Banned Books Week 2016 kicked off on 25th September as the American Library Association (ALA) puts its efforts into celebrating the challenged, and banned books of our time. It’s a celebration of the freedom to read and highlights the value of free and open access to information.
Oscar Wilde said ‘The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.’ And this year’s list would certainly agree with that sentiment.
Each year the list of recently banned books changes, as our social structures change, and this year’s books are focused on issues of diversity as America still deals with its relationship with people of colour, LGBT issues, disabilities and religious and cultural minorities. In fact this year’s list shows a clear shift in thinking, as authors and publishers work to make the written word more diverse and all encompassing.
If you’re looking for a Banned Book to read this year, then here are the ten most challenged books of the last twelve months:
Looking for Alaska – John Green
Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group.
Fifty Shades of Grey – E. L James
Reasons: Sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, and other (“poorly written,” “concerns that a group of teenagers will want to try it”).
I Am Jazz – Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings
Reasons: Inaccurate, homosexuality, sex education, religious viewpoint, and unsuited for age group.
Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out – Susan Kuklin
Reasons: Anti-family, offensive language, homosexuality, sex education, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group, and other (“wants to remove from collection to ward off complaints”).
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time – Mark Haddon
Reasons: Offensive language, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group, and other (“profanity and atheism”).
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time US
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time UK
The Holy Bible
Reasons: Religious viewpoint.
Fun Home – Alison Bechdel
Reasons: Violence and other (“graphic images”).
Habibi – Craig Thompson
Reasons: Nudity, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group.
Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan – Jeanette Winter
Reasons: Religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group, and violence.
Two Boys Kissing – David Levithan
Reasons: Homosexuality and other (“condones public displays of affection”).
Mostly the list reads like a Conservative book burning, but the addition of the Bible shows that it’s not only Conservatives who wish to see books banned. The list is made up of books challenged in schools and libraries and is just a taster of the challenged books throughout the year. In 2015 a massive 275 titles were challenged, but that is down from 311 on the previous year.
One thing that hasn’t changed, and that’s the fact that a good old fashioned banning is very good for book sales, showing that banning books is the surest way to get them read!
Happy reading all, have a fantastic Banned Books Week 2016!
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