As long as books have been published, they’ve also been banned for one reason or another. This week, the American Library Association (ALA) released its annual State of America’s Libraries Report, which included a Top Ten List of Frequently Challenged Books in 2012. You might be surprised to find that of all books, the Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey, was on the list. All I can figure is that Dr. Diaper and Professor Poopypants crossed some kind of line.
Thankfully, the ALA continues to promote the benefits of free and open access to information by highlighting censorship and actual or attempted banning of books across the United States.
Here is the Top Ten List of Frequently Challenged Books in 2012:
- Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey
- “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” by Sherman Alexie
- “Thirteen Reasons Why,” by Jay Asher
- “Fifty Shades of Grey,” by E. L. James
- “And Tango Makes Three,” by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
- “The Kite Runner,” by Khaled Hosseini
- “Looking for Alaska,” by John Green
- Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz
- “The Glass Castle,” by Jeannette Walls
- “Beloved,” by Toni Morrison
For an interesting take on classic banned books, read Flavorwire’s, The Most Ridiculous Claims Used to Challenge Classic Novels by Emily Temple.
You also might like to read my previous post, Have you read these banned books?
Tagged: American Library Association, banned and challenged books, Flavorwire Image may be NSFW.
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