100 Most Frequently Challenged Books: 2000 –2009

[Alannah]

These are the 100 most frequently challenged books from 2000–2009 according the American Library Association.

http://www.listchallenges.com/100-mos...

What have you read?

[Alannah]

Harry Potter
Of Mice and Men
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Color Purple
Gossip Girl
Brave New World
The Kite Runner
The Handmaid's Tale

[Cheryl]

Harry Potter
Of Mice and Men
His Dark Materials
The Perks of being a Wallflower
The Catcher in the Rye
To Kill a Mockingbird
Slaughterhouse 5
The Kite Runner
A Time to Kill
The Lovely Bones
Goosebumps.

[Leslie]

Harry Potter
Of Mice and Men
His Dark Materials
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Color Purple
Go Ask Alice
To Kill a Mockingbird
Brave New World
Slaughterhouse-Five
The Kite Runner
A Time to Kill
Fahrenheit 451
The Song of Solomon
The Lovely Bones
The Handmaid's Tale
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

[Shirley]

What does it mean - most frequently challenged?

[Leslie]

Shirley wrote: "What does it mean - most frequently challenged?"

I wondered that too, so I looked. These are the books that libraries are most frequently asked to take off their shelves (by parents, library patrons, etc).

[Shirley]

ah, I see, hmm, interesting!

[Gemma]

What do they mean by challenged?

I have read,

Harry Potter
Of Mice & Men
To Kill a Mockingbird
Lovely Bones
Goosebumps (read lots of these at school, can't really remember which ones!!)

[Alannah]

Found this from the ALA website which might give a better understanding:

'Background Information from 2000 to 2009

Over this recent past decade, 5,099* challenges were reported to the Office for Intellectual Freedom.

1,577 challenges due to "sexually explicit" material;
1,291 challenges due to "offensive language";
989 challenges due to materials deemed "unsuited to age group";
619 challenged due to "violence"' and
361 challenges due to "homosexuality."
Further, 274 materials were challenged due to "occult" or "Satanic" themes, an additional 291 were challenged due to their "religious viewpoint," and 119 because they were "anti-family."

Please note that the number of challenges and the number of reasons for those challenges do not match, because works are often challenged on more than one ground.

1,639 of these challenges were in school libraries; 1,811 were in classrooms; 1,217 took place in public libraries. There were 114 challenges to materials used in college classes; and 30 to academic libraries. There are isolated cases of challenges to library materials made available in or by prisons, special libraries, community groups, and students. The vast majority of challenges were initiated by parents (2,535), with patrons and administrators to follow (516 and 489 respectively).'

[LauraT]

Leslie wrote: "Shirley wrote: "What does it mean - most frequently challenged?"

I wondered that too, so I looked. These are the books that libraries are most frequently asked to take off their shelves (by paren..."

I was wondering the same thing. I've just read 16 of them

[Charbel]

Did anybody else find it odd that Harry Potter was challenged?

[Alannah]

Charbel wrote: "Did anybody else find it odd that Harry Potter was challenged?"

Not really, it's been challenged from the beginning by most Christians because of witchcraft.

[Charbel]

Alannah wrote: "Charbel wrote: "Did anybody else find it odd that Harry Potter was challenged?"

Not really, it's been challenged from the beginning by most Christians because of witchcraft."

Strange though, I mean there are "worse" books that aren't even on the list.

[Sally]

I have read
Harry Potter
Of Mice and Men
His Dark Materials
Forever
The Color Purple
To Kill a mockingbird
Beloved
Snow Falling on Cedars
Slaughterhouse five
The Kite Runner
Roll of thunder hear my cry
Song of Solomon
Lovely Bones
A prayer for Owen Meany
The handmaids take
Are you there god? It's me Margaret.