It's Banned Books Week! Sept. 27 - Oct. 3
by badwolf
What is Banned Books Week, you may ask? It's an event put on by the American Library Association every year to celebrate the freedom to read! The ALA does not believe in censorship, and celebrating banned or challenged books draws attention to the harm potentially caused when access is restricted. If you haven't already, come check out our Banned Books Week display in the Downtown Youth Department and take a peek at the books we've chosen to highlight - some of them may surprise you!
What does it mean if a book is challenged or banned? Well, it simply means that someone doesn't like it! It could be a parent who doesn't agree with their child's assigned reading list for school, or a teacher who doesn't believe a particular title should be allowed in his/her district's curriculum. Books are challenged with the best intentions - to protect others, most commonly children, from difficult ideas and information. However, banning a book goes far beyond simply expressing a point of view or exercising beliefs. Removing material from a school's curriculum or the public library restricts the access of others who may not hold those same beliefs.
If you've had a chance to look at the display or check out the list of titles that are in it, you're probably wondering why some great books have been challenged or banned. Well, hold onto your hats and find some pearls to clutch, because we're about to tell you!
Here’s a list of the books in our display case in the same order in which you'll see them. Underneath each title are the reasons that were listed on formal complaints filed against them and basic summaries of the content that prompted these complaints.
- - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- - promotes disobedience, too violent
- - Katniss defies President Snow's authority, and there is a lot of bloodshed in the Hunger Games.
- - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
- - promotes witchcraft and Satanism
- - Magic is a normal part of everyday life in Harry's world.
- - Drama by Raina Telgemeier
- - sexually explicit
- - There is an openly gay character, and two boys kiss in the school play when one plays a female character and the other a male character.
- - The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
- - anti-family, cultural insensitivity, drugs/alcohol/smoking, gambling, offensive language, sex education, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group, violence, depictions of bullying
- - A Native American boy is sent to an all-white high school, where he faces racism and bullying.
- - Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
- - gambling, offensive language, political viewpoint, “politically, racially, and socially offensive,” “graphic depictions”
- - The main character grows up in the middle of a war and witnesses violence and death, and since the book is a graphic novel, there are illustrations of these events.
- - Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- - racism
- - Native Americans are depicted as “terrible savages.”
- - A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
- - promotes violence, disrespect, and disobedience
- - There are poems about disobeying parents, being selfish or lazy, and lying.
- - King & King by Linda deHaan
- - homosexuality, anti-family, undermines religious freedom, considered “pornography” for showing a family situation that is different from traditional marriage
- - The prince wants to marry another prince instead of a princess.
- - Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey
- - offensive language, violence, sexually explicit, implied nudity
- - Captain Underpants flies around in just his underwear and a cape.
- - Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
- - socially offensive
- - The police characters are pigs and are depicted as inept.
- - The Rabbits’ Wedding by Garth Williams
- - socially offensive
- - A black rabbit wants to marry a white rabbit.
- - Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola
- - promotes witchcraft
- - Strega Nona is the loveable town witch to whom everyone turns in their time of need.
- - And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
- - anti-family, homosexuality, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group, “promotes the homosexual agenda”
- - Two male penguins are given an egg to raise together.
- - Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
- - promotes/glorifies dangerous behavior (tantrums), child abuse
- - Max throws a lot of tantrums and is “deprived” of food as punishment.
- - Nappy Hair* by Carolivia Herron
- - racially insensitive
- - A little African-American girl's hair is described as "nappy" and "knotted up" by her family.
- - Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
- - pro-homosexuality, anti-family, unsuitable for children
- - The main character has two moms instead of a mom and a dad.
*Are you looking for Nappy Hair in our catalog, but can't find it? Never fear! We only have one copy in the system, and since it's currently in the display case, it has to be marked as "unavailable." Check back in a few weeks!
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