Censorship of books and ideas is not new. The English word "censor" traces its roots to the Office of Censor established in Rome in 443 B.C. The last week of September is Banned Books Week, and to celebrate I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite banned or challenged books.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Named for the temperature at which paper spontaneously ignites. It's interesting that this book about censorship has been variously censored ever since its first publication in the 1950's.

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. Called "pornographic" by some parents and "a work of fiction" by Holocaust deniers, perhaps the silliest reason for its censorship was the pronouncement by a state's textbook committee that the book was a "real downer".

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. Claiming the plucky protagonist to be of "questionable character," several libraries banned this book when it was first published in 1876. Subsequent detractors have called it "degrading, insensitive and oppressive." Needless to say, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has also faced numerous challenges.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This classic story of racism in a small Southern town has been banned precisely because of its racial themes.

1984 by George Orwell. Banned in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics until 1988, ironically, it was challenged in the United States for being “pro communist”.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Challenged for its "vulgar language," this is just one of Steinbeck’s books that have faced censorship. Others include The Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden and The Red Pony.

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. Banned for its use of certain words and its racist overtones.

These are some of my favorites. What are yours? E-mail me at jdeming@jefferson.lib.co.us and let me know. We may include them in a future column.

You can check out these books and more at any Jefferson County Public Library location. Talk to your librarian for more recommendations. For more information on book censorship, visit www.ala.org.