1. LIB 600 Libraries and Education
Fall 2012
Banned Books Week

2. Celebrate Your
Freedom to Read
Banned Books Week
September 30th – October 6th 2012
Adapted and Expanded from a Presentation originally
created by Kelly Sonnanstine – FGCU Library Services in
2000

3. What is Banned Books Week?
 Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read
– Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden
surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and
libraries. More than 11,300 books have been challenged since 1982.
For more information on Banned Books Week, click here. According
to the American Library Association, there were 326 challenges
reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom in 2011, and many
more go unreported.
– Banned Books Week Sponsors
• American Booksellers Association
• American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression
• American Library Association
• American Society of Journalists and Authors
• Association of American Publishers
• National Association of College Stores
• Endorsed by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress
• In 2011, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund; National Coalition
Against Censorship; National Council of Teachers of English; and
PEN American Center also signed on as sponsors.

4. Based on intellectual freedom
What is Intellectual Freedom?
– Intellectual freedom is the right of every individual
to both seek and receive information from all
points of view without restriction. It provides for
free access to all expressions of ideas through which
any and all sides of a question, cause or movement
may be explored.
– Intellectual freedom is the basis for our democratic
system. We expect our people to be self-governors.
But to do so responsibly, our citizenry must be
well-informed.
• Intellectual Freedom and Censorship Q & A

5. Censorship
– [is] the control of the information and
ideas circulated within a society
– The rationales for censorship have
varied, with some censors targeting
material deemed to be indecent or
obscene; heretical or blasphemous; or
seditious or treasonous. Thus, ideas have
been suppressed under the guise of
protecting three basic social institutions:
the family, the church, and the state.

6. Freedom of speech
The First Amendment of the Constitution
of the United States of America
Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting
the free exercise thereof; or abridging the
freedom of speech, or of the press; or the
right of the people peaceably to
assemble, and to petition the government
for a redress of grievances.
The Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution was ratified on
December 15, 1791

7. What about the freedom to read?
Not explicitly mentioned in the
Constitution
– Does that mean to say that the First
Amendment does not apply to reading?
– See court cases on The Right to Read
Freely on ALA’s Notable First
Amendment Court Cases web page

8. Why Banned Book Week?
 Banned Books Week (BBW)
celebrates our freedom to express
and explore diverse opinions, even
if those opinions are considered by
some to be unorthodox or
unpopular. BBW stresses the
importance of ensuring the
availability of those unorthodox or
unpopular viewpoints to all who
wish to read them. After
all, intellectual freedom can exist
only where these two essential
conditions are met.

9. More About Why?
 Although targeted by censors, most of the books
featured during BBW were not banned, thanks to the
efforts of librarians to maintain them in their collections.
Imagine how many more books might be challenged—
and banned—if librarians, teachers, and booksellers
across the country did not use Banned Books Week each
year to teach the importance of our First Amendment
rights and the power of literature, and to draw attention to
the danger that exists when restraints are imposed on the
availability of information in a free society.

10. Banned Books Week Message
 The message of Banned
Books Week is more than a
simple celebration of our
freedom to explore and express
unorthodox or unpopular
opinions. Banned Books Week
reminds us that it is our
responsibility as citizens to
ensure the availability of those
unorthodox or unpopular
viewpoints to all who wish to
read them.

11. “The books that
the world calls
immoral are the
books that show
the world its own
shame.” Wilde
- Oscar

12. Damage of Fear
 When books are challenged, restricted, removed, or
banned, an atmosphere of suppression exists. Authors
may make revisions less for artistic reasons than to avoid
controversy. Editors and publishers may alter texts or
elect not to publish for economic and marketing reasons.
Staff in bookstores and libraries, fearing reprisal, may
simply choose not to purchase controversial
materials, practicing a form of silent censorship.

13. Damage of Fear
 The fear of the
consequences of censorship
is as damaging as, or
perhaps more damaging
than, the actual censorship
attempt. After all, when a
published work is banned, it
can usually be found
elsewhere. Unexpressed
ideas, unpublished
works, unpurchased books
are lost forever.—2001
Resource Guide

14. “The ultimate
expression of free
speech lies not in the
ideas with which we
agree, but in those
ideas
that offend and
irritate us.”Stone
- Chuck

15. Why Are Books Challenged?
Books are usually
challenged by people with
good intentions—to protect
others, usually
children, from difficult ideas
and truths. Censorship
can be subtle, almost
invisible, or it can be
blatant, but regardless of
the way in which it is
presented, it is always
harmful.

16. Why Are Books Challenged?
 Often challenges are motivated by
a desire to protect children from
“inappropriate” sexual content or
“offensive” language. Although this is a
commendable motivation, Free Access
to Libraries for Minors, an
interpretation of the American Library
Association’s Library Bill of Rights
reminds us that “Parents—and only
parents—have the right and the
responsibility to restrict the access of
their children—and only their
children—to library resources.”

17. “Books and ideas
are the most
effective weapons
against intolerance
and ignorance.”
- Lyndon B. Johnson

18. Who Challenges Books?
 Throughout history, more
and different kinds of people
than you might first
suppose, and groups of all
persuasions, have for all sorts
of reasons, attempted—and
continue to attempt—to
suppress literature and other
forms of expression that
conflict with their own
beliefs.

19. Who Challenges Books?
 In his book Free Speech for Me—But Not for Thee:
How the American Left and Right Relentlessly Censor
Each Other, Nat Hentoff writes that ―the lust to suppress
can come from any direction.‖ He quotes Phil Kerby, a
former editor of the Los Angeles Times, as
saying, ―Censorship is the strongest drive in human
nature; sex is a weak second.‖

20. “Fear of corrupting
the mind of the
younger
generation is the
loftiest form of
cowardice.”- Holbrook Jackson

21. Challenge vs. Banning
 A challenge is an
attempt to remove or
restrict materials, based
upon the objections of a
person or group.
 A banning is the actual
removal of those materials
from the curriculum or
library, thereby restricting
the access of others.

22. Challenge vs. Banning
 Challenges go beyond the
exercise of free speech. They are
an attempt to remove materials
from the curriculum or
library, thereby restricting the
rights of others. The positive
message of Banned Books Week
is that, due to the commitment of
librarians, teachers, parents, stud
ents and other concerned
citizens, most challenges are
unsuccessful and most materials
are retained in the school
curriculum or library collection.

23. Challenge List Tabulation
 The American Library Association
(ALA) collects information from two
sources: newspapers and reports
submitted by individuals. This
information is compiled into a
database. Reports of challenges
culled from newspapers across the
country are compiled in the
bimonthly Newsletter on Intellectual
Freedom; those reports are then
compiled in the Banned Books Week
Resource Guide.

24. “The right to be
heard does not
automatically
include the right
to be taken
seriously.”
- Hubert H. Humphrey

25. 10 Most Frequently
Challenged Books of 2000
10. The Giver, by Lois Lowry, for being sexually
explicit, occult themes and violence.
9. The Terrorist, by Caroline Cooney, for violence, being
unsuited to age group and occult themes.
8. Scary Stories series, by Alvin Schwartz, for
violence, being unsuited to age group and occult themes.
7. Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers, for offensive
language, racism, violence and being unsuited to age
group.
6. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya
Angelou, for being too explicit in the book’s portrayal of
rape and other sexual abuse.

26. 10 Most Frequently
Challenged Books of 2000
5. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, for
offensive language, racism, violence and being
unsuited to age group.
4. Killing Mr. Griffin, by Lois Duncan, for
violence and sexual content
3. Alice series, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, for
sexual content and being unsuited to age
group.
2. The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier (the
“Most Challenged” fiction book of 1998), for
violence, offensive language and being
unsuited to age group.

27. The Most Frequently
Challenged Book of 2000
1. Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling, (the “Most Challenged”
fiction book of 1998), for occult/Satanism and anti-family
themes.
NOTE: According to the American
Library Association’s (ALA) Office for
Intellectual Freedom, Harry Potter first
entered the list [ in 1999], rising to the
top after only three months. The
number of challenges to Harry Potter
reported in 2000 [was] triple that of
1999.

28. Most challenged book of 2006?
(and 2007 and 2008 and 2010)
And Tango Makes Three tops ALA’s
2006 list of most challenged books
– Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell’s award-
winning And Tango Makes Three, about two
male penguins parenting an egg from a mixed-
sex penguin couple, tops the list of most
challenged books in
2006 by parents and
administrators,
due to the issues of
homosexuality.
Gay penguins have a place in school libraries?
Nov 17, 2006

29. Most Challenged Books in 2011?
1) ttyl; ttfn; l8r, g8r (series), by Lauren Myracle
Reasons: offensive language; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit;
unsuited to age group
2) The Color of Earth (series), by Kim Dong Hwa
Reasons: nudity; sex education; sexually explicit; unsuited to age
group
3) The Hunger Games trilogy, by Suzanne Collins
Reasons: anti-ethnic; anti-family; insensitivity; offensive language;
occult/satanic; violence [up from 5th in 2010]
4) My Mom's Having A Baby! A Kid's Month-by-Month Guide to
Pregnancy, by Dori Hillestad Butler
Reasons: nudity; sex education; sexually explicit; unsuited to age
group
5) The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: offensive language; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually
explicit; unsuited to age group [Down from 2nd in 2010]
– Source: About Banned Books Week

30. “Don’t join the book
burners. Don’t think
you are going to
conceal thoughts by
concealing evidence
that they ever
existed.”
- Dwight D. Eisenhower

31. The most frequently challenged authors of 2008-2010
2011: Lauren Myracle, Kim Dong Hwa, Chris
Crutcher, Carolyn Mackler, Robert Greene, Sonya
Sones, Dori Hillestead Butler, Sherman Alexie, Suzanne
Collins, Aldous Huxley, Harper Lee, Eric Jerome
Dickey, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Dav Pilkey, Cecily von
Ziegesar
2010: Ellen Hopkins, Peter Parnell and Justin
Richardson, Sonya Sones, Judy Blume, Ann
Brasheres, Suzanne Collins, Aldous Huxley, Sherman
Alexie, Laurie Halse Anderson, Natasha Friend
2009: Lauren Myracle, Alex Sanchez, P.C. Cast, Robert
Cormier, Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, Stephen
Chbosky, Chris Crutcher, Ellen Hopkins, Richelle
Mead, John Steinbeck
 Most frequently challenged authors of the 21st century

32. Another ALA Resource

33. On YouTube

34. “Censorship
reflects a
society’s lack of
confidence in
itself. It is the
hallmark of an
authoritarian
regime…”
- Justice Potter Stewart

35. An opposing viewpoint
―You might be shocked at the
sensitive, controversial and inappropriate
material that can be found in books in K-12
schools. Both in the classroom and library.
Parents should be aware of what their
children can or must read in school to decide
whether it is appropriate for them or not.‖
– http://pabbis.com/

36. Landmark court cases
Rosenberg v. Board of Education of City of
New York, 92 N.Y.S.2d 344 (Sup. Ct. Kings
County 1949)
Board of Education, Island Trees Union Free
School District No. 26 v. Pico, 457 U.S.
853, 102 S.Ct. 2799, 73 L.Ed.2d 435 (1982)
Case v. Unified School District No. 233, 908
F. Supp. 864 (D. Kan. 1995)
– See Notable First Amendment Court Cases

37. WARNING!
Some people consider
The following books
dangerous!

38. Are you there God?
It’s me, Margaret.
By Judy Blume
 Challenged in many
libraries but removed from
Gilbert, AZ elementary school
libraries (1980), and ordered
that parental consent be
required to check out this title
from the junior high school
libraries. Was said to be
profane, immoral, and
offensive.

39. The Clan of the Cave Bear
By Jean M. Auel
 Challenged at the Berrien
Springs, MI High School for use
in classrooms and libraries
(1998) because the novel is
“vulgar, profane, and sexually
explicit.”
 Banned from Cascade Middle
school Library in Eugene, OR
(1992) because a parent
complained about a rape scene.

40. To Kill a Mockingbird
By Harper Lee
 Challenged in many
communities for language and
racial themes.
 Temporarily banned in Eden
Valley, MN (1977) due to the
words “damn” and “whore lady”
used in the novel.
 Banned from the Lincoln, TX
AP reading list (1996) because
the book “conflicted with the
values of the community.”

41. Slaughterhouse-Five
By Kurt Vonnegut
 Banned in Rochester, MI, because
the novel “contains and makes
references to religious matters” and
thus fell within the ban of
establishment clause.
 Challenged in many communities
but burned (yes, burned) in
Drake, ND (1973) for being “vulgar
and offensive.”

42. Where the Sidewalk Ends
By Shel Silverstein
Challenged in Xenia, OH school
libraries (1983) because the book is
“anti-Christian, against parental and
school authorities, emphasized the
use of drugs and sexual activity.”
 Removed from the shelves of
Minot, ND public school libraries
(1986) by the assistant
superintendent “in anticipation of a
parent’s complaint.” Upon the
recommendation of a review
committee the book was returned to
the shelves.

43. Song of Solomon
By Toni Morrison
 Removed from the required
reading lists and library shelves in
Richmond County, GA School
District (1994) after a parent
complained the passages from the
book were “filthy and inappropriate.”
 Challenged, but retained, in the
Columbus, OH schools (1993). The
complainant believed that the book
contains language degrading to
blacks, and is sexually explicit.

44. The Adventures of Tom
Sawyer By Mark Twain
 Excluded from the children’s
room in the Brooklyn Public Library
(1876) and the Denver Public
Library (1876).
 Removed from school libraries in
London, England, by education
officials (1985) who found it “racist”
and “sexist.”
 Confiscated at the U.S.S.R.
border (1930).

45. Blubber
By Judy Blume
 Challenged in the Perry
Township, OH elementary school
libraries (1991) because in the
book, “bad is never punished. Good
never comes to the fore. Evil is
Triumphant.”
 Banned at the Clements High
School in Athens, AL (1998) because
of objections to two instances of the
word “damn” and one instance of the
word “bitch” in the novel.

46. Flowers for Algernon
By Daniel Keyes
 Banned in Plant City, FL (1976)
and Emporium, PA (1977) because of
references to sex.
 Challenged, but retained, in the
Yorktown, VA Schools (1996)
because a parent complained about
profanity and references to sex and
drinking in the novel.
 Removed from the ninth grade
curriculum by the Rayburn, GA
County Board of Education (1997)
because it was “inappropriate” for the
ninth grade.

47. The Color Purple
By Alice Walker
 Banned in the Souderton, PA
Area School District (1992) as
inappropriate for tenth graders
because it is “smut.”
 Retained as an English Course
reading assignment in the Junction
City, OR High School (1995) after a
challenge to Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-
winning novel caused months of
controversy.

48. Adventures of Huckleberry
Finn By Mark Twain
 Banned in Concord, MA (1885)
as “trash and suitable only for the
slums.”
 Dropped from the New York
City (1905) list of approved books
for senior and junior high
schools, partly because of the
frequent use of the term “nigger.”
 The Pennsylvania NAACP
called for the removal of the book
from required reading lists (1998)
across the state because of racial
language.

49. I Know Why the Caged Bird
Sings By Maya Angelou
 Four members of the Alabama
State Textbook Committee (1983)
called for its rejection because
Angelou’s work preaches “bitterness
and hatred against whites.”
 Banned from the Dolores Parrott
Middle School in Brooksville, FL school
library and classrooms (1998) because
of a passage in which Angelou tells of
being molested and raped as a child.

50. Of Mice and Men
By John Steinbeck
 Banned from classroom use at the
Scottsboro, AL (1983) due to profanity.
 Removed and later returned to the
Suwannee, FL High School Library
(1991) because the book is “indecent.”
 Removed, restored, restricted, and
eventually retained in the Bay County
schools in Panama City, FL. (1997)

51. Catcher in the Rye
By J.D. Salinger
 Since its publication, this title has
been a favorite target of censors.
 Banned from classrooms at the
Boron, CA High School (1989) because
the book contains profanity.
Removed from the required reading
curriculum of Marysville, CA Joint
Unified School District (1997) because
of profanity and sexual situations .

52. Where’s Waldo?
By Martin Handford
 Challenged at the Public Libraries
of Saginaw, MI (1998) because “on
some of the pages there are dirty
things.”
 Removed from the Springs Public
Library in East Hampton, NY (1993)
because there is a tiny drawing of a
woman lying on the beach wearing a
bikini bottom but no top.
 See #6 in 11 Most Ironically Banned
Books Of All Time

53. 100 Years of Solitude
By Gabriel Garcia-Marquez
 Purged from the book list for the
use at the Wasco, CA Union High
School (1986) because the
book, whose author won the 1982
Nobel Prize for Literature, was
“garbage being passed off as
literature.”
 Removed from the AP English
reading list at St. Johns High School
in Darlington, SC (1990) because of
profane language.

54. Learn More Here
 Preserving Intellectual Freedom: Fighting
Censorship in Our Schools By Jean E. Brown
 Banned in the USA: A Reference Guide to Book
Censorship in Schools and Public Libraries
By Herbert N. Foerstel
 Intellectual Freedom Manual 8th ed. (2010)
Compiled By Office for Intellectual
Freedom, ALA.
 Censored: The News that Didn’t Make
the News
By Carl Jensen

55. Banned Books Week Sponsors

56. The End!