Listening to The Color Purple before seeing Alice Walker at ALA this summer.
ALA’s Top Ten Challenged Books [2012]:
- Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey.
Reasons: Offensive language, unsuited for age group- The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie.
Reasons: Offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group- Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher.
Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, suicide, unsuited for age group- Fifty Shades of Grey, by E. L. James.
Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit- And Tango Makes Three, by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson.
Reasons: Homosexuality, unsuited for age group- The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini.
Reasons: Homosexuality*, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit- Looking for Alaska, by John Green.
Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group- Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz
Reasons: Unsuited for age group, violence- The Glass Castle, by Jeanette Walls
Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit- Beloved, by Toni Morrison
Reasons: Sexually explicit, religious viewpoint, violence*Funny. I don’t remember “homosexuality” being a theme in The Kite Runner. Oh wait, that’s because it was rape.
In any case, as Hermione Granger once pointed out, banning/challenging something is certainly one way of ensuring people’s interest in said thing. So, congratulations to all the writers!
We librarians cannot stand by and do nothing while some publishers deepen the digital divide. We cannot wait passively while some publishers deny access to our cultural record. We must speak out on behalf of today’s — and tomorrow’s — readers.The library community demands meaningful change and creative solutions that serve libraries and our readers who rightfully expect the same access to e-books as they have to printed books.
So, which side will you be on? Will you join us in a future of liberating literature for all? Libraries stand with readers, thinkers, writers, dreamers and inventors. Books and knowledge — in all their forms — are essential. Access to them must not be denied
” Maureen Sullivan ALA President 2012-2013Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction.
State of America’s Libraries Report 2012. Don’t have time to read the full report? Check out the Fact Sheets
Library Advocates: ALA Supports Amash Amendment to CISPA Bill
During ‘Cybersecurity Week’ in the U.S. House of Representatives last week, the American Library Association announced its support for the “Amash/Labrador/Nadler/Paul/Polis Amendment” to H.R. 3523, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011 (CISPA). The ALA asked Congress to…
Banned Books Week
Transforming Libraries Portal
Looking for articles on transforming programming at your library? Or resources and links helping you find free ebooks? Or the latest research for academic librarians? ALA has launched their Transforming Libraries Portal; it’s pretty awesome—and has tons of information all in one place that’s easy to find.
