Tuesday, April 12, 2011

10 Most Frequently Challenged Library Books of 2010

By Jason Boog on Galley Cat, April 11, 2011
After dozens of challenges this year at libraries around the country, And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson was the most challenged library book last year according to the American Library Association (ALA).

ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom director Barbara Jones had this comment: “While we firmly support the right of every reader to choose or reject a book for themselves or their families, those objecting to a particular book should not be given the power to restrict other readers’ right to access and read that book … As members of a pluralistic and complex society, we must have free access to a diverse range of viewpoints on the human condition in order to foster critical thinking and understanding. We must protect one of the most precious of our fundamental rights – the freedom to read.”

1. And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
Reasons: Homosexuality, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group

2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: Offensive language, Racism, Sex Education, Sexually Explicit, Unsuited to Age Group, Violence

3. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Reasons: Insensitivity, Offensive Language, Racism, Sexually Explicit

4. Crank by Ellen Hopkins
Reasons: Drugs, Offensive Language, Sexually Explicit

5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Unsuited to Age Group, Violence

6. Lush by Natasha Friend
Reasons: Drugs, Offensive Language, Sexually Explicit, Unsuited to Age Group

7. What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones
Reasons: Sexism, Sexually Explicit, Unsuited to Age Group

8. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America by Barbara Ehrenreich
Reasons: Drugs, Inaccurate, Offensive Language, Political Viewpoint, Religious Viewpoint

9. Revolutionary Voices edited by Amy Sonnie
Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit

10. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Reasons: Religious Viewpoint, Violence

2 comments:

Megan said...

http://stephenslighthouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/transparency.jpg

I found this graphic representation of the same information a little while ago - what happened to the joy of challenging and thought provoking reading, find something better to do with the angst!

Anonymous said...

Good one Megan! These are overprotective parents whose kids probably can't climb trees either. I thought 'Harry Potter" books were also challenged frequently by parents on the grounds of magic, supernatural, wizards, witches, etc. Pretty mild compared with the others.
I wonder if these children who are prevented from reading such books grow up to have no empathy with anyone who is slightly different from themselves?
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