September 21-27, 2014 is "Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read". This is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community –- librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types –- in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.
Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. More than 11,300 books have been challenged since 1982 according to the American Library Association. There were 307 challenges reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom in 2013, and many more go unreported. The 10 most challenged titles of 2013 were:
- Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey
Reasons: Offensive language, unsuited for age group, violence - The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, violence - The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group - Fifty Shades of Grey, by E.L. James
Reasons: Nudity, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group - The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
Reasons: Religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group - A Bad Boy Can Be Good for A Girl, by Tanya Lee Stone
Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit - Looking for Alaska, by John Green
Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group - The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, homosexuality, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group - Bless Me Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya
Reasons: Occult/Satanism, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit - Bone (series), by Jeff Smith
Reasons: Political viewpoint, racism, violence
For more about books challenged as well as information about classic novels that have been challenged and/or banned, please see this list of frequently challenged books.
8 comments:
Great post! My Banned Books Week display has been getting a lot of attention from the students since I put it up on Monday.
Bone? Really? Seriously? Wow.
We should never forget about the stunting qualities of censorship. I'm glad you posted about this. It's ironic and telling of the liberal area in which I live. My son's High School made one of those YA books that was banned elsewhere, mandatory summer reading! Feeling glad I live where I do.
I'm not surprised about Fifty Shades of Grey but a lot of others do surprise me like Bone. Especially the reasons which seem ridiculous. Anyone whop doesn't want to read a particular book can go read something else. Most of these bans are just opinions taking a silly offensive tactic.
I'm continually amazed at the titles that make the banned list. Some of them are obviously only appropriate and understood at certain ages, but that can also be a maturity issue, and not age specific.
There's a religious viewpoint in the Hunger Games?
With Captain Underpants, they are taking it way too serious...
I'll never get the mentality of those who fight against books...it must be really hard for simple people just to ignore those things that might appeal to others.
I am with Alex about things being taken too seriously. When the Goosebump series by R.L.Stine came out in the 90s, there was also uproar.
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