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Most Recent List of Banned/Challenged Books in American Classrooms

"Books unite, censorship divides." 

That's a very fitting mantra today as it was decades ago with the first controversial piece to hit bookstores. The American Library Association (ALA) is one organization that denounces such practices, advocating for intellectual and literary freedom when it comes to the expression and absorption of ideas. The Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) is a subgroup within the company who compiles lists of the top 10 Most Challenged Books, "In order to inform the public about censorship in libraries and schools." They base their findings on a book's media presence and collected data from volunteers throughout the U.S. That being said, their studies indicate that 82-97% of book challenges – formal, written requests to remove materials from schools or libraries – go unreported.



I looked at each list and was surprised at the stark contrast between banned books in the early 2000s to today. Since the OIF wasn't established until after the 1990s, their lists began in 2000-2001. From that year, some notable works included Of Mice and Men for "offensive language, racism, unsuited to age group, [and] violence." Others, such as I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou and the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling were indited on matters concerning language, sexual content, and antireligious material. 


It wasn't until 2004 that Harry Potter was beaten off the list by other literary masterpieces such as the Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey. Unfortunately, an imaginary superhero who wields the formidable Wedgie Power was docked for its inappropriate content and distasteful vocabulary. 

Here is the 2021 list of most challenged/banned books in America, according to the OIF:
  1. Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
    1. Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content, and because it was considered to have sexually explicit images
  2. Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison
    1. Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicit
  3. All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
    1. Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content, profanity, and because it was considered to be sexually explicit
  4. Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez
    1. Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted for depictions of abuse and because it was considered to be sexually explicit
  5. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
    1. Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, violence, and because it was thought to promote an anti-police message and indoctrination of a social agenda
  6. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
    1. Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references and use of a derogatory term
  7. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
    1. Reasons: Banned and challenged because it was considered sexually explicit and degrading to women
  8. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
    1. Reasons: Banned and challenged because it depicts child sexual abuse and was considered sexually explicit
  9. This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson
    1. Reasons: Banned, challenged, relocated, and restricted for providing sexual education and LGBTQIA+ content.
  10. Beyond Magenta by Susan Kuklin
    1. Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicit. 
The earlier bans were evident based on their titles alone (The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler and E.L. James' Fifty Shades of Grey are a few examples that come to mind...). But if we're following the timeline, it is surprising to see the consistent themes that are still applicable to the most recent list in 2021. Several books on the most recent poll indicate these works were challenged and banned for pushing LGBTQIA+ and sexual material. Violence and political indoctrination were other reasons that popped up, but not to the extent of the former. Juno Dawson, author of This Book is Gay, asserts, "You can't stop a kid being trans or LGBT, but you can stop a book" (Brooks 2022). We'll dive more into this later on, but Dawson brings up the true reason behind censorship: limitation. Today, this is seen as adults and schools seek to limit the amount of homosexual and obscene content included in more modern works. It may sound shocking, but there is value in each side's argument. One side argues children shouldn't be exposed to such ideas at a young age while the other claims it is essential (and, at times inevitable) in their personal and social development.

There is no doubt, though, that the Banned Books Week Motto should be at the forefront of our minds when analyzing the reasons that certain works are questioned. Books unite. Censorship, and its misguided intentions, divides. 






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