the great gatsby - book #1

the first book i chose to read from the list was the great gatsby by f. scott fitzgerald. no reason as to why i decided to go with this book other than the fact it was the first one that i could get my hands on.

here's why the book has been banned or challenged in the past (according to the american library association) - "Challenged at the Baptist College in Charleston, SC (1987) because of "language and sexual references in the book." i would suppose that has something to do with the themes of "new wealth, old relationships, and a society trying to find itself" being at the center of this novel.

my thoughts: i talked to a lot of people about this book (while talking about the challenge itself) and everyone that i spoke to remembered reading it is high school. i didn't read it then, mostly because i didn't take a normal high school english class in high school. i noted the language and sexual references in the book, however, i find it interesting that a college went to the trouble of challenging the book. it doesn't, in my opinion, have enough references to warrant any sort of banning or challenge. if you can (or are made to) read it in high school, i think it's pretty safe to just let it be.

this deserves note. i'm glad that i didn't read this book in school. i can say that i wasn't blown away by the book. not even impressed. it was ho hum and i find it difficult to see why it is considered a classic. my opinion.

verdict: as stated above, disagree.