Read Any Banned Books? Probably Several.

Cover via Amazon

While my two previous posts might suggest that this is simply Sarah-Palin’s-coming-out-as-a-pseudo-author-week, it’s also—er, also—Banned Books Week. These days, that means a week to celebrate all of the American literature your teachers made you read (or, in some cases, read to you) in school. Or the books you read with your kids.

Seriously. Just take a look at some of the books and authors that made the American Library Association’s lists of the most frequently banned books since 2001. You’ll notice several books by authors of color on the list.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain (2007, 2002)
Reason: racism

The Color Purple, by Alice Walker (2007)
Reasons: homosexuality, offensive language, sexually explicit

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou (2006, 2004, 2002, 2001)
Reason: sexually explicit

The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison (2006)
Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group

Beloved, by Toni Morrison (2006)
Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group

It’s So Amazing! A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families, by Robie H. Harris (2005)
Reasons: sex education and sexual content
[Editor's note: Okay, maybe you didn't read this exact book, but odds are, your teachers or parents gave you a book just like it.]

Forever, by Judy Blume (2005)
Reasons: sexual content and offensive language

The Catcher in the Rye, by J. D. Salinger (2005, 2001)
Reasons: sexual content, offensive language and being unsuited to age group

Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey (2004, 2002)
Reasons: offensive language and sexually explicit

Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck (2004, 2003, 2001)
Reasons: offensive language, racism, and violence

Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling (2003, 2002, 2001)
Reasons: occult/satanism

Bridge to Terebithia, by Katherine Paterson (2003, 2002)
Reason: occult/satanism and offensive language

Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous (2003, 2001)
Reason: drugs

Also sad is the long list of classics that individuals and groups have tried to get removed from libraries and classrooms over the years. The list is so extensive that it almost seems like an effort by some school-hating students to get out of taking English altogether. But alas, we know better.

So where are these books being challenged, and in some cases, banned? Probably somewhere near you. The following map highlights incidents of challenges documented by the ALA and the Kids’ Right to Read Project between 2007 and 2009. If the Midwest, South, and Alaska appear to have fewer challenges than you’d expect, keep in mind that these are only the challenges that people report. About 70 to 80 percent of challenges are never reported, according to BannedBooksWeek.org.

View Book Bans and Challenges, 2007-2009 in a larger map