Since 1982, libraries
and the greater book community, worldwide celebrate Banned Books week at the
end of September. While this may seem a strange thing to celebrate, the
real celebration is about bringing attention to those books, organizations, and
individuals that have been challenged and oppressed both in the past year and
historically, to highlight our ongoing freedoms to read and access
information.
Each year a theme is
chosen, around which events are planned. In 2021 the theme is "Books
Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us", meant to" draw attention to the
benefits of unrestricted reading and the harms of
censorship." The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) also
compiles lists of challenged books as reported in the media and submitted by
librarians and teachers across the country. The Top 10 Challenged Books of 2020
are:
1. George by Alex Gino. Challenged, banned, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content, conflicting
with a religious viewpoint, and not reflecting “the values of our community.”
2. Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason
Reynolds. Banned and challenged
because of the author’s public statements and because of claims that the book
contains “selective storytelling incidents” and does not encompass racism
against all people.
3. All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan
Kiely. Banned and
challenged for profanity, drug use, and alcoholism and because it was thought
to promote antipolice views, contain divisive topics, and be “too much of a
sensitive matter right now.”
4. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Banned, challenged, and restricted because it was thought to
contain a political viewpoint, it was claimed to be biased against male
students, and it included rape and profanity.
5. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references, and
allegations of sexual misconduct on the part of the author.
6. Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story about Racial
Injustice by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard,
illustrated by Jennifer Zivoin. Challenged for “divisive language” and because it was thought to
promote antipolice views.
7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Banned and challenged for racial slurs and their negative effect
on students, featuring a “white savior” character, and its perception of the
Black experience.
8. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Banned and challenged for racial slurs and racist stereotypes
and their negative effect on students.
9. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. Banned and challenged because it was considered sexually
explicit and depicts child sexual abuse.
10. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Challenged for profanity, and because it was thought to promote
an antipolice message.
Please join us in
celebrating this year's theme by visiting CVTC Library in person or visiting
our Banned Books Guide.
You can learn more about Banned Books week, check out a Banned Book, and maybe
win a prize!
Based on information found at: https://bannedbooksweek.org/about/.
