I'm usually a day late and a dollar short, but I just read another article about the 2010 challenged books. It never ceases to amaze me as to why some of these books are challenged, but then I may have a different outlook on life.
For some reason, I just knew that Stephanie Meyer's book Twilight would be challenged. I mean, there are people who like Halloween, vampires and ghouls, and then there are those who don't. Twilight, coming in at the #10 spot, was challenged because the idea of vampires and other supernatural entities is opposed by certain religious viewpoints. So is Halloween.
Revolutionary Voices edited by Amy Sonnie was new to me. It fell into the #9 spot because a complaint from a resident led to the removal of the critically acclaimed LGBT anthology from high school and public libraries in Burlington County, N.J.
At #8 was Nickle and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich. This was an account of the author's struggle to make a living at various minimum-wage jobs across the country. The book was challenged in Bedford, N.H., high school due to offensive language, negative depiction of capitalism and references to drug use.
Now, What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones has been on the list before. So, it was not a surprise that it landed in the #7 spot. Challenges cited reasons such as sexual content and being unsuited to age group. And the picture of the laughing kid on the cover didn't make it liked any better.
I hadn't heard of Lush by Natasha Friend, probably because I don't have any children in middle school. But at #6 it was challenged because it is a realistic portrayal of a girl with an alcoholic father who is struggling with her own decision-making vis-a-vis alcohol and boys. And the book is often challenged in middle schools.
It's amazing how many challenged books are teen books. At #5 is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, which involves teens who are forced by a postapocalyptic government to fight a televised battle to the death. In 2010, a New Hampshire parent asked the School Board to remove the book from her daughter's class, claiming that it could numb students to the effects of violence.
And then along came Crank by Ellen Hopkins at #4. This book was inspired by Hopkins' daughter's struggles with methamphetamine addiction. Hopkins donated a school visit to a charity auction in Oklahoma in 2010, but was dis-invited after a parent challenged her books for "inappropriate content."
Suddenly we're down to the wire! At #3 is (of all things) Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (how long has this book been around?) Stimulating would-be censors almost continuously since its publication in 1932, this book has been challenged as anti-family,
anti-religion, racist and due to sexual content. But it's amazing how many people have read it!
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, which was a National Book Award Winner, by Sherman Alexie, was #2 on the list. The Stockton (Mo.) R-1 School Board voted to ban the book from both the high school curriculum and library due to violence, language and sexual content.
And NOW we come to #1! The same #1 that has been on the list for what seems like forever! Can you guess what it is? Yep! You're right...And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson. This children's picture book is based on two real-life male Chinstrap Penguins, Roy and Silo, at New York's Central Park Zoo who were found trying to hatch a rock. The zoo staff gave them an egg to hatch and the result was a female chick who the staff named Tango. Although this book has won many awards, it will probably be #1 for a long time to come, even though it is a tender story with beautiful pictures.
There's no telling what 2011 will bring when it comes to challenged books. And it's understandable why the books are being challenged. Just like there is the "Freedom to Challenge," there is always the "Freedom to Read." And (how wonderful it is) the "Freedom of Choice."
(Source: http://pio.ala.org/challengedbooksslideshow.html)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment