Are you trying to decide what to read this summer? Try picking up a challenged or banned book! Every year, the American Library Association compiles a list of the most commonly challenged books, based on reports from libraries around the country. “Challenged” means that a parent or other adult has asked that the book be removed from a library shelf. The most recent list available offers some new titles, as well as books that have been challenged for years. As usual, the majority of the books are teen titles.
Most Frequently Challenged Books, 2010.
- And Tango Makes Three, by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
- The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
- Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
- Crank, by Ellen Hopkins
- The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
- Lush, by Natasha Friend
- What My Mother Doesn’t Know, by Sonya Sones
- Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich
- Revolutionary Voices, edited by Amy Sonnie
- Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer
“If this nation is to be wise as well as strong, if we are to achieve our destiny, then we need more new ideas for more wise [men] reading more good books in more public libraries. These libraries should be open to all—except the censor. We must know all the facts and hear all the alternatives and listen to all the criticisms. Let us welcome controversial books and controversial authors. For the Bill of Rights is the guardian of our security as well as our liberty.”
John F. Kennedy