Most Challenged Books of 2020

 

Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2020*

The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 156 challenges to library, school, and university materials and services in 2020. Of the 273 books that were targeted, here are the most challenged, along with the reasons cited for censoring the books:

1. George by Alex Gino
   Reasons: Challenged, banned, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content, conflicting with a religious viewpoint, and not reflecting “the values of our community”
2. Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds
   Reasons: Banned and challenged because of author’s public statements, and because of claims that the book contains “selective storytelling incidents” and does not encompass racism against all people
3. All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
   Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, drug use, and alcoholism, and because it was thought to promote anti-police views, contain divisive topics, and be “too much of a sensitive matter right now”
4. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
   Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted because it was thought to contain a political viewpoint and it was claimed to be biased against male students, and for the novel’s inclusion of rape and profanity
5. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
   Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references, and allegations of sexual misconduct by the author
6. Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story About Racial Injustice by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard, illustrated by Jennifer Zivoin
   Reasons: Challenged for “divisive language” and because it was thought to promote anti-police views
7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
   Reasons: Banned and challenged for racial slurs and their negative effect on students, featuring a “white savior” character, and its perception of the Black experience
8. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
   Reasons: Banned and challenged for racial slurs and racist stereotypes, and their negative effect on students
9. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
   Reasons: Banned and challenged because it was considered sexually explicit and depicts child sexual abuse
10. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
    Reasons: Challenged for profanity, and it was thought to promote an anti-police message

*From the ala.org website.

Banned Book Stats

 

Do You Read Banned Books?

Our library has #1, 2, 5, 6, 7, and 8 for our patrons to check out. Be A Rebel: Read A Banned Book!

Next week is Banned Book Week - Celebrate Your Right to Read!

Book banning isn't a thing of the past - every day, books are being challenged and some are being removed from shelves.

In 2017 alone, 416 books were challenged or banned in the United States. The reasons are as different as the books and include :

• Disapproval of the title of the book irregardless of the contents (ie: the classic horse story, Black Beauty)

• Ethnic stereotypes (ie: Huckleberry Finn, Gone with the Wind)

• Disagreements with the book's theme (ie: And Tango Makes Three)

• Offensive language (ie: To Kill a Mockingbird)

• Violence (ie: The Hunger Games)

• Use of magic (ie:  the Harry Potter series, the Strega Nona series)

• Too scary (ie: the Goosebumps series, the Fear Street series)

• Use of slang or bad grammar by the characters (ie: the Junie B. Jones series)

• Sexuality of the characters (ie: Are You There, God, It's Me, Margaret)

As you can see, many of the reasons are very subjective.  We support parents making choices for what their own children read, but leaving books available for others to choose.  Celebrate your right to read - ;pick up a banned book and give it a try.

Banned Books Week - September 27 - October 3

As hard as it might be to believe, there are still attempts every year to have books pulled from library shelves for what some believe to be inappropriate materials for the rest of us to have access to.  The reasons are as varied as the books - issues with offensive language, mentions of gambling, mentions of alternative lifestyles, books dealing with evolution over creationism - the list goes on and on.

Join us during Banned Books Week and celebrate our freedom to read what we choose and make up our own minds about the subject matter contained within.  The following titles, available in our library in one or more formats, were among the top most challenged titles for 2014.

• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie (J and CJ)
• Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi (955.0542  S253p)
• And Tango Makes Three, Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell (E R)
• The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison (F, LT, and C)
• The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini F, LT, MP, and C)
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky (C)
• A Stolen Life, Jaycee Dugard (B Dugard and C B Dugard)