Monday, April 9, 2012

The Top Ten Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2011

The American Library Association (ALA) has released its annual list of the most frequently challenged books of the year. During the past year the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom received 326 reports of attempts to remove or restrict materials from school curricula and library bookshelves. The list is part of the ALA's 2012 State of America's Libraries Report which was released to coincide with National Library Week (April 8-14). The top ten most frequently challenged books of 2011, and their reasons are:

1. ttyl; ttfn; l8r, g8tr (series) by Lauren Myracle for Offensive language; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group

  


2. The Color of Earth (series) by Kim Dong Hwa for nudity; sex education; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group

  


3. The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins for insensitivity; offensive language; violence; occult/satanic; being anti-ethnic; anti-family

  


4. My Mom's Having a Baby! A Kid's Month-by-Month Guide to Pregnancy by Dori Hillestad Butler for nudity; sex education, sexually explicit; unsuited to age group



5. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie for offensive language; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group



6. Alice (series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor for nudity; offensive language; religious viewpoint. Here are cover images of the first three, the 25th book in the series is set for release in 2013.

  


7. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley for insensitivity; nudity; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit



8. What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones for nudity; offensive language; sexually explicity



9. Gossip Girl (series) by Cecily Von Ziegesar for drugs; offensive language; sexually explicit. Here are the cover images for the first three.

  


10. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee for offensive language; racism



The State of America’s Libraries Report documents trends in library usage and details the impact of library budget cuts, technology use and the various other challenges facing U.S. libraries.  The full Report is available at http://www.ala.org/news/mediapresscenter/americaslibraries/soal2012.

Happy reading,
Angela
 
 
 
 



30 comments:

  1. I am SO glad you chose to post this list for your TTT! I know it sounds strange to say I look forward to this list each year, but of course I do. I like to read scandelously. :P

    Happy Library Week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Heidi,
      Thank you so much for coming by. It happened by happy accident. I couldn't think of more than a couple of deceptive titles, and this list came out just in time. Yes, we are REBEL readers! lol

      Delete
  2. It always amazes me. I have ttyl on my shelf to read for the next BB Week.

    Thanks for stopping by.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Amy,
      Me too. Thank goodness the ALA stands up for intellectual freedom. It was my pleasure.

      Delete
    2. It's scary to think what a country would look like if all the books people took offence at were actually banned and removed. I don't think much of America sees the irony of it, sadly, but thankfully enough people do that it hasn't yet gone to such an extreme.

      Meanwhile I am simply trying to translate the titles of that first entry - "l8r" I get, but ttyl? ttfn? This'll seem completely obvious once revealed but right now I have no idea!

      Delete
    3. Hi Shannon,
      Thanks so much for stopping by. I completely agree with you, we have to stand up for our intellectual freedom. ttyl - talk to you later; ttfn - ta-ta for now.

      Have a fantastic rest of the week!

      Delete
  3. It's so interesting the reason that people want to ban certain book. Oh the craziness.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't get it either. Don't read it if you don't want to. Right? But don't dictate what I can or cannot read. Thanks so much for dropping by.

      Delete
  4. Very interesting post! I also find it crazy the themes that some people write about in books for young children. Thanks for stopping by my blog!

    - Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jana,
      I agree that some themes aren't appropriate for young children, but it is the parent's responsibility to decide whether or not to let their children read it.

      Delete
  5. It always shocks me that To Kill a Mockingbird was so often challenged!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow! Thanks for posting this. As others have mentioned I think it is interesting to see the reasons why people want certain books banned.

    Thanks for the follow. I'm following back :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi there Melissa,
      I completely agree. Thanks so much for stopping by and the follow.

      Delete
  7. I'm always amazed that books are still challenged and banned.
    [I also thought the cover contrast between the Gossip Girl books and the others was kind of interesting!]

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Zo,
      Thanks so much for coming by. Wow, I hadn't noticed the contrast before you mentioned it. That is interesting.

      Delete
  8. People will always complain about anything. Who knows why?! There are books I don't want to read based on certain issues, or wouldn't be 100% okay with my kids reading, but who am I to say that NO ONE should read them?! Crazy!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Christina,
      That's exactly how I feel about it. Thanks a bunch for stopping by for a visit.

      Delete
  9. Even the idea of banning a book is so annoying that i get a headache from it. If people bothered to check what their kids or students were actually reading and help guide them better, there would be no need for book bans

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Natalie,
      Yep, it's the parent's responsibility. Thanks for coming by.

      Delete
  10. What a great post! Something I look forward to each year for sure, I am a book pusher and totally "with the banned!" I always get infuriated by the ignorance behind these lists though, so frustrating! Thanks for stopping by my TTT!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Alyssa, thanks for stopping by. I think the people trying to get the books off the shelves have good intentions. But they are wrong to try and dictate what I or MY children read. They need only worry about themselves and their children.

      Delete
  11. Oh thanks, I love to read the most banned list every year, laugh at the reason, then preceed to read and pimp those novels. I didn't have access this year, so thank you for the top ten!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Epiphany Renee,
      You're quite welcome. Thanks a bunch for stopping by.

      Delete
  12. Oooh, this is awesome. I'm annoyed that Mockingbird is STILL being challenged... I tend to want kids to READ, and if they're gonna read about sex... whatever, because they've probably already heard of it on the playground. But maybe I'm just desensitized.
    I really want to read the Color of Earth, I'm gonna see if South African bookshops stock them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Med,
      The ignorance of some people! Mockingbird is a fantastic work of literature and one of my all-time faves. I hope you find Color of Earth. Thanks a million for stopping by.

      Delete
  13. That's a really interesting list! Thanks for sharing!
    The only ones I've read on that list are The Hunger Games and a couple of Gossip Girl books but I've read a lot of books that contain stuff that those books are being challenged for and it doesn't particularly bother me... I guess it's just the way our society is today, right? And you can always choose not to read the book if you don't want to.
    I really want to read To Kill A Mockingbird - it's one of those classics that everyone should read really, isn't it?
    :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Catherine,
      Yep, I agree that it's all about personal choice. Ooooh read Mockingbird. It's so good. I appreciate that you stopped by.

      Delete
  14. Thanks for this list. I always try to pay attention to the books of interest. I am so against banning books for any reason and I like to know what people place on the chopping block each year. I work at a used bookstore and my friend told me about a lady coming in on my day off and talking about how she saw The Hunger Games in theaters. She runs another bookstore and thought it was inappropriate that so many teens came in purchasing the book when the movie showed so much violence. She then proceeded to say the books should be banned from children and teens because of the violence. I'm glad I was out that day. I can't imagine how shielding people from concepts is healthier than literary exposure to them. Not many books are violent for the sake of violence. There's most always a reason, a point, and a lesson to it. End rant. =)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Megan,
      My pleasure :) I completely agree with you. I think it's the parent's, and only the parent's, right and responsibility to monitor what their children are reading. That lady was lucky you were out that day! And really, what the children see in the streets and on the news is real. The Hunger Games is fiction. Make-believe. Thanks a million for coming by!

      Delete

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