2015 Book Challenges Infographic
Of 275 challenges recorded by the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF), the "2015 Top Ten Most Challenged Books" are:
1) Looking for Alaska, by John Green
Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group
2) Fifty Shades of Grey, by E.L. James
Reasons: Sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, and other: “poorly written,” “concerns that a group of teenagers will want to try it.”
3) I Am Jazz, by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings
Reasons: Inaccurate, homosexuality, sex education, religious viewpoint, and unsuited for age group
4) Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out, by Susan Kuklin
Reasons: Anti-family, offensive language, homosexuality, sex education, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group, and other: “wants to remove from collection to ward off complaints”
5) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon
Reasons: Offensive language, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group, and other: “profanity and atheism”
6) Holy Bible
Reasons: Religious viewpoint, Violence, and other: “violence”
7) Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel
Reasons: Violence, and other: “graphic images”
8) Habibi, by Craig Thompson
Reasons: Nudity, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group
9) Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan, by Jeanette Winter
Reasons: Religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group, and violence
10) Two Boys Kissing, by David Levithan
Reasons: Homosexuality, and other: “condones public displays of affection”
Understanding Book Challenges
9 of the Top Ten Challenged Books include Diverse content*
*Definition: www.oif.ala.org/oif/?p=6284
Who Challenges Books?
- Parent 40%
- Patron 27%
- Administrator/Board 10%
- Pressure group 6%
- Librarian/Teacher 6%
- Government Body 4%
- Other 7%
Where Are Books Challenged?
· Public Library 45%
· School Library 19%
· School (Curriculum and Programming) 28%
· Other 8%
Why Are Books Challenged?
- Abortion
- Anti-Ethnic
- Inaccurate
- Sexism
- Gangs
- Occult Satanism
- Political Viewpoint
- Racism
- Sex Education
- Suicide
- Cultural Insensitivity
- Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking
- Anti-Family
- Homosexuality
- Nudity
- Offensive
- Language
- Religious Viewpoint
- Violence
- Unsuited For Age Group
- Sexually Explicit
- Homosexuality
- Immigration
- Mention of Allah
- Prostitution
- Atheism
- Islam
- Evil
- Anti-Police
- Glorifies Criminals
- Liberal Propaganda
- Confuses Children
- Sexual Slavery
- Gender Non-Conformity
- Glorifies Islamic Jihad
- Promotes Perversion
- Bisexuality
- Racist to Whites
Statistics on challenged books are compiled by American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom.
Learn more about banned and challenged books at: http://ala.org/bbooks