The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman Part 1

in ,

The first part of a book about a little girl who can talk to shiny camping equipment goes on a quest to fight an evil lady with a golden monkey from cutting out people's souls.

Banned

#8 on Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009

2007

Halton, Ontario, Canada - trilogy was challenged at a Catholic school district that the books were "written by an atheist where the characters and text are anti-God, anti-Catholic, and anti-religion," pulled from public display be available for students who ask

Calgary, Alberta, Canada - publicly funded Catholic school district removed then returned the books to shelves for anti-religious content

Alamosa, Colorado - pulled then returned to shelves at Ortega Middle School for anti-religious content

Winchester, Kentucky - Challenged because of childhood alcohol and drug (wine and poppy) consumption and anti-religious

Lubbock, Texas - Challenged at Shallowater Middle School for being anti-religious

Oshkosh, Wisconsin - pulled from St John Neumann Middle School and Lourdes High School for "anti-Christian messages."

2008 - Mississauga, Ontario, Canada - retained but added a sticker that said "representations of the church in this novel are purely fictional," and don't reflect real Roman Catholic Church or Gospel of Jesus Christ

OIF claims 513 cases where books were targeted for censorship, of which 74 were successfully banned or restricted.

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Agony of Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

in
The Agony of Alice
By Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Growing up is tough and Alice is agonizing about finding a new mom and pretty much being a weirdo normal kid.

Banned

2000 - Fairfax County, Virginia - was challenged but retained after a parent complained. The book is available only for "small discussion groups for girls only."

2001 - Alice series #7 on ALA Top 10 List for sexually explicit and unsuited to age group

2002

Webb City, Missouri - school library banned several Alice books for their “promotion of homosexuality” and discussion of issues “best left to parents.”

Alice series #2 on ALA Top 10 List for homosexuality, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group

2003 - Alice series #1 on ALA Top 10 List for sexual content, offensive language, and unsuitable for age group

2006 - Alice series #3 on ALA Top 10 List for offensive language and sexually explicit

2011 - Series #6 on ALA Top 10 List for nudity, offensive language, and religious viewpoints

Series is #14 on 100 most frequently challenged books: 1990–1999

Series is #2 on Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009

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I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

in

Some library news, an autobiography steeped in racial overtones, crimes against children and sex, and then a little alien abduction in the library.

Banned

1983 - Alabama State Textbook Committee because the work preaches "bitterness and hatred against whites."

1987 - Raleigh, North Carolina because of complaints about and eight-year-old gets raped

1988 - Strong, Maine for rape

1990 - Bremerton, Washington for the "graphic" depiction of molestation

1991 - Banning, California after parents complained about child molestation and rape

1992 - Pleasanton, California for sexually explicit language

1993

Haines City High School, Florida library and English curriculum for rape of an eight year old

Columbus, Mississippi as "too sexually explicit to be read by children"

Hooks High School, Texas

1994

Castle Rock, Colorado because it is a "lurid tale of sexual perversion"

Des Moines, Iowa after a parent objected to inappropriately explicit sexual scenes

Austin, Texas because "the book is pornographic, contains profanity, and encourages premarital sex and homosexuality." Children required parental permission.

1995

Gilbert Unified School, Arizona after parents complained it did not represent "traditional values"

Volusia County County Schools, Florida because "It is sexually explicit and promotes cohabitation and rape"

Caddo Parish, Louisiana because of books language and objectionable content. Students petitioned and demonstrated and got it reinstated.

Hendersonville, Beech High School, Tennessee

Danforth High School, Wimberley, Texas

Southlake, Carroll School, Texas deemed it "pornographic" and full of "gross evils"

1996

Moulton, Alabama by School Superintendent, who decided "the poet's descriptions of being raped as a little girl were pornographic."

Round Rock Independent High School, Texas for being too violent.

1997

Folsom Cordova School District, California for containing sexually explicit passages

Wayne County High School, Georgia for the novel's sexual explicitness

Richfield High School, Minnesota for being too explicit

Turrentine Middle School, North Carolina where parents complained of profanity and sexual references

Union Township, Ohio for description of rape at age eight and other sexual content

Mukilteo, Washington for being sexually explicit

1998

Brooksville, Florida for passage about author's rape at age eight and sexual content

Anne Arundel County, Maryland after parents complained the book "portrays white people as being horrible, nasty, stupid people - if a child didn't have negative feelings about white people, this could sow the seeds." Challenge overridden after sexually explicit complaints.

Alamance, North Carolina

1999 - Unity Elementary School, New Hampshire for being "too sexually explicit."

2000 - Poolesville High School, Maryland for sexual content and language

2002

Montana for underage sex, rape, and homosexuality

Fairfax County, Virginia by Parents Against Bad Books in Schools for profanity, drugs, explicit sexual content, and torture.

2006

Annapolis, Maryland for rape scenes and being too mature for age group

Fond du Lac High School, Wisconsin for underage rape and unwanted pregnancy

2007

Coeur d'Alene School District, Idaho

Manheim Township, Pennsylvania for sexual references

2009

California

Ocean View School District for being inappropriate for children

Newman-Crows Landing School District after a trustee questioned staff qualifications to teach a novel depicting African American culture.

2016 - Illinois - Parents and residents wished it be removed from Lemont High School due to sexual content. The school board said the students could read other books in place.

Sources

Doyle, Robert P. "66. Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." Banned Books: Challenging Our Freedom to Read. American Library Association, 2014. pg 98-99

Raw Story - Illinois parents call for ‘smut’ book ban: ‘We can’t have 18-year-olds reading about sexual issues’

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Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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The BFG by Roald Dahl

in
The BFG
By Roald Dahl

Giants are dead all over as Evan tells a story about Granny Wendy losing her whomping stick and the story of Sophie the orphan.

Banned

Cannibalism

1987 - Amana, Iowa for being too mature for the audience, teaching poor values

Sources

Doyle, Robert P. Banned Books: Challenging Our Freedom to Read. American Library Association, 2014. pg 144.

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Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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The Witches by Roald Dahl

in
The Witches
By Roald Dahl

When a young boy meets up with some witches, he might be losing his damn mind. Roald Dahl, you so crazy!

Banned

#22 ALA Banned List, 1990-199

perceived misogyny. Dahl says that witches can only be women. "I do not wish to speak badly about women," the author writes. "Most women are lovely. But the fact remains that all witches are women. There is no such thing as a male witch. On the other hand, a ghoul is always a male... both are dangerous.  But neither of them is half as dangerous as a REAL WITCH."

"the children misbehave and take retribution on the adults and there's never, ever a consequence for their actions"

Devalues the life of a child

1987 - Amana, Iowa for being “too sophisticated and did not teach moral values”

1989 - Billings, Montana attempt was made wherein Dahl commented the parents had no sense of humor

1990 - Goose Lake, Iowa for violence, mouse turning, and the word “slut”

1991 - Dallas, Oregon for possiblity of turning kids to witchcraft or the occult

1992

Escondido, California for fear of desensitizing kids to violence and increasing the interest in witchcraft

La Mesa-Spring Valley, California for depiction of witches as ordinary women that children cannot defend against and promoting Wiccan and witchcraft

1993

Spenser, Wisconsin for desensitizing children to crimes related to witchcraft

Pennsylvania - Challenged at Pine Forge Elementary School in Boyertown area

1994 - Challenged but retained in Battle Creek, Michigan despite a parent claiming it is “satanic.”

1995 - Stafford, Virginia for “crude language” and encouraging children to be disobediant

1997 - Wichita Falls, Texas for satanic themes

1998 - Dublin, Ohio - “derogatory to children, hurtful to self-esteem, and conflicted with the the [challenger’s] family’s religious and moral beliefs.”

Sources:

Christian Science Monitor

SHmoop

ALA

LA Trobe University

SkepticFiles

Karolides, Nicholas J. et al. 120 Banned Books: Censorship Histories of World Literature. Checkmark Books, 1997. pg 314-320.

Doyle, Robert P. Banned Books: Challenging Our Freedom to Read. American Library Association, 2014. pg 145.

"Dances and Dames"

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

in

Once upon a time, a little boy went on a magical adventure. Except I'm betting it was all in his head because this is some crazy crap featuring bugs, giant produce, and murder in the clouds.

Banned

#50 ALA list, 1990–1999

1991

Florida - Challenged at Deep Creek Elementary in Charlotte Harbor for "not appropriate reading material for young children."

Wisconsin - Challenged at Pederson Elemntary School in Altoona for use of the word "ass" and the parts with wine, tobacco, and snuff.

1992 - Florida

Challenged at the Morton Elementary School library in Brooksville because it promotes drugs and whiskey and has a foul word

Hernando County, Florida - a woman in Hernando County, Florida, took issue with Grasshopper's statement, "I'd rather be fried alive and eaten by a Mexican!", as well as references to snuff, tobacco and whiskey. Her complaints to her 10-year-old daughter's school principal led to review by the regional school board.

1995 - Virginia - Challenged at Stafford County Schools for crude language and encourages children to disobey authority. The book was removed from classrooms and placed in the library where it is restricted

1999 - Texas - Banned from an elementary school in Lufkin for containing the word "ass."

Indian River County, FL - mystical element

Wisconsin - spider licking her lips could be sexual

Toledo, Ohio - book store owner claimed it was advocating communism

Sources

Doyle, Robert P. Banned Books: Challenging Our Freedom to Read. 2014.

100 most frequently challenged books: 1990–1999

Favorite Banned Books

Book Slut

Smart Bitches Trashy Books

DeleteCensorship.org

"Dances and Dames"

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

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Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

in

Talking about some heavy shit and a long story about a night in a haunted house.

Banned 

2002 - Fairfax, Virginia: Challenged in school libraries by a group called Parents Against Bad Books in Schools for "profanity and descriptions of drug abuse, sexually explicit conduct and torture".

2003 - Massapequa, New York: Removed as a reading assignment in an elective sociology course at the Massapequa High School because of its "offensive content".

2004 - Montgomery County, Texas: Challenged in Montgomery County Memorial Library System along with 15 other young adult books with gay positive themes by the Library Patrons of Texas.

2005

Arizona - Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction sent a letter to charter and public school principals and district superintendents asking them to make sure the book is no longer available for containing sexual references, including a scene where a girl is forced to have oral sex with a boy during a party

Merton, Wisconsin: Retained in the Arrowhead HS curriculum as optional reading. Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction sent a letter to principals and district superintendents asking them to make sure that the book was no longer available to minors or any other students.

2006 - Arlington Heights, Illinois: Retained on the Northwest Suburban HS District 214 reading list along with eight other challenged titles. A newly elected school board member raised the controversy based on excerpts from the books she'd found on the Internet. Chbosky's novel, which contains references to masturbation, homosexuality, and bestiality, got the bulk of the criticism.

2007 - Commack, New York: Challenged on the Commack High School summer reading list because the novel contains a two-page rape scene.

2008 - Portage, Indiana: Removed from Portage High School classrooms for topics such as homosexuality, drug use, and sexual behavior.

2009

Wyoming, Ohio: Challenged on high school district's suggested reading list.

Roanoke, Virginia: Restricted at the William Byrd and Hidden Valley high schools in to juniors and seniors. Freshman and sophomores will need parental permission to check out the book.

West Bend, Wisconsin: Challenged at the West Bend Community Memorial Library as being "obscene or child pornography" in a section designated "Young Adults." The Library board unanimously voted 9-0 to maintain, "without removing, relocating, labeling, or otherwise restricting access," the book in the young adult section at the West Bend Community Memorial Library. The vote was a rejection of a four-month campaign conducted by the citizen's group West Bend Citizens for Safe Libraries to move fiction and nonfiction books from the young adult section to the adult section and label them as containing sexual material.

2011 - Clarkstown, New York: Challenged, but retained, at the Clarkstown North High School despite a parent's complaint about the teen coming-of-age novel, which deals graphically with teenage sex, homosexuality, and bestiality.

2012 - Grandview Heights, Ohio: Challenged as assigned reading at the Grandview Heights High School because the book deals with drugs, alcohol, sex, homosexuality, and abuse.

2013

Tampa, Florida - Challenged on a summer reading list for incoming freshmen at Wharton High School in Tampa (FL) because "it deals with sexual situations and drug use."

Glen Ellyn, Illinois: Removed from 8th-grade classrooms at Hadley Junior High School because of concerns about sexually explicit content and language. In June, the Glen Ellyn Elementary Dicstrict 41 School Board overturned the decision and returned the book to library shelves. Most board members were willing to reinstate the book after assurances from district administrators that a revised parental notification letter would be sent at the start of each school year warning parents that their children could be getting access to sometimes mature content in classroom libraries.

2015 - Wallingford, Conneticut - parent complained about the book’s depiction of homosexuality, sex, masturbation, and a “glorification of alcohol use and drugs,”

2016

Florida - Parents at Pasco Middle School complained about the book's sexual content after a long-term substitute teacher assigned it without reading; after being reviewed, the book was removed from the middle school but retained at the high schools, according to the superintendent

Iowa - The review committee, in a 10-0 decision, has voted in favor of keeping The Perks of Being a Wallflower in Dubuque school curriculums. KWWL reports that at the meeting, over 40 participants stood up and spoke about their personal connection to the book. When the parent who filed for the review, Jodi Lockwood, spoke she asked to rescind her request.

Sources

Doyle, Robert P. Banned Books: Challenging Our Freedom To Read. 2014.

American Bookseller’s Association

Marshall University

ALA Top Ten Frequently Challenged Books

NBC

Huffinton Post

Banned Books Awareness

New York Daily News

ABCActionNews/Tampa Bay Times

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Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

in
Bridge to Terabithia
By Katherine Paterson

A young boy makes a new friend and is drawn deeper into an evil world of Satanism and the occult, learning sometimes sacrifices must be made.

Banned

1986 - Nebraska - Challenged in Lincoln schools as 6th grade recommended reading because of inclusion of “profanity,” including the phrases “Oh Lord” and “Lord” as expletive.

1990 - Burlington, Connecticut: Challenged as suitable curriculum material because it contains “language and subject matter that set bad examples and give students negative views of life.”

1992

Apple Valley, California: Challenged in Unified School District because of “vulgar language.”

Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Challenged in school district because of “profanity and references to witchcraft.”

Cleburne, Texas: Challenged because of “profane language.” School board voted to retain book in libraries, but not to include it as required reading.

1993

Oskaloosa, Kansas: Challenge led to new policy requiring teachers to examine all required material for profanities, list each profanity and note number of times it is used in book, and forward list to parents, who must then give written permission for children to read material.

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: Challenged because of “offensive language.”

1995 - Medway, Maine: Challenged because book uses “swear words.”

1996 - Pulaski Township, Pennsylvania: Removed from 5th grade classrooms of New Brighton Area School District due to “profanity, disrespect for adults, and an elaborate fantasy world” that “might lead to confusion.”

2002 - Cromwell, Connecticut: Challenged in Cromwell middle schools (along with another Newbery Award-winning book, The Witch of Blackbird Pond and the Harry Potter books in general) because they are “satanic [and] a danger to our children.” Argues that the “witchcraft” supposedly displayed in the books equates with the religion of Wicca, and because Wicca is an organized religion, it violates the First Amendment concept against the establishment of religion by the government.

Sources:

Doyle, Robert P. Banned Books: Challenging Our Freedom to Read. 2014

University of Minnesota, Dr. Roggenkamp;

ALA Newbery Winners;

ALA Banned Books 1990-1999;

Banned Books Awareness “Bridge to Terabithia”;

American Bookseller’s Association “Connecticut Residents Seek to Ban Two Newbery Medal Winners from School”

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Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

in

The tale of men of simple pleasures and simple times meeting on hard ways. Also being frozen.

Banned

1953 - Banned in Ireland

1974 - Indiana - Banned in Syracuse

1977

Pennsylvania - Banned in Oil City

South Carolina - Challenged in Greenville by the Fourth Province of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan

1979 - Michigan - Challenged but retained in Grand Blanc schools after being called "vulgar and blasphemous"

1980

New York - Challenged in Vernon-Verona-Sherill School District

Ohio - Challenged in Continental

1981 - Arizona - Challenged in Saint David

1982 - Indiana - Challenged in Tell City for "profanity and using God's name in vain"

1983 - Alabama - Banned from classroom use at Scottsboro Skyline HIgh School for profanity

1984 - Tennessee - The Knoxville School Board chairman vowed to have "filthy books" removed from Knoxville's public schools and picked this book as the first target for it's profanity

1987 - Kentucky - Reinstated at the Christian County school libraries and English classes after being challenged for being vulgar and offensive

1988

Illinois - Challenged at the Wheaton-Warrenville Middle school

Michigan - Challenged at the Barrien Springs High School for profanity

West Virginia - Challenged in the Marion County schools

1989

Alabama - Removed from the Northside High School in Tuscaloosa because the book blasphemed

Arkansas - Removed from the White Chapel High School in Pine Bluff after objections from language

Tennessee

Challenged as a summer youth program reading assignment in Chattanooga because 'Steinbeck's known to have an anti-business attitude" as well as "being very questionable about his patriotism"

Challenged in Shelby County schools for offensive language

1990

Kansas - Challenged but retained in Salina tenth-grade English class for profanity and taking "the Lord's name in vain"

Texas - Challenged in the Riviera schools for profanity

1991

California - Challenged by a Fresno parent for profanity and racial slurs but retained and the child given an alternate assignment

Florida - Removed and later returned to the Suwannee High School library for being indecent

Pennsylvania - Challenged as curriculum material at the Ringgold High School in Carroll Township because the novel contained racial slurs

Tennessee - Challenged at the Jacksboro High School because the novel contains blasphemous language, excessive cursing, and sexual overtones

Virginia - Challenged as required reading in the Buckingham County schools for profanity

1992

Alabama - A coalition of community members and clergy in Mobile requested local school officials form a special textbook screening committee. This book was the first target for profanity and "morbid and depressing themes"

California - Challenged at Modesto High school for offensive and racist language

Florida - Challenged in the Duval County public school libraries for profanity, lurid passages about sex, statements defamatory to minorities, God, women, and the disabled.

Iowa - Challenged at the Waterloo schools

Louisiana - Challenged at the Oak Hill High School in Alexandria for profanity

Ohio - Temporarily removed from Hamilton High School after a parent complained about its vulgarity and racial slurs

1993 - Arizona - Challenged at Mingus Union High School because of "profane language, moral statement, treatment of the retarded, and the violent ending"

1994

Georgia - Challenged at the Loganville High School for language

Tennessee - Pulled from a classroom by Putnam County superintendent for language and later reinstated

1995

Georgia - Challenged at the Stephen County Highs School library in Toccoa Falls for language

Kansas - Challenged at Galena school library for language and social implications

Minnesota - Retained at Bemidji schools after challenges to the book's questionable langauge

Virginia - Challenged but retained in Warm Springs High School

1997

Florida - Removed, restored, restricted and eventually retained at the Bay County school in Panama City. A citizen group, 100 Black United, Inc, requested the novel's removal and "any other inadmissible literary books that have racial slurs in them, such as using of the word 'n****r.'"

Illinois - Banned from Washington Junior High School in Peru for being age inappropriate.

Minnesota - Challenged but retained at the Sauk Rapids-Rice High School in St. Cloud after a parent complained of racist language lead to racist behavior and harrassment

Ohio - Challenged but retained in the Louisville high school English class for profanity

1998

Arizona - Challenged but retained in teh Bryan t school library because a parent complained the book "takes God's name in vain fifteen time and uses Jesus's name lightly."

California - Challenged in O'Hara Park Middle School in Oakley for racial epithets

Wisconsin - Challenged at the Barron School District

1999

Pennsylvania - Challenged but retained at West Middlesex High School despite objections to profanity

Wisconsin - Challenged at the Tomah School District for violence and language

2002

Michigan - Challenged in Grandville for racism, profanity and foul language

Mississippi - Banned from George County schools for profanity

2003 - Illinois - Challenged at Normal Community High School  "racial slurs, profanity, violence, and does not represent traditional values." Steinbeck's The Pearl was offered as an alternative, but the family also rejected.

2006 - Pennsylvania - Retained in the Greencastle-Antrim 10th grade English classes after a complaint was filed for "racial slurs" and profanity. 

2007

Iowa - Challenged at the Newton High School for profanity and portrayal of Jesus Christ. 

Kansas - parent challenge in Olathe calling it "worthless, profanity-riddled" and "derogatory towards African Americans, women, and the developmentally disabled."

2014

Minnesota - Challenged but retained in the Brainerd School District despite complaints from two parents who objected to "Jesus Christ" as a curse word, the use of racial slurs for African Americans, and the term "Japs." They argued the book undermined the values of respect they were trying to teach.

Sources

Doyle, Robert P. Banned Books: Challenging Our Freedom to Read. 2014.

Guardian, Marshall University Library

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Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

in ,

Ender Wiggin is here to chew bubble gum and kick ass and cry and he’s all out of bubble gum and ass. Because aliens don’t have asses. But don’t tell him, it’s a secret.

Banned

2012 - South Carolina - Aiken - teacher suspended for reading off the approved list after a complaint from a parent that the book was pornographic

2014 - Colorado - Grand Junction - Parent complaint to school board because of violence, language, and renouncing of religion. School kept the book.

Author’s Morman beliefs (according to author)

Sources

Doyle, Robert P. Banned Books: Challenging Our Freedom to Read. 2014.

Forbes http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/03/19/south-carolina-teacher-suspended-for-reading-enders-game-to-middle-school-students/

Gazette http://gazette.com/colorado-school-panel-rejects-book-ban-for-middle-school-students/article/1540207

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Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

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