Wednesday 21 September 2016

Books Unlocked September - Luton Library Display

The 12 most famous banned books of all time includes: Animal Farm and Catcher in the Rye
http://theculturetrip.com/north-america/articles/the-12-most-famous-banned-books-of-all-time/

This month's banned book display at Luton Library demonstrate some of titles that have been banned and why - in a very discrete way!!

Books Unlocked - Banned Books Month

The start of the main academic year sees our Banned Books promotion. Although the Banned Books campaign is an American theme the titles that have been banned recently - and not so recently say a lot about our society.

Banned Books is tagged as a promotion as Celebrating the Freedom to Read.
http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/

The frequently challenged books list on the American library Associations website is primarily about current children's books

http://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks
We compile lists of challenged books in order to inform the public about censorship efforts that affect libraries and schools. The top ten most challenged books of 2015 include:
  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. The Holy Bible
    Reasons: Religious viewpoint.
  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”).