Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Popular authors top "Most Challenged" book list...

by Brittany Geragotelis

The American Library Association (ALA) recently published their annual Top 10 List of Most Frequently Challenged Books and I was kind of surprised at what came in at #1. A little history behind this: For nearly 20 years, the ALA has been gathering book challenges (formal, written complaints filed with libraries or schools requesting books be removed or restricted because of content or appropriateness).

In 2009 alone, the group received 460 reports from people trying to restrict certain books from making it onto public and school library bookshelves. I don't know about you, but the idea of banning books is just silly to me. Honestly, there's enough graphic stuff going on in the world in general...why should we censor it in books? However, I have found that some authors of books that have been banned in schools across the country—Meg Cabot (The Princess Diaries, Airhead) often talks about being banned, with glee—take particular pride in ending up on these lists.

So who made the ALA's Top 10 list this year? Check it out below:

Amulet Books
1. ttyl, ttfn, l8r, g8r (series)
by Lauren Myracle
Reasons: Nudity, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group, Drugs




S&S BFYR
2. And Tango Makes Three
by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
Reasons: Homosexuality




MTV Books
3. The Perks of Being A Wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Anti-Family, Offensive Language, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group, Drugs, Suicide




Grand Central
Publishing
4. To Kill A Mockingbird
by Harper Lee
Reasons: Racism, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group




Little Brown
5. Twilight (series)
by Stephenie Meyer
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group




Little Brown
6. Catcher in the Rye
by J.D. Salinger
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group




Washington
Square Press
7. My Sister’s Keeper
by Jodi Picoult
Reasons: Sexism, Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group, Drugs, Suicide, Violence




Candlewick
8. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things
by Carolyn Mackler
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group




Mariner Books
9. The Color Purple
by Alice Walker
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group




Ember
10. The Chocolate War
by Robert Cormier
Reasons: Nudity, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group


Are you as surprised as I was to see Lauren Myracle in the #1 slot? Sounds a little silly that so many people complained about some of these books, doesn't it? It kind of makes me want to go out and read all of them (at least the ones I haven't already read). And come on people, homosexuality as a complaint? Really? What is this, the 1800s? How about everyone stop judging. Still, this is interesting all around, no?

5x5,
B.

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