The Book Dungeon

"Em. I can't believe you're dragging me down here."

"Oh stop complaining El. It'll be worth it."

"It's filthy down here. Look at my skirt."

"I told you to wear pants."

"Pants are for boys. Haven't I taught you anything."

"Come on. We're almost there. In here. Look."

"It's a room full of books. So what."

"Not this room, THAT ROOM!"

"Oh My Gosh. This room is tremendous. The ceiling must be thirty feet tall. And I can't even see the end of the room. There must be thousands and thousands of books here. Maybe millions. What is this place?"

"It's The Book Dungeon. It's where the Capitol sends all the books that they confiscate from the public. The books they don't want people to read."

"Look at this one. Nineteen Eighty-four by George Orwell. It tells the story of an oppressive government."

"Gee. Why would Snow ban that?"

"Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence . That seems interesting. Maybe obscenity?"

"Along with these: Madame Bovary and Lolita."

"El. Let me tell you about this one. It's called Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. It's a story of a government that has banned all books. Firemen don't put out fires. They burn all the books."

"Why this one, Green Eggs and Ham? It's a child's cartoon book."

"Who knows. There are a lot of nuts out there."

"The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer."

"Sorry El, no pictures. Here's one for you Peyton Place. It's a real Soap Opera."

"Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird."

"Oh, that sounds so cruel."

"Get down. I hear someone."

"I'm sick of this detail. Hauling all this garbage down here."

"Oh shut up and do your job."

"I can't understand why they store them?"

"Why don't they just burn them like in Fahrenheit 451?"

"You better not let anyone here you say that. You'll be locked up down here forever."

"Okay. Let's go."

"They're gone. We better go too."

"Em, when can we come again ?"

"Anytime we make an excuse to visit my father. Come on before they come back."

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All these books have been banned somewhere in the world at one time. If you send me a book please include a short synopsis and why it was banned. The book may have been banned by a national government or by a local library or school board.