This was an article in todays Parade
Intelligence Report®
By Lyric Wallwork Winik
Published: September 10, 2006
Full text available online
on Tuesday, September 12, 2006
[Hot List ]
Dangerous Reading?
The 25th annual Banned Books Week is Sept. 23-30. The American Library Association says each book below has been pulled from some libraries or schools. You’ll be surprised by the list. Why were Garfield and a dictionary deemed dangerous? See below.
The Adventures of Captain Underpants-causes unruly behavior
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn-racist language
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl-sexually explicit
The Catcher in the Rye-offensive language
Garfield: His Nine Lives-banned from kids’ section of library only; offensive language
The Handmaid’s Tale-sexually explicit
Harry Potter (entire series)-occult
Little Red Riding Hood-bottle of wine in basket for Grandma
Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary-offensive language
To Kill a Mockingbird-racist language
A number of other books have been removed because of provocative pictures, racist or explicit language, or controversial ideas. Sometimes the books are “challenged”-that is, individuals request to have them removed-but the challenge is overruled, and the books remain. There have been more than 8,700 reported book challenges since 1990. Among those challenged: Mother Goose, Freakonomics, The Bible and Fahrenheit 451. “The reason more books aren’t banned is because community residents-with librarians, teachers and journalists -speak out for their freedom to read,” said ALA President Leslie Burger.