Written by Christina Zeiders
The Library is “With the Banned and celebrating books that have been challenged or banned for Banned Books Week. Since Summer Reading Club is over, the Bibliotechno band members have a little downtime. We decided to check in with them to see what their favorite banned books are.
Kole Minor’s favorite banned book is The Color Purple by Alice Walker. Written in 1982, The Color Purple is a complex story that centers around Celie, a poor, abused, black woman in rural Georgia in the 1930s. Celie is determined to save her sister from a life like hers by getting Nettie out of Georgia and to safety. Celie also developed complicated relationships with the few defiant women that enter her life. The Color Purple is available at The Library as a printed book, eBook, and audiobook. Check it out now!
Thomas Luther couldn’t pick just one favorite banned book! He loves both The Color Purple by Alice Walker and The Dirty Cowboy by Amy Timberlake. The Dirty Cowboy is a children’s book about a Cowboy who notices he’s a little smelly after some bugs buzz too loudly in his ear. He heads to the river, peels off his clothes and asks his trusty dog to guard them against strangers… but after his bath, the dog doesn’t recognize the Cowboy anymore! Will the Dirty Cowboy get his clothes back? Find out by borrowing the book from The Library!
Dewey Decibel’s favorite banned book is a real horror story for any book lover. He was enthralled by Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Fahrenheit 451 is about a “fireman” named Guy who’s job is to destroy an illegal commodity – books! His job is to burn books along with the houses where they are hidden. He becomes conflicted after meeting an eccentric young neighbor who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and could explore their world through books instead of mindless television. Can Guy find a way to reconcile these two conflicting ideas? Read or listen to the book to find out!
A.M. Ber’s favorite banned book is The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, which compile Tom’s childhood adventures with his friend, Huckleberry Finn, as they grow up in a small town in Mississippi. Through these escapades, Tom and the reader learn about some serious issues like dishonesty, revenge, murder, starvation and slavery. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is available at The Library in several formats, including as a Graphic Novel. Check out the different formats here!
Ruby Jones’s favorite banned book is one of the top 10 most challenged books in 2017! Drama by Raina Telgemeier is a graphic novel that’s been challenged because it includes LGBT characters in the story. You can read more about it below or, better yet, check it out from The Library!
Keysha’s favorite banned reading is one of my favorites too! She really enjoyed reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. It’s a thoughtful coming of age story starring a boy named Charlie who struggles with the pressures of high school, sex, love, drugs, loss and life on the fringes. It has literary cred too! It was a #1 New York Times Bestseller for more than a year and was named “Best Book for Young Adults” and “Best Book for Reluctant Reader” by the American Library Association in 2000. This modern classic is available in printed, electronic and audiobook formats!
If you want to be “With the Banned,” add a few of these books to your reading list… here are the top ten challenged books of 2017.
#10: I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings, illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas
This autobiography was co-written by a 13-year old transgender teen, Jazz Jennings. It was challenged because it addresses gender identity. Jazz is now 17 and is one of the youngest trans women activists in history to speak publicly about transgender issues.
#9: And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, illustrated by Henry Cole
After a brief hiatus from the top 10, And Tango Makes Three reentered the charts in 2017. This book has been challenged because it features a same sex relationship. And Tango Makes Three is based on the true story of two penguins at the Central Park Zoo who built a nest together and tried to hatch a rock. A zookeeper saw their attempt to build a family and decided to provide an egg. The two penguins took turns caring for the egg until it hatched.
#8: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
This Young Adult book was the most searched for book on Goodreads when it debuted. It was challenged because it was considered “vulgar” and because of drug use, profanity, and offensive language. It explores the complication of Starr Carter’s life, by a local drug lord and the police, after she witnesses the death of her childhood best friend at the hands of a police officer.
#7: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Despite being published in 1960, To Kill a Mockingbird continues to make waves. This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel has been challenged because of violence and its use of the N-word. A young girl, Scout, learns about injustice, violence, racism and class issues after her father, a lawyer, defends a black man against sexual accusations made by a white woman.
Sex is a Funny Word, published in 2015, is written by a certified sex educator. It has been challenged for “addressing sex education” and because it is believed to lead children to “want to have sex or ask questions about sex.” It was written to facilitate conversations between young people and their caregivers about their bodies, gender and sexuality, while also providing information about boundaries, safety and joy.
George is also on the challenged list because it features a transgender child. The protagonist is a transgender girl who is trying to figure out how to let her classmates know her true self. When her teacher announces that their class will perform Charlotte’s Web, George knows she wants to play Charlotte. Her best friend helps her create a plan to become Charlotte and show her class her true identity.
#4: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
This critically acclaimed novel was challenged because it includes sexual violence and was thought to “lead to terrorism” and “promote Islam.” It’s a heart wrenching story of a friendship between a wealthy Afghan boy and the son of his father’s servant. It showcases themes of betrayal, redemption, and the relationship between father and son.
Telgemeier’s graphic novel was challenged and banned from school libraries for including LGBT characters and because it was considered “confusing.” It follows Callie, a middle schooler who loves theater, but can’t really sing. When her school puts on a show of Moon over Mississippi, she becomes a set designer determined to make a Broadway-set on a middle school budget. There’s offstage drama that becomes even crazier after two cute bothers enter Callie’s world.
#2: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
This book has been consistently challenged since its publication in 2007 for acknowledging issues like alcoholism and poverty, and for including profanity and sexually explicit situations. It follows a budding cartoonist, Junior, as he leaves the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white high school, (where the only other Indian is the mascot, for a better education. Torn between his two worlds, he discovers his inner strength.
And now, the most challenged book of 2017…
#1: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Published in 2007, Thirteen Reasons Why resurfaced as the most challenged book of 2017. Why? Netflix created and aired a series based on the novel. It’s been challenged because it discusses suicide, includes drug and alcohol use, and is deemed sexually explicit. The story is about a high school student who receives a box containing 13 cassette tapes recorded by a recently deceased classmate, Hannah. He spends the night crisscrossing his town and listening to Hannah recount the events leading up to her suicide.
The Office for Intellectual Freedom of the American Library Association (ALA) has been tracking challenges to library, school and university materials since 1990. If you need even more banned reading suggestions, you can visit the ALA website to see top 10 lists dating back to 2001.