Ten most challenged books in 2007
Posted by Jacque on May 8th, 2008
The American Library Association has listed 2007’s ten most challenged books.
For the second year, the award-winning And Tango Makes Three, a children’s book about two male penguins caring for an orphaned egg, tops the list.
For more than 15 years, the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) has received reports on book challenges, defined as a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school, requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness. In 2007, 420 reports were received on efforts to abolish materials from school curriculum and library bookshelves.
“Free access to information is a core American value that should be protected,” said Judith F. Krug, OIF director. “Not every book is right for each reader, but an individual’s interpretation of a book should not take away my right to select reading materials for my family or myself.”
The 2007 list includes:
- And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell
- The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
- Olive’s Ocean, by Kevin Henkes
- The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
- The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
- TTYL, by Lauren Myracle
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
- It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris
- The Perks of Being A Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
For more information on book challenges and censorship, go to the ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom’s Banned Books Web site.