Rowling has four books on the list. Not everyone loves Harry Potter.

9. Wikipedia also has a banned book list, but it includes bannings in other countries as well as the U.S. It's a long list.

10. This website is a comprehensive look at censorship.

11. The ALA has a banned books week every year (but it is not this week). They have information about banned books at this site too.

12. I have read a number of the banned books listed on these websites. I also have enough sense to not read something that I find offensive. Personally I think if someone finds a book offensive they should just not read it, and if the person is a student (or a parent) then he or she should ask for a different book.

13. If so many people do not read, and if the top three books cited are books that can be difficult to read even for people who read a lot, then do you think these top three books - including the Bible - are really being read?


I am still not an official Thursday Thirteen participant, but you can learn more about it here. My other Thursday Thirteens are here. One day I will figure out how to play properly.