The Top 10 Challenged Books For Banned Books Week: Books unite us

This year’s Banned Books Week theme is Books unite us. Censorship divides us. Banned Books Week which runs from September 26-October 2, 2021, is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read.

The American Library Association typically held it during the last week of September. It spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools.

Books have been challenged or banned through the ages for various reasons, including sexual content, religious content, and political content. Many books have been censored in one or more of these categories. And one of the reasons is due to misunderstanding about the contents and message of the book.

We don’t control people who want to challenge, label, or ban it a certain way, but the readers must make their own judgments on the book.

There are also times that books that have been banned later were dropped from banned books lists and were no longer considered controversial. And for this reason, banned books week occurs yearly to give readers a chance to reread recently banned books to encourage a fresh look into the controversies the books faced.

Now is the time to celebrate your freedom to read – check out this compilation made by the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom. 

THE TOP 10 CHALLENGED BOOKS FOR BANNED BOOKS WEEK – 2021 and read a banned or challenged book today!

1. George by Alex Gino
   Reasons: Challenged, banned, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content, conflicting with a religious viewpoint, and not reflecting “the values of our community”
2. Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds
   Reasons: Banned and challenged because of author’s public statements, and because of claims that the book contains “selective storytelling incidents” and does not encompass racism against all people
3. All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
   Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, drug use, and alcoholism, and because it was thought to promote anti-police views, contain divisive topics, and be “too much of a sensitive matter right now”
4. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
   Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted because it was thought to contain a political viewpoint and it was claimed to be biased against male students, and for the novel’s inclusion of rape and profanity
5. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
   Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references, and allegations of sexual misconduct by the author
6. Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story About Racial Injustice by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard, illustrated by Jennifer Zivoin
   Reasons: Challenged for “divisive language” and because it was thought to promote anti-police views
7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
   Reasons: Banned and challenged for racial slurs and their negative effect on students, featuring a “white savior” character, and its perception of the Black experience
8. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
   Reasons: Banned and challenged for racial slurs and racist stereotypes, and their negative effect on students
9. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
   Reasons: Banned and challenged because it was considered sexually explicit and depicts child sexual abuse
10. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
    Reasons: Challenged for profanity, and it was thought to promote an anti-police message

Every time we celebrate Banned Books Week, let’s reflect on the importance of unrestricted access to books from all voices and perspectives.