Read any banned books lately?
How many of you have an all-time favorite book? That one book you would want with you if you washed up on a deserted island. A book you have in every possible format . . . paperback, hardback, audio book, e-book.
Well, find it on your bookshelf or pull it up on your e-reader and re-read it in celebration of Banned Books Week.
September 22 marks the beginning of Banned Books Week, an event celebrating the freedom to read. The event is sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA), which has been tracking and raising awareness about attempts to remove materials from schools and libraries since 1990.
For writers, the idea of banning books seems absurd. But the ALA says most book challenges are brought by parents and are made in classrooms, school libraries, and public libraries. The most common reasons that books are challenged include:
- Religious viewpoints/occult or satanic themes
- Anti-family messages
- Violence
- Offensive language
- Sexually explicit material
According to the ALA, only about 10 percent of challenged books are removed from the location, thanks to efforts by local librarians, students, teachers, and patrons.
Here is a list of the organization’s most challenged books by year for the last 15 years.
2018 — George by Alex Gino
2017 — 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher
2016 — This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by Jillian Tamaki
2015 — Looking for Alaska by John Green
2014 — The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
2013 — Captain Underpants (series) by Dav Pilkey
2012 — Captain Underpants (series) by Dav Pilkey
2011 — “ttyl,” “ttfn” and “l8r, g8r” (series) by Lauren Myracle
2010 — And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
2009 — “ttyl,” “ttfn” and “l8r, g8r” (series) by Lauren Myracle
2008 — And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
2007 — And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
2006 — And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
2005 — It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health by Robie H. Harris
2004 — The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
2003 — Alice (series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
The ALA also tracks challenges to classics and literary works. Here are some of the most frequently banned books from this category:
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
- Animal Farm by George Orwell
- Beloved by Toni Morrison
- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
- The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
- The Color Purple by Alice Walker
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
- The Lord of the Flies by William Golding
- Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
- Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
And here’s a list of the most ridiculous/ironic works on the frequently banned books list:
- Captain Underpants (series) by Dav Pilkey
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
- Goosebumps (series) by R.L. Stine
- Harry Potter (series) by J.K. Rowling
- James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
- A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
- The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
- My Mom’s Having A Baby! A Kid’s Month-by-Month Guide to Pregnancy by Dori Hillestad Butler
- Where’s Waldo by Martin Handford
Do you see any of your favorites on these lists?
