The American Library Association (ALA) has announced that the 27th anniversary of Banned Books Week (BBW) will take place September 27- October 4, 2008 at libraries and schools across the country.
Since 1982, BBW has drawn attention to the increasing number of challenges to books in schools and libraries. The ALA is asking readers to support BBW by organizing Banned Books Read-Out! at local schools and libraries, reading a banned book, joining the Freedom to Read Foundation and writing letters to schools and libraries in support of the freedom to read.The challenging and banning of books because of questionable content is an age-old practice that is surprisingly prevalent today. Some of the most frequently challenged books in recent years include The Catcher and the Rye, The Color Purple, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Golden Compass. Many influential writers have had their work challenged as well; authors in this category include Judy Blume, R.L. Stine, Stephen King and John Steinbeck.
For the past two years, the most frequently challenged book has been And Tango Makes Three (Simon and Schuster) by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell. The ALA reports that complaints against the book include “anti-ethnic,” “sexism,” “homosexuality,” “anti-family,” “religious viewpoint” and “unsuited to age group.” And Tango Makes Three is the true story of a baby penguin at the Central Park Zoo who is raised by two male penguins who are presumably a couple. In 2006, the book was named Notable Children’s Book by the American Library Association and Best Book of the Year by Nick Jr. Family Magazine. Numerous complaints have been filed since the book’s publication. For instance, at Shiloh Elementary School in Shiloh, IL parents petitioned for the book to be placed in the restricted section of the library. The superintendent denied the request and the book is available to all students.
WritersNewsWeekly.com wants to know, what do you think about book bans?
Click here to read more about the criteria for getting your book banned.
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Comments: 1
“Dear Mr. Ekaitis,
Collinsfort Village will not be added to the collections of [Nearby] Public Library. There are no reviews available from standard review sources such as School Library Journal, The Horn Book or Booklist to support its inclusion. While we may sometimes include unreviewed books in our collection, Collinsfort Village does not fall under other criteria in our selection policy such as inclusion in “best seller” lists, literary merit or perceived need.
The copies of the books will be available on my desk at the [Main Branch] if you would like to have them back.”
In other words, like Walmart, Target and Costco, libraries only have room for the most popular books by the best known authors. The Local Authors shelf is now occupied by Oprah's Book Club and the Alternative Press Showcase is filled with movie and TV tie-ins.
My publisher isn't big enough to flood the library magazines with review copies, though the publisher did submit the book within each magazine's lead time. Squeezed out of the magazines by a handful of media conglomerates, where can new authors connect with readers except via the library.
Realistically, I don't expect every library in the world to buy my book. But if the ALA is sincere about Banned Books Week, why do they approve when librarians ban books? What are they doing to discourage the only REAL book banning in the USA?