The Chocolate War, Olive’s Ocean, The Golden Compass, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are among the notable titles on this year’s list of the most frequently banned books, compiled by the American Library Association.
A challenged book is defined by the ALA as any ”formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness.” It’s interesting to see what gets people upset enough to complain. In the top ten, seven were challenged for being sexually explicit; five for using offensive language; two for religious viewpoints. Three of the most banned books were targeted for homosexuality, including the No. 1 banned book of 2007, “Tango Makes Three.” It’s a picture book about a pair of male penguins who adopt a child. The book, which I have not read, is based on a true story of penguins at the Central Park Zoo.
“With new dad Clay Aiken coming out of the closet, why can’t a children’s book about a couple of gay penguins catch a break?” asks the Momlogic blog. “Would you really object to your children reading ‘And Tango Makes Three?’ How about your kid buying a Clay Aiken CD?
Actually, I would object to my kid buying a Clay Aiken CD. But not because he’s gay.
Update: The Washington Post today reports on a conservative Christian group that is using “banned book week” to point out that books sympathetic to religious viewpoints are also being banned….by librarians themselves.
Sex, Bad Language and Gay Penguins…those are my favorite topics. I always find the list of banned books interesting. I find it even more interesting that we have a list of banned books. Do we also have a list of books where the first word on page 7 is “winter”? I would find both lists equally useful. Thank you for the post.
Parents are the best judge of what is appropriate for their children. When books become a method of indoctrination (i.e., bringing about social agenda…or ‘correcting’ wrong thought, as some in California believe), parents should be seeing red flags all over the horizon. School has become less a place of learning, and more a place to shape the socio-political climate. Hence, families are leaving the ’system’ right and left (no pun intended) so that they can take back the direction of their child’s education. Bravo to these new warriors!