Throughout history, books have been viewed by some as dangerous, threatening, or immoral. Every year schools and libraries receive hundreds of requests to entirely remove certain books that the challenger feels are objectionable. This means that not only would the person making the challenge or their children not be able to read that book, but also that nobody else who uses the library would be able to. The American Library Association “promotes the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinions even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those viewpoints to all who wish to read them.”
Every year the ALA promotes “Banned Books Week” to celebrate the freedom of choice and promote awareness of book challenges. This year it is September 24 through October 1, 2011. Visit the ALA Banned & Challenged Book and the Banned Books Week sites for more information.
Recently Challenged Books
Top 10 Most Challenged Books, 2000-2009
| 1 | Harry Potter (series) | J. K. Rowling |
| 2 | Alice series | Phyllis Reynolds Naylor |
| 3 | The Chocolate War | Robert Cormier |
| 4 | And Tango Makes Three | Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell |
| 5 | Of Mice and Men | John Steinbeck |
| 6 | I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings | Maya Angelou |
| 7 | Scary Stories (series) | Alvin Schwartz |
| 8 | His Dark Materials (series) | Philip Pullman |
| 9 | ttyl; ttfn; l8r g8r (series) | Lauren Myracle |
| 10 | The Perks of Being a Wallflower, | Stephen Chbosky |
>>Read the complete list of Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books 2000-2009
Banned and Challenged Classics
| 1 | The Great Gatsby | F. Scott Fitzgerald |
| 2 | The Catcher in the Rye | J. D. Salinger |
| 3 | The Grapes of Wrath | John Steinbeck |
| 4 | To Kill a Mockingbird | by Harper Lee |
| 5 | The Color Purple | by Alice Walker |
>>Read more Banned and Challenged Books
Books about Book Censorship
- Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
- Burn This Book: PEN Writers Speak Out on the Power of the Word, ed. by Toni Morrison
- A Universal History of the Destruction of Books: From Ancient Sumer to Modern-Day Iraq, by Fernando Báez, translated by Alfred MacAdam
- Books on Fire: The Destruction of Libraries throughout History, by Lucien X. Polastron
- Libricide: The Regime-Sponsored Destruction of Books and Libraries in the Twentieth Century, by Rebecca Knuth
- Burning Books and Leveling Libraries: Extremist Violence and Cultural Destruction, by Rebecca Knuth
