Banned Book Week Celebrates 30 Years

Banned Book Week Celebrates 30 Years

By Kristin Masters. Oct 1, 2012. 2:30 AM.

Topics: Book Collecting, Literature

Yesterday kicked off the 30th annual Banned Books Week, an event that celebrates our freedom to read. Sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA), along with other industry organizations, Banned Books Week is an excellent opportunity to celebrate some of Americas most beloved and exceptional literature.

Thirty Years of Liberating Literature

Since 1982, the ALA has put on Banned Books Week. The event has grown to include countless schools, libraries, and volunteers all over the United States. This year, there are many ways to participate, including the Virtual Read-Out and the 50 State Salute to Banned Books Week. Since the ALA began collecting data on banned and challenged books, it has recorded 10,676 challenges (1990-2010). Many more challenges have likely occurred, but went unreported.

Top Ten Banned Books by Decade

The passage of time certainly changes peoples perceptions of literature, and new literature often challenges us in new ways. Over the past few decades, the list of most challenged books list has evolved.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain

Rare Harry Potter books by JK Rowling

His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman

1990-1999

Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz
Daddys Roommate, by Michael Willhoite
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
Forever, by Judy Blume
Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson
Heather Has Two Mommies, by Leslea Newman
The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger

2000-2009

Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling
Alice series, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz
His Dark Materials (series), by Philip Pullman
ttyl; ttfn; l8r g8r (series), by Lauren Myracle
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky

Did any titles on these lists surprise you? And do you believe that books should be banned from libraries under any circumstances?

Kristin Masters

Master Content Brain. You think it, she writes it, no good thought remains unposted. Sprinkles pixie dust on Google+, newsletters, blog, facebook, twitter and just about everything else.