The banned list
Area librarians would like people to celebrate “Banned Books Week” by reading a banned book. “Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read” is observed during the last week of September each year, and this year is being observed Sept. 29 through Oct. 6. The week has been observed since 1982, and is held to remind Americans not to take their democratic freedom for granted. According to the American Library Association, “Banned Books Week” celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them. According to the ALA, books usually are challenged with the best intentions — to protect others, frequently children, from difficult ideas and information. Statistics show that the top three reasons for challenging material are the material is considered to be “sexually explicit,” contain “offensive language,” and be “unsuited to age group.”
Throughout history, many different kinds of people and groups have attempted, and continue to attempt, to suppress anything that conflicts with or anyone who disagrees with their own beliefs. According to statistics, parents challenge materials more often than any other group.
Book banning doesn’t seem to be a problem at Bureau County’s public libraries.
Justin Fundell, library director at Raymond A. Sapp Library in Wyanet, said his library has a display of banned books to commemorate the week, and said he has no problems with patrons requesting books be withdrawn from the shelves.
“Some people might disapprove, but they’re not outspoken,” he said.
The same thing’s true in Spring Valley.
Barb White, librarian at the Richard A. Mautino Memorial Library in Spring Valley, hasn’t had anyone request a book be banned, although sometimes a patron does find a book a little too sexy.
“They’re not saying it should be taken off the shelf so other can’t read it,” she said. “They’re just saying it’s too racy for them.”
In Princeton, library director Carol Bird said it hasn’t been an issue since she came to the library in April 2001.
“If there was a problem, we have a process in place for handling people who want to make a complaint about a book,” she said. “The board looks at it finally and makes a decision as to whether they’re going to leave the book on the shelves or if it will be removed.”
Bird purchases for the young adult section, and said she doesn’t check to see if a book has been banned before she buys it.
“I don’t look and see if I think it might be something that’s suspect or a little bit controversial,” she said. “If the book comes highly recommended, I’ll try and buy it, because that’s the only way we can build a well-rounded collection.”
Connie Kauffman, youth services librarian at the Princeton Public Library, said she’s only had a couple complaints about books in her six years at the library.
“Most of the time we moved them to a different area, to either the teen area or the adult area,” she said. “We moved it up into an area where it would be not accessible for a younger student.”
Kauffman said she thinks it’s important to read banned books.
“It’s our right as American citizens,” she said. “Have you read Huckleberry Finn, or Tom Sawyer, or the Harry Potter books? There’s many books out there that have either been banned from libraries or have been put on a banned list that a lot of people enjoy.”
The “10 Most Challenged Books of 2006” reflect a range of themes and consist of the following titles:
• "And Tango Makes Three" by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, for homosexuality, anti-family and unsuited to age group.
• "Gossip Girls" series by Cecily Von Ziegesar for homosexuality, sexual content, drugs, unsuited to age group and offensive language.
• "Alice" series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor for sexual content and offensive language.
• "The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things" by Carolyn Mackler for sexual content, anti-family, offensive language and unsuited to age group.
• "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison for sexual content, offensive language and unsuited to age group.
• "Scary Stories" series by Alvin Schwartz for occult/Satanism, unsuited to age group, violence and insensitivity.
• "Athletic Shorts" by Chris Crutcher for homosexuality and offensive language.
• "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky for homosexuality, sexually explicit, offensive language and unsuited to age group.
• "Beloved" by Toni Morrison for offensive language, sexual content and unsuited to age group.
• "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier for sexual content, offensive language and violence.
Source: American Library Association
Between 1990 and 2000, of the 6,364 challenges reported to or recorded by the Office for Intellectual Freedom:
• 1,607 were challenges to “sexually explicit” material (up 161 since 1999)
• 1,427 to material considered to use “offensive language” (up 165 since 1999)
• 1,256 to material considered “unsuited to age group” (up 89 since 1999)
• 842 to material with an “occult theme or promoting the occult or Satanism,” (up 69 since 1999)
• 737 to material considered to be “violent” (up 107 since 1999)
• 515 to material with a homosexual theme or “promoting homosexuality” (up 18 since 1999) and
• 419 to material “promoting a religious viewpoint” (up 22 since 1999)
• 317 to material with “nudity” (up 20 since 1999)
• 267 to material with “racism” (up 22 since 1999)
• 224 to material with “sex education” (up 7 since 1999)
• 202 to material considered “anti-family” (up 9 since 1999)
Source: American Library Association
The 100 most frequently challenged books of 1990-2000
“Scary Stories” (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
“Daddy's Roommate” by Michael Willhoite
“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou
“The Chocolate War” by Robert Cormier
“The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain
“Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck
“Harry Potter” (Series) by J.K. Rowling
“Forever” by Judy Blume
“Bridge to Terabithia” by Katherine Paterson
“Alice” (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
“Heather Has Two Mommies” by Leslea Newman
“My Brother Sam is Dead” by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
“The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger
“The Giver” by Lois Lowry
“It's Perfectly Normal” by Robie Harris
“Goosebumps” (Series) by R.L. Stine
“A Day No Pigs Would Die” by Robert Newton Peck
“The Color Purple” by Alice Walker
“Sex” by Madonna
“Earth's Children” (Series) by Jean M. Auel
“The Great Gilly Hopkins” by Katherine Paterson
“A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L'Engle
“Go Ask Alice” by Anonymous
“Fallen Angels” by Walter Dean Myers
“In the Night Kitchen” by Maurice Sendak
“The Stupids” (Series) by Harry Allard
“The Witches” by Roald Dahl
“The New Joy of Gay Sex” by Charles Silverstein
“Anastasia Krupnik” (Series) by Lois Lowry
“The Goats” by Brock Cole
“Kaffir Boy” by Mark Mathabane
“Blubber” by Judy Blume
“Killing Mr. Griffin” by Lois Duncan
“Halloween ABC” by Eve Merriam
“We All Fall Down” by Robert Cormier
“Final Exit” by Derek Humphry
“The Handmaid's Tale” by Margaret Atwood
“Julie of the Wolves” by Jean Craighead George
“The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison
“What's Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters” by Lynda Madaras
“To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee
“Beloved” by Toni Morrison
“The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton
“The Pigman” by Paul Zindel
“Bumps in the Night” by Harry Allard
“Deenie” by Judy Blume
“Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes
“Annie on my Mind” by Nancy Garden
“The Boy Who Lost His Face” by Louis Sachar
“Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat” by Alvin Schwartz
“A Light in the Attic” by Shel Silverstein
“Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley
“Sleeping Beauty Trilogy” by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
“Asking About Sex and Growing Up” by Joanna Cole
“Cujo” by Stephen King
“James and the Giant Peach” by Roald Dahl
“The Anarchist Cookbook” by William Powell
“Boys and Sex” by Wardell Pomeroy
“Ordinary People” by Judith Guest
“American Psycho” by Bret Easton Ellis
“What's Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons” by Lynda Madaras
“Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret” by Judy Blume
“Crazy Lady” by Jane Conly
“Athletic Shorts” by Chris Crutcher
“Fade” by Robert Cormier
“Guess What?” by Mem Fox
“The House of Spirits” by Isabel Allende
“The Face on the Milk Carton” by Caroline Cooney
“Slaughterhouse-Five” by Kurt Vonnegut
“Lord of the Flies” by William Golding
“Native Son” by Richard Wright
“Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women's Fantasies” by Nancy Friday
“Curses, Hexes and Spells” by Daniel Cohen
“Jack” by A.M. Homes
“Bless Me, Ultima” by Rudolfo A. Anaya
“Where Did I Come From?” by Peter Mayle
“Carrie” by Stephen King
“Tiger Eyes” by Judy Blume
“On My Honor” by Marion Dane Bauer
“Arizona Kid” by Ron Koertge
“Family Secrets” by Norma Klein
“Mommy Laid An Egg” by Babette Cole
“The Dead Zone” by Stephen King
“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” by Mark Twain
“Song of Solomon” by Toni Morrison
“Always Running” by Luis Rodriguez
“Private Parts” by Howard Stern
“Where's Waldo?” by Martin Hanford
“Summer of My German Soldier” by Bette Greene
“Little Black Sambo” by Helen Bannerman
“Pillars of the Earth” by Ken Follett
“Running Loose” by Chris Crutcher
“Sex Education” by Jenny Davis
“The Drowning of Stephen Jones” by Bette Greene
“Girls and Sex” by Wardell Pomeroy
“How to Eat Fried Worms” by Thomas Rockwell
“View from the Cherry Tree” by Willo Davis Roberts
“The Headless Cupid” by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
“The Terrorist” by Caroline Cooney
“Jump Ship to Freedom” by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
Source: American Library Association