Banned Books Week: Five of Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2016

Every year, the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) compiles a list of the Top Ten Most Challenged Books in libraries and schools. The lists are based on information from media stories and voluntary challenge reports sent to OIF from communities across the United States. Surveys indicate that 82% to 97% of book challenges are not reported and receive no media coverage. Thus the Top Ten Most Challenged Books list should not be viewed as an exhaustive report.  In 2016, the OIF recorded 323 challenges.  Out of that Top Ten list, our library owns four and will acquire a fifth:

Number 10 on the list is Eleanor & Park, written by Rainbow Rowell. One of seven New York Times Notable Children’s Books and a 2014 Honor Book recipient of the Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature, this  novel was challenged for offensive language. It can be found in our OverDrive e-book collection.

Number 6 on the list is Looking for Alaska by John Green. This 2006 Printz Award winner is a young adult novel that was challenged and restricted for a sexually explicit scene that may lead a student to “sexual experimentation.”  This book was the number 1 most challenged book in 2015, and number 7 in both 2012 and 2013, for reasons including offensive language and the inclusion of drugs/alcohol/smoking, as well as being sexually explicit and unsuited for age group. It can be found on the lower level of the Dick Smith Library, Curriculum Collection, call number EDUC PZ7 .G8233 LO 2005, and also in our OverDrive e-book collection.

Number 4 on the 2016 list is I Am Jazz, by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings, illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas. This picture book memoir was challenged and removed because it portrays a transgender child and because of language, sex education, and offensive viewpoints. It was also number 3 on the 2015 list for teh following reasons: inaccurate, homosexuality, sex education, religious viewpoint, and unsuited for age group.  It can be found on the lower level of the Dick Smith Library in the Curriculum Collection, call number EDUC HQ77.7 .H467 2014.

Number 2 on the 2016 list is Drama, written and illustrated by Raina Telgemeier. This 2013 Stonewall Book Award Honor-winning graphic novel for young adults was challenged because it includes LGBT characters, was deemed sexually explicit, and was considered to have an offensive political viewpoint. This book will be acquired for our library.  Drama was also number 10 on the list in 2014.

The most challenged book of 2016 is This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Jillian Tamaki. This young adult graphic novel was named both a 2015 Printz Honor Book and a 2015 Randolph Caldecott Award Honor Book, the latter designation for its illustrations. It was restricted, relocated, and banned due to LGBT characters, drug use, profanity, sexual explicitity with mature themes. It can be found on the Dick Smith Library lower level in the Curriculum Collection, call number EDUC PZ7.7 .T355 THI 2014.