This week, September 27th to October 3rd, is Banned Books Week. Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to read. It was established in 1982 by First Amendment activist Judith Krug. Books are challenged every year when individuals or groups find their content inappropriate. Some books end up banned from school curriculums, from libraries, or throughout entire communities.
Here are some popular books that have appeared on the ALA’s lists of the frequently challenged books in recent years. These books are available at the Loyola Libraries.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
Reasons for challenges in 2014: anti-family, cultural insensitivity, drugs/alcohol/smoking, gambling, offensive lan
guage, sex education, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group, violence. Additional reasons: “depictions of bullying”
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
Reasons for challenges in 2013: religious viewpoint and unsuited to age group
The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini.
Reasons for challenges in 2012: homosexuality, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Reasons for challenges in 2011: racism and offensive language
Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer
Reasons for Challenges in 2010: religious viewpoint and violence
The Perks of Being A Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons for challenges in 2009: drugs, homosexuality, offensive language,
His Dark Materials trilogy, by Philip Pullman
Reasons for challenges in 2008: political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, and violence
You can see the whole list of frequently contested books here: http://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10
For more information about Banned Books Week visit http://www.ala.org/bbooks/.
