Why are books BANNED or CHALLENGED??

"Throughout history, more and different kinds of people and groups of all persuasions than you might first suppose, who,

for all sorts of reasons, have attempted—and continue to attempt—to suppress anything that conflicts with or anyone

who disagrees with their own beliefs."  - American Library Association

Some of the Most Challenged Books of the 21st Century

• Alice series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor for sexual content and offensive language.

• The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler for sexual content, anti-family, offensive language, and unsuited to age group.

• Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling for occult/Satanism, unsuited to age group, violence, and insensitivity. The most common reason cited is its use of witchcraft and the fear that fantasy and reality could become confusing for children. However, some challenges have arisen over the violence it portrays.

• Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher for homosexuality and offensive language.

• The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier for sexual content, offensive language, and violence.

• How to Eat Fried Wormsby Thomas Rockwell for encouraging inappropriate behavior.

• Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein because it was believed to undermine parental, school and religious authority .

• Blubber by Judy Blume because of the book's language and the lack of consequences for the characters that torment a fifth-grade classmate.

• The Giver by Lois Lowry for portraying suicide in a "positive light."

• Lord of the Flies by William Golding because it was considered demoralizing as it implies that "man is little more than an animal." In many cases it was banned because of its use of profanity, sexuality, racial slurs, and excessive violence.

• Winnie-the-Pooh by AA Milne for its promotion of juvenile delinquency.

• The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien for occult/Satanism.

• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz byFrank L. Baum for depicting witches as "good" witches and claims that animals are elevated to the same level as humans.

• My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier for highlighting negative family relations and violence.

• The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton for featuring characters all from broken homes where drug and alcohol abuse was common.

• Bridge to Tarabithia by Katherine Paterson for using offensive language and promoting Satanism. It has been challenged or banned because of the disrespect the children show to adults, the confusion of combining fantasy with reality, and profanity.

• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle for including witchcraft, crystal balls, and all the other hocus-pocus. According to a report, someone in Alabama once challenged the book because he or she "objected to the book's listing the name of Jesus Christ together with the names of great artists, philosophers, scientists and religious leaders when referring to those who defend earth against evil."

• A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein for inappropriate content. The Attic was challenged at a Florida school because it "promotes disrespect, horror and violence."

• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain for racism and offensive language.

• The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger for its the portrayal of events like prostitution, depression, and alienation.

• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee for its use of profanity and racial slurs.

• Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck for its use of profanity. Often cited are the use of the Lord's name in vain along with the use of racial slurs.

• The Color Purple by Alice Walker for its explicit sexuality, profanity, violence, and use of drugs.

• Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut for its its profanity, violence, and explicit sexuality.

• The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison for its profanity, sexual references, and unsuitability for students.