Banned Books - 2020

Top 10 Challenged Books of 2019 - Read complete details at http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10#2019

What is a Challenge? Attempt to remove or restrict materials or services based on content. What is a ban? Removal of materials or cancellation of services based on content.

Reasons for Challenges? Racist Content, Witchcraft, Gender Dysphoria, Spreads Misinformation, Sexually Explicit, Abortion, Nudity, Racial Slurs, Sexually Explicit, Pro-Immigrant, Anti-Semitic, Drugs, Drinking, Rape, Influencing Vulnerable Young People, Climate Change, Illegal Aliens, Unscientific Ideology, Stereotypical Representations, Violence, Anti-Police, LGBTQIA+, Inaccurate, Sex Education, Pornographic, Radical Islam, Graphic Illustrations, Profanity, Fake News, Political Viewpoint, Biased, Grammatically Incorrect, Transgender Character, Suicide, Religious Viewpoint, Leftist Propaganda

Who Initiates Challenges? 45% Patrons, 18% Parents, 13% Board/Administration, 12% Political/Religious Groups, 8% Librarians/Teachers, 3% Elected Officials, 1% Students

Where Do Challenges Take Place? 66% Public Libraries, 19% School Libraries, 12% Schools, 2% Academis, 1% Special/Prison Libraries

Books and Beyond. The ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 377 challenges in 2019. Here's the breakdown: 56% Books, 22% Programs & Meeting Rooms, 9% Displays & Artwork, 8% Films, 5% Other - includes social media, hate crimes, games, filtering, databases, newspapers, magazines

Censorship

Banned Books
Book Banning and Other Forms of Censorship
Censored: A Literary History of Subversion and Control

Banned & Challenged Classics

Classic literary works are not immune from bans & challenges - some have faced censorship from the day they were first published to present.

Examples of banned & challenged classics include:

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Awakening
The Call of the Wild
The Jungle
Lord of the Flies
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Song of Solomon
Sons and Lovers
Ulysses
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Women in Love