Top Ten Banned Books of 2009
The American Library Association has released their annual list of the most banned/challenged books in American libraries. There are two new books on the list this year: the Twilight series and My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult. I can’t tell you how funny I think it is that Twilight is challenged for being “sexually explicit.” Abstinence is a central theme in the books! Is Edward’s sexiness so powerful that it cannot be contained in a library? I guess they could be referring to the honeymoon part of Breaking Dawn. If that book should be banned for anything it should be for that bloody, disgusting scene [spoiler alert] where Bella gives birth [end spoiler].
Of course, I totally get why And Tango Makes Three is on the list. We must protect the children from the dangers of the gay penguins! **eyeroll**
I just don’t understand book banners, and I guess I shouldn’t even try. Don’t get me wrong, I think parents being actively involved in their child’s reading choices is good parenting. The problem is that by trying to remove a book from the library they are deciding what other people’s children can or can’t read, and that’s not cool.
Here’s the full list from the ALA:
1. TTYL; TTFN; L8R, G8R (series), by Lauren Myracle
Reasons: Nudity, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group, Drugs
2. And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
Reasons: Homosexuality
3. The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Anti-Family, Offensive Language, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group, Drugs, Suicide
4. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Reasons: Racism, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group
5. Twilight (series) by Stephenie Meyer
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group
6. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group
7. My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
Reasons: Sexism, Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group, Drugs, Suicide, Violence
8. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group
9. The Color Purple Alice Walker
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group
10. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
Reasons: Nudity, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group
