BANNED BOOKS WEEK“When in doubt, go to the library”~from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

by J.K. Rowling

Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read.

Typically held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information.

The purpose is to support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.

By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship.

"Reprinted by permission of the American Library Association."

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CHALLENGED BOOK AND A BANNED BOOK?

A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. 

A banning is the removal of those materials. 

WHY ARE BOOKS CHALLENGED?

Books usually are challenged with the best intentions—to protect others, frequently children, from difficult ideas and information.

The following were the top three reasons cited for challenging materials as reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom: the material was considered to be "sexually

explicit" the material contained "offensive language" the material was "unsuited to age group"

Who Challenges Books?

Throughout history, more and different kinds of people and groups , who, for all sorts of reasons, have attempted—and continue to attempt—to suppress anything that conflicts with or anyone who disagrees with their own beliefs.

CHALLENGES BY INITIATOR

CHALLENGES BY INSTITUTION

CHALLENGES BY YEAR

FREQUENTLY CHALLENGED BOOKS

The ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom receives reports from libraries, schools, and the media on attempts to ban books in communities across the country.

Research suggests that for each challenge reported there are as many as four or five that go unreported.

Who are the most frequently challenged authors?

2012: Dav Pilkey Sherman Alexie Jay Asher E.L. James Ellen Hopkins Jimmy Santiago Baca Patricia Polacco John Green Luis Alberto Urrea Alvin Schwartz Dagberto Glib

Banned and Challenged Classics

1. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald 2. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger 3. The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck 4. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee 5. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker 6. Ulysses, by James Joyce 7. Beloved, by Toni Morrison 8. The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding 9. 1984, by George Orwell 10. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck

#10

Bone (series), by Jeff SmithReasons: Political viewpoint, racism, violence

#9 Bless Me Ultima,

by Rudolfo AnayaReasons: Occult/Satanism, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit

#8 The Perks of Being

a Wallflower, by Stephen ChboskyReasons: drugs/alcohol/

smoking, homosexuality, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group

#7 Looking for Alaska,

by John GreenReasons: Drugs/alcohol/

smoking, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group

#6 A Bad Boy Can Be

Good for A Girl, by Tanya Lee StoneReasons: Drugs/alcohol/

smoking, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit

#5 The Hunger Games,

by Suzanne CollinsReasons: Religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group

#4 Fifty Shades of

Grey, by E.L. JamesReasons: Nudity, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group

#3 The Absolutely True

Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman AlexieReasons: Drugs/alcohol/

smoking, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group

#2 The Bluest Eye, by

Toni MorrisonReasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, violence

#1 Captain

Underpants (series), by Dav PilkeyReasons: Offensive language, unsuited for age group, violence

Take the Banned Books Challenge!

Can you name these books?