Banned Books Week
America is celebrating the freedom to read during Banned Books Week, September 22 – 28, 2013. The top ten banned books of the past year include:
- Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey. Reasons: Offensive language, unsuited for age group
- The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie. Reasons: Offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group
- Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher. Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, suicide, unsuited for age group
- Fifty Shades of Grey, by E. L. James. Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit
- And Tango Makes Three, by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson. Reasons: Homosexuality, unsuited for age group
- The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini. Reasons: Homosexuality, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit
- Looking for Alaska, by John Green. Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group
- Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz Reasons: Unsuited for age group, violence
- The Glass Castle, by Jeanette Walls Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit
- Beloved, by Toni Morrison Reasons: Sexually explicit, religious viewpoint, violence
It should be noted that these books were chosen due to the number of challenges reported to the Office for Intellectual Freedom.
I would encourage parents, teachers, librarians, grandparents and others to read books together with children; books open doorways and pave ways to discussions about topics that may not normally come up in regular conversation. Children just like adults have the right to choose what they read, it is the parents and guardians around them that should help them make informed decisions about what they are choosing. It may be that not all books are suited for all children, but that’s what’s great about books… you can always find something to fit your fancy! For more information about Intellectual Freedom and banned books, check out the Banned Book Week website and the American Library Association website.