2015 Book Challenges Infographic Long

2015 Book Challenges Infographic

www.ala.org/bbooks

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