KEN PELHAM

My work in progress, an entertaining and provocative look at genre fiction, from Beowulf to The Time Machine to Harry Potter, how it evolves, and how it changes the world, often in profound and unexpected ways.

For a sneak peek, check out the companion timeline...

The dirtiest book of all is the expurgated book.

--Walt Whitman

The American Library Association's annual Banned Books Week (September 24, 2011 through October 1, 2011) has passed, but deserves extended attention. Support freedom of expression by reading a banned book or two!  To learn more, click on banned books.

A few of my favorite banned or burned books:

• Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut.
• Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien.
• The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
• The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck.
• Animal Farm, by George Orwell.
• For Whom the Bell Tolls, by Ernest Hemingway.
• Catch-22, by Joseph Heller.

Feel free to add your suggestions.