Banned Book Week
Banned Book Week in the US
September 27 - October 4
Because of the dedication and passion of librarians & teachers, most books that are challenged do not get banned (although some do). Reports of challenges, and the occasional book burning, are sent to the ALA like a bat signal.
The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom received a total of 420 challenges last year. A challenge is defined as a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness. According to Judith F. Krug, director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom, the number of challenges reflects only incidents reported, and for each reported, four or five remain unreported.
The #1 challenged book of 2007 was And Tango Makes Three, a children's picture book by Justin Richardson & Peter Parnell about 2 male penguins who care for an egg (based on a true story). Because clearly males should not give a shit about nurturing anything. That's girly talk.
You can see the full top 10 list here. Other authors include Philip Pullman, Alice Walker, & Maya Angelou. (Authors of color often make up a high percentage of challenged books. Because they are obviously scary. [/sarcasm])
In our library system, the most challenged books are prominently displayed during this week, along with educational information about the issue. Circulation always goes up for these books.
September 27 - October 4
Because of the dedication and passion of librarians & teachers, most books that are challenged do not get banned (although some do). Reports of challenges, and the occasional book burning, are sent to the ALA like a bat signal.
The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom received a total of 420 challenges last year. A challenge is defined as a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness. According to Judith F. Krug, director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom, the number of challenges reflects only incidents reported, and for each reported, four or five remain unreported.
The #1 challenged book of 2007 was And Tango Makes Three, a children's picture book by Justin Richardson & Peter Parnell about 2 male penguins who care for an egg (based on a true story). Because clearly males should not give a shit about nurturing anything. That's girly talk.
You can see the full top 10 list here. Other authors include Philip Pullman, Alice Walker, & Maya Angelou. (Authors of color often make up a high percentage of challenged books. Because they are obviously scary. [/sarcasm])
In our library system, the most challenged books are prominently displayed during this week, along with educational information about the issue. Circulation always goes up for these books.