Thursday, September 29, 2016

Thursday Thirteen 432: Banned Books Week




It's Banned Books Week, the annual celebration of frequently challenged books. Be sure to defend your right to read what you want, when you want and pick up a "banned" book this week! Here are the top ten most challenged books of 2015:


01. Looking for Alaska, by John Green
Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group.

02. 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”).

03. I Am Jazz, by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings
Reasons: Inaccurate, homosexuality, sex education, religious viewpoint, and unsuited for age group.

04. 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”).

05. 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”).

06. The Holy Bible
Reasons: Religious viewpoint.

07. Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel
Reasons: Violence and other (“graphic images”).

08. Habibi, by Craig Thompson
Reasons: Nudity, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group.

09. Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan, by Jeanette Winter
Reasons: Religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group, and violence.

10. Two Boys Kissing, by David Levithan
Reasons: Homosexuality and other (“condones public displays of affection”).


And three banned books I have read this year:

11. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Reasons: Crude language, sexually explicit
Ironically, an invitation for the author to speak at a Minnesota high school during Banned Books Week 2015 was rescinded after parents in the district challenged the book. Happily, a review committee comprised of parents, educators and a student reviewer determined the book to be "powerful" and "age appropriate," and that it would therefore remain in the school library.

12. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Reasons: Offensive language, oppressive towards minorities

13. The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Reasons: Violent, age inappropriate.
The book was also banned in Nazi Germany and other European countries as being "too radical."




Have you read any banned/challenged books this year?


LINKING TO: Thursday Thirteen




6 comments:

Alice Audrey said...

LOL: Holy Bible?! What next? The Koran? Well, duh it's got religious points of view.

Wait. Where was it banned?

Heather said...

Alice: Yes, The Holy Bible. Banned or challenged throughout America (Arizona, for example) and in many other countries. Sometimes it is particular versions of the book that cause it to be banned. For example, in Morocco, Bibles may be printed in French, English and Spanish, but not in Arabic.

colleen said...

That's crazy. Tom Saywer? Once upon a time I read The Curious Incident ... nothing to ban except for the fact that I couldn't get through it cause once you get over the premise (it's told from the voice of an autistic boy) it wasn't that compelling.

CountryDew said...

I've read many of those. I do not understand people who want to ban books. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Alice Audrey said...

Frankly, I don't mind if the Bible is banned in grade school as required curricula.

Heather said...

Colleen: Yes, Tom Sawyer. Fore reasons stated in post. I have The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime in Mount TBR, but don't expect to get to it any time soon.

Anita: Agreed! It's fine if you don't want to read something, but please don't tell me what I can or can't read.

Alice: Believe it or not, it was banned because of some cultural studies law the state passed, not by an actual school or library.