Do you know what the top ten most challenged books of 2010 are?
Do you know what the top ten most challenged books of 2010 are?
The American Library Association tallied up the number of challenges made at libraries across the country in 2010 and now has released the top ten most challenged books. They define a challenge as an effort “to remove or restrict materials from school curriculum and library bookshelves.”
Here is the full list of 2010’s most frequently challenged books:
1. And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
Reasons: homosexuality, religious viewpoint, and unsuited to age group
2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: offensive language, racism, sex education, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, and violence
3. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Reasons: insensitivity, offensive language, racism, and sexually explicit
4. Crank by Ellen Hopkins
Reasons: drugs, offensive language, and sexually explicit
5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Reasons: sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, and violence
6. Lush by Natasha Friend
Reasons: drugs, offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group
7. What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones
Reasons: sexism, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group
8. Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
Reasons: drugs, inaccurate, offensive language, political viewpoint, and religious viewpoint
9. Revolutionary Voices edited by Amy Sonnie
Reasons: homosexuality and sexually explicit
10. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Reasons: religious viewpoint and violence
There were a total of 348 challenges in 2010.
Having read some of these books, it sent chills up my back knowing that these books are actual novels people are discouraged to read. How do you feel about the list? I find it hard to understand why these books would be removed from libraries in the first place, especially when a parent can prevent their children from reading them anyways.
A lot of these novels do deal with mature themes throughout, however, I strongly disagree that because of certain issues they are taken off bookshelves. I believe everyone equally has the right to access these books. However, by demanding they be banned from a library prevents someone who is mature enough to understand the content, from reading great novels – which is very unfortunate. Who has the right to decide what everyone else’s children should or shouldn’t be reading anyways? What do you think about the list?
Tags: 2010, And Tango Makes Three, audio books, books on CD, books on tape, Brave New World, Crank, digital books, Free downloads, Lush, Nickel and Dimed, Revolutionary Voices, simply audiobooks, The Absolutely True Diary of Part-Time Indian, The American Library Association, The Hunger Games, Top Ten Challenged Books, twilight, What My Mother Doesn't Know
