The American Library Association has released its list of the Top Ten Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2011. Their Office of Intellectual Freedom received 326 reports regarding attempts to remove or restrict materials from school curricula and library bookshelves.
I've only read a few of these - but now I know I must read all of these to see what the fuss is about. I will say that of the ones I've read their reasoning for pulling the books seem ridiculous. Just because you don't like something doesn't mean that you have the right to make that decision for myself or my children.
So here's the list.
1. "ttyl/ttfn; l8r, g8r" (series) by Lauren Myracle (offensive language, religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group)
2. "The Color of Earth" (series) by Kim Dong Hwa (nudity; sex education; sexually explicit; unsiuted to age group)
3. "The Hunger Games" (trilogy) by Suzanne Collins (anti-ethnic; anti-family; insensitivity; offensive language; occult/satanic; violence) OK - what! occult/satanic? Are they getting that from Seneca Crane's movie beard? How is it anti-ethnic or anti-family? These people are totally missing the point of these books!
4. "My Mom's Having a Baby! A Kid's Month-by-Month Guide to Pregnancy" by Dori Hillestad Butler (nudity; sex education; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group)
5. "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie (offensive language; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group)
6. "Alice" (series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (nudity; offensive language; religious viewpoint)
7. "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley (insensiviity, nudity; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicity)
8. "What My Mother Doesn't Know" by Sonya Sones (nudity; offensive language; sexually explicit)
9. "Gossip Girl" (series) by Cecily Von Ziegesar (drugs; offensive language; sexually explicity)
10. "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee (offensive language; racism) Yes, let's object to a book that is suppose to teach you how awful racism is because it features racism. IDIOTS!