Have you ever read a book that was 'banned'?

Very few books are actually banned in the literal sense of being illegal to possess. But an awful lot have been kept from school and public libraries.

There was a time when "Catcher in the Rye" was such a book. It was considered scandalous, and most libraries did not carry it, or would restrict access to it (keeping it behind the checkout counter and only allowing "respectable" people to check it out!)

Naturally, kids in my high school were getting hold of it and talking about it with each other!

I finally decided to read it when I was in my 30's. I guess I had become too old. I found it boring, and the incessant use of four-letter words struck me as forced and artificial. At least in my world, I have have never known anyone to actually talk that way. There was nothing about the plot that interested me, and I did not find any profound ideas to ponder.

Times have changed. That book eventually became required reading in some high school English curricula! And once, in a used book store, I found a Sparks Notes for it. I bought it, as a collector's item! Reading through it, the author of the Sparks Notes couldn't think of anything deep to say about the book either.

But Sparks Notes are mostly used by students who want to blow off the assignment and not read the actual book.

So, schools finally figured out a way to stop teenagers from reading a book. Instead of banning it, [i][b]require[/b][/i] it!