Banned Book Week

It is that time of year again. The one where we celebrate our freedom to read what we choose and for other people to do the same even if we don't like or agree with their choices. It begins tomorrow on September 24 and runs until October 1. Over the year the American Library Association compiles data on books that have been challenged and the reasons given for wanting their removal from libraries. You can find information and some rather troubling lists here.Check your local library to see if they are doing anything special.

Here is the Top 10 list of banned/challenged book of 2010 with their reasons :

And Tango Makes Three, by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
Reasons: homosexuality, religious viewpoint, and unsuited to age group
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: offensive language, racism, sex education, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, and violence
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
Reasons: insensitivity, offensive language, racism, and sexually explicit
Crank, by Ellen Hopkins
Reasons: drugs, offensive language, and sexually explicit
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
Reasons: sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, and violence
Lush, by Natasha Friend
Reasons: drugs, offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group
What My Mother Doesn't Know, by Sonya Sones
Reasons: sexism, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group
Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich
Reasons: drugs, inaccurate, offensive language, political viewpoint, and religious viewpoint
Revolutionary Voices, edited by Amy Sonnie
Reasons: homosexuality and sexually explicit
Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer
Reasons: religious viewpoint and violence

There are always a couple of things that make me want to tear at my hair about the list every year. This year's culprits:
1. How did Brave New World suddenly get back on the list and make it all the way to #3? Did a bunch of people suddenly realize that their former attempts to oust it from the world had been unsuccessful and so they decided to launch a new campaign? It hasn't made the Top Ten in the last 10 years and wasn't in the top 50 for the 90's.
2. Where on earth are these people getting the sexually explicit scenes in The Hunger Games from? Do they have a different copy of the book than I read? There is some kissing but nothing remotely deserving of the label "sexually explicit". Are these people actually reading the books they are challenging?

Comments

Betsy said…

Hear, hear! And, I don't like Tango personally, but that's a picture book--parents can certainly exercise their right to tell their own child not to check that book out. No one's making the kids take it home with them.

I also thought Part-Time Indian makes some really profound statements; one of those statements is about racism... why do we want to ban books that are exposing racism and teaching more sensitivity to the issue? It's not like that book is even remotely encouraging racism!! (sigh) So why is "racism" listed as a reason to ban it? The other stuff I can understand to a point.

September 26, 2011 at 9:58 AM

Brandy said…

Exactly! I exercise my right to do this every week. I go through my kids books before they check them out every week and if I don't want them reading something I always explain why. I don't feel that I have the right to tell other people's kids what they can't read though. Seriously.

And yes to the racism reason for Part-Time Indian. That one gets used for books like To Kill a Mockingbird and Huck Finn too. Hear tearers both.

September 26, 2011 at 9:01 PM

April said…

Wait...are they saying Tango has a religious viewpoint or people don't like because of their religious viewpoint?

September 27, 2011 at 12:00 AM

April said…

Twilight banned? It just should never have been published. :-)

September 27, 2011 at 12:02 AM

Brandy said…

April, it lists the reasons people gave for challenging it so it is most likely the latter.

:) re Twilight.

September 27, 2011 at 3:32 PM

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