Banned Books Week 2014
Celebrating your 1st Amendment Right to Read Freely!
"Let us welcome controversial books and controversial authors." - John F. Kennedy
Benjamin Franklin
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Lyndon B. Johnson
Banned Books Week is September 21-27!
I'd love to have your participation in a project for a special display. Next week is Banned Books Week, a celebration of the 1st Amendment rights we are so fortunate to have in the US.
What's it mean to be challenged/banned?
Challenged means an attempt was made to remove or restrict materials based on the objections of a person or group.
Banned means the challenge succeeded and the book was removed from the collection.
Have you read Challenged or Banned Books?
Check out the list below and see how many books that you have read which are challenged or even banned in some areas of the country at some point (mostly in the 1980s/90s, but many as recently as 2006-2013). Some are even in our curriculum!
This list is by no means exhaustive. Check out the American Library Association's website for more information and comprehensive lists!
Help Us Make A Banned Books Week Display!
If you've read one (or more) of these and it is a book that lead you to a realization about the world/yourself, challenged your previously held beliefs, or otherwise impacted you, please fill out one of our "If I never read..." slips! I will make them available in the Media Center! No names necessary.
OR - fill out the Google form below!
The Giver by Lois Lowry
"murder"
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle
"challenges religious beliefs"
Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Are you there God? It's me, Margaret. by Judy Blume
"anti-Christian behavior"
(Judy Blume is the second most challenged/banned author in the United States, just behind Stephen King)
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
"anti-forestry"
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Several of Roald Dahl's books are on the list of frequently challenged books. including James and the Giant Peach (drugs, alcohol, and magic) and The Witches (sexist, witchcraft).
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
"occult"
"disrespectful"
Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
"mysticism"
"insulting to Christianity"
"too Christian"
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
"violence"
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
"witchcraft"