Monday, April 10: It’s National Library Week and we/libraries are looking at the State of America’s Libraries Report released in 2016, that includes the Top Ten Frequently Challenged Books.
“Out of 275 challenges recorded by the American Library Association’s (ALA) for Intellectual Freedom, the “Top Ten Most Challenged Books in 2015” are:” Take a Look Below.
View the 2015 book challenge infographic
Explore the annual Top Ten Most Frequently Challenged Books lists: here
Top Ten for 2015
Looking for Alaska, by John Green
Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group
Fifty Shades of Grey, by E. L. James
Reasons: sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, and other (“poorly written,” “concerns that a group of teenagers will want to try it”)
I Am Jazz, by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings
Reasons: inaccurate, homosexuality, sex education, religious viewpoint, and unsuited for age group
Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out, by Susan Kuklin
Reasons: anti-family, offensive language, homosexuality, sex education, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group, and other (“wants to remove from collection to ward off complaints”)
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon
Reasons: offensive language, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group, and other (“profanity and atheism”)
The Holy Bible
Reasons: religious viewpoint
Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel
Reasons: violence and other (“graphic images”)
Habibi, by Craig Thompson
Reasons: nudity, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group
Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan, by Jeanette Winter
Reasons: religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group, and violence
Two Boys Kissing, by David Levithan
Reasons: homosexuality and other (“condones public displays of affection”)
What are your thoughts on this list?
Have you read any of the books listed?
I’ve not read any banned books that I can remember. I don’t remember what we had to read in High School if it was is a band book now. ^_^ Some of the reasons are interesting, I agree. It’s interesting to see what gets banned. Not all stay banned, but it’s still interesting to see why people have an issue with a book. Have a great day!
I’ve not read any of the books on this list (I’ve read parts of the Bible, but not in it’s entirety). I thought some of the reasonings were interesting. I have read some books that have been on banned book lists. Ones that come to my mind are Go Ask Alice, Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, Call of the Wild. I don’t think they are all still banned, but have been at points.
I was surprised by the bible too. I haven’t read any of the books, but I find the reasons frustrating. It’s like they are trying to make everyone have one viewpoint. Challenge a book for containing homosexuality and religious viewpoint? Argh.
I agree. We all have different view points. We don’t like everything, but their needs to be diversity.
One of the reasons “unsuited for age group”. That I can understand. If the book is written for a certain age group and it doesn’t work for that group, then they should just change the age group or something instead of putting on a ban list.
When I saw The Bible on the list. I thought the same thing. Really?? I’ve not read any of the others. It was interesting to see what books are challenged.
The bible!? Really? There is nothing wrong with the bible. Every culture has there own version. This is sad and pathetic if they think this is challenged. If that is the case, than so should all bibles in every culture! I personally have no issue with any of these books.