Celebrate your freedom to read! Today begins annual Banned Books Week.
The ten most challenged books in the United States follow.
Pick one, two or all of them and read this week!
ttyl; ttfn; l8r, g8r (series), by Lauren Myracle
Reasons: nudity, sexually explicit, offensive language, drugs,
and unsuited to age group
And Tango Makes Three, by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
Reasons: homosexuality
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons: drugs, homosexuality, nudity, offensive language, sexually
explicit, suicide, and unsuited to age group
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
Reasons: racism, offensive language, unsuited to age group
Twilight (series), by Stephanie Meyer
Reasons: sexually explicit, religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group
Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
Reasons: sexaully explicit, religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group
My Sister’s Keeper, by Jodi Picoult
Reasons: sexism, homosexuality, sexually explicit, offensive language, unsuited to age group, drugs, suicide, violence
The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things, by Carolyn Mackler
Reasons: sexually explicit, offensive language, unsuited to age group
The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
Reasons: sexually explicit, offensive language, unsuited to age group
The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
Reasons: nudity, sexually explicit, offensive language, unsuited to age group
Reasons: nudity, sexually explicit, offensive language, drugs,
and unsuited to age group
Reasons: homosexuality
Reasons: drugs, homosexuality, nudity, offensive language, sexually
explicit, suicide, and unsuited to age group
Reasons: racism, offensive language, unsuited to age group
Twilight (series), by Stephanie Meyer
Reasons: sexually explicit, religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group
Reasons: sexaully explicit, religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group
My Sister’s Keeper, by Jodi Picoult
Reasons: sexism, homosexuality, sexually explicit, offensive language, unsuited to age group, drugs, suicide, violence
The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things, by Carolyn Mackler
Reasons: sexually explicit, offensive language, unsuited to age group
The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
Reasons: sexually explicit, offensive language, unsuited to age group
The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
Reasons: nudity, sexually explicit, offensive language, unsuited to age group
I don’t believe in banning any book but I do think that there are some age guidelines that should be set for certain materials- sexualy explicit material should be for the 18 and above crowd. As far as To Kill A Mockingbird- that is a social commentary on racism and actually condemns racism and should be read by anyone 14 and above. Twilight is not sexually explicit and is not the occult so I’m not sure what the problem is there but all I can think is that people are so un-enlightened that they don’t understand fiction in general. Now I’m getting off my soapbox!
I agree. I think when you have kids it is your responsibility to know what they are reading and actively participate in their reading choices (just as a parent should know what their kids do online and what the watch on TV).