Hooky the Cripple

{{Short description|Novel by Chopper Read}}{{Infobox novel | isbn = 978-1-864-03165-2 | pub_date = 2002 | publisher = Pluto Press Australia | author = Mark "Chopper" Read | illustrator = Adam Cullen | image = Hooky the Cripple.jpg }}

'''''Hooky the Cripple: The Grim Tale of a Hunchback Who Triumphs''''' is a 2002 novel by Australian writer Mark Brandon 'Chopper' Read, illustrated by Adam Cullen and published by Pluto Press. It was formatted as a book for young readers, but was ruled by some authorities as too violent to be suitable for children.<ref name="Age">{{cite web|url=https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/books/chopper-unleashes-a-grim-tale-20020520-gdu7y9.html|title=Chopper unleashes a grim tale|date=20 May 2002|accessdate=4 September 2018|work=The Age}}</ref><ref name="SMH">{{cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/chopper-urges-ban-of-his-book-20020604-gdfc6a.html|title=Chopper urges ban of his book|date=4 June 2002|accessdate=4 September 2018|work=The Sydney Morning Herald}}</ref>

==Controversy== The book received a rather mixed response. While the Queensland government body AccessEd recommended it for secondary schools, a school in Victoria banned it, and likewise the president of the Australian Families Association in Queensland wanted it banned from schools. Read responded, saying "Ban it, just go out and ban it, I am gonna make a fortune if they ban it," believing the publicity from a ban would increase the book's sales.<ref name=SMH/>

==References== {{reflist}}

== External links == *''Sunday Sunrise'' transcript, interview with Read and Cullen. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://seven.com.au/sundaysunrise/features/18686 |date=* }}

Category:2002 Australian novels Category:2002 English-language novels Category:Australian crime novels Category:Historical novels Category:Pluto Press books