*Note* The below blog post is a guest blog from our Twitter friend Heather. This content does not necessarily reflect the views of Better World Books (as our lawyers make sure we say). We love having guest bloggers and invite you to email 11@betterworldbooks.com if you are interested in covering a book or topic on the BWB Blog. Thank you, Heather!
I have always loved reading. My childhood home was (and still is) filled with good books. Through my parents, I was instilled with a love for everything literary and shown the many rewards that come from taking the time to sit and read. I have read so many great books over time, and I love sharing my finds with others. In honor of Banned Books Week, I’d like to share three of my favorite banned books with you:

Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale has retained the #1 spot on my list of favorites for around twenty years. Published in 1985, this dystopian classic speaks on the subjugation of women and what women can do to gain agency in a male-chauvinist, racist, totalitarian theocracy. Reading this book as a teenager was my first wake-up call about the importance of my rights as a woman and the importance of standing up for those rights. I have read this book three or four times since then, and I still get just as much out of it every time.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou, was published in 1969 and is the first in a series of six memoirs Ms. Angelou wrote about different periods of her life. This memoir tells us about some of the things she experienced between the ages of three and seventeen, and it is truly inspirational. The entire series is phenomenal and easily my favorite in that genre. Maya Angelou has had some heartbreaking and amazing experiences in her life, and she is someone whom many women (including myself) can, and do, look up to.

The World According to Garp is one of the most wonderful books I’ve ever read, and it made me an instant fan of John Irving. This book is full of stories, but the central plot revolves around Garp and his mother, Jenny. If I had to sum it up in one sentence, I would say that The World According to Garp is a book of extremes; it will definitely take you on an emotional roller-coaster. It is hilarious and tragic and downright brilliant. John Irving is arguably one of the best storytellers out there.

You can check out my blog, Between the Covers, for reviews of more great books and for recommendations from others in the reading community. Happy Banned Books Week!

What are some of your favorite banned books?