Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2019 & Why
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Tag Archives: Banned books
Map of Forbidden Books 2019
A Map of Forbidden Books in 2019 Brendan Brown
For almost as long we’ve been writing, governments and religious groups have attempted to censor what we read.
In 35 AD, Homer’s The Odyssey was banned by the Roman emperor Caligula because it contained dangerous ideas about freedom. The contents of the famed library in Alexandria were used as fuel for the public baths in 640 AD. And Pope Paul IV published one of the first book ban lists with his Index of Prohibited Books in 1559, a list that was updated until 1948.
Think that book banning has been consigned to history? Sigh. Books are still being censored today. Keep reading ….
Top Ten Challenged Books of 2016
Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2016
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Banned Books Week – Take the Challenge
Did you read the Harry Potter books? Thank a librarian.
Did you enjoy Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn? Thank a librarian.
What about books by Ray Bradbury, Judy Blume, Stephen King, J. D. Salinger, and Toni Morrison? Their books can be found on library shelves because librarians support your right to read what you choose.
The Challenge
Browse the stacks of the BSC Library to find books whose spines have been covered with a BANNED BOOK label. You may be surprised to find that some of your favorite books have been challenged.
For more information, visit http://www.ala.org/bbooks/
Read Whatever You Want!
Banned Books Week – September 27 – October 3, 2015
An annual celebration of the freedom to read
According to ALA (American Library Association), “more than 11,300 books have been challenged since 1982 … 311 challenges [were] reported to the Office for Intellectual Freedom in 2014, and many more go unreported.”
10 Most Challenged Titles of 2014
- The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie (2008 BSC Campus Read selection)
- Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (2009 BSC Campus Read selection)
- And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
- The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
- It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
- Saga by Brian Vaughan and Fiona Staples
- The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
- A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
- Drama by Raina Telgemeier
For more info, visit ALA’s frequently challenged books, including its top ten most frequently challenged books lists since 2001.
Artwork courtesy of the American Library Association
Read Out! Today
Celebrate Your Freedom to Read
Read Out! Today
Wednesday, September 28
Noon to 1 p.m.
BSC Library
Join us for readings from books that have been banned or challenged
P.S. There will be cookies
Banned Books Read Out – September 28
“You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” — Ray Bradbury
Celebrate Your Freedom to Read
Banned Books Week 2011
Read Out!
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Noon to 1 p.m.
BSC Library
Join us for readings by Dan Rogers’ Oral Interpretation class and other guest readers from books that have been banned or challenged.
Banned Books Week
September 24 – October 1, 2011
Banned Books Read Out – September 28
The BSC Library will observe Banned Books Week with a Read Out at the BSC Library on September 28. We’ll post more details as we get closer to the date.
In the meantime, consider reading a banned book or two … you’ll find books of all kinds on the lists of frequently challenged books maintained by ALA (American Library Association). In fact, you may be very surprised by what has been banned over the years and the reasons why.
Book banning happens often. In fact, here’s a story posted just last week: two books were removed from the high school library in Republic, Missouri.
Top Ten Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2010
ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom has issued its annual list of Top Ten Most Frequently Challenged Books for 2010. The list includes the following titles and the reasons given for challenging the book.
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 [Note: BSC’s 2008 Campus Read selection]
- 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 [Note: BSC’s 2006 Campus Read selection]
- 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
For more information on book challenges and censorship, visit the OIF Banned Books Week Web site at www.ala.org/bbooks.
Read it! Read it! 