Gay Penguins Top ALA's Most Challenged Books, Again
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By Debra Lau Whelan -- School Library Journal, 04/22/2009
For the third year in a row, a picture book about two male penguins who care for an orphaned egg has topped the American Library Association’s Top 10 list of the most frequently challenged books.
Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell's award-winning And Tango Makes Three (S & S, 2005), based on a true story about penguins living in New York City’s Central Park Zoo, has stirred controversy since its release. But the authors say they weren’t surprised by the reaction.
Parnell says that while attending a book signing for Tango at the Book Expo a few years ago, many librarians waiting in line introduced themselves with, “I love your book, but I could never buy it for our library.”
The reason is because there's a "great deal of anxiety, especially among conservative parents when it comes to talking to children about gay families,” Richardson told SLJ. “The notion that telling a child about gay people will increase his chances of becoming gay is scientifically untenable, but it sure endures.”
Sarah S. Brannen’s Uncle Bobby’s Wedding (Putnam, 2008), another gay-themed picture book, is new to the list, coming in at number eight. Titles with gay themes are often the target of censors because “people have a very rigid, narrow view of what kinds of sexuality are allowed to exist,” explains author Jordan Sonnenblick, who’s the spokesman for a group called AS IF (Authors Support Intellectual Freedom).
Other new books to the list include: Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya; The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, and Flashcards of My Life by Charise Mericle Harper.
Alvin Schwartz's "Scary Stories" series is back after being dropped from the 2007 list.
"Books, magazines, and other reading materials should reflect the diverse views and the rich multicultural tapestry of our Nation,” says Deborah Caldwell-Stone, deputy director of the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF). “While not every book is right for each reader, every reader has the right to choose reading materials for themselves and their families and should be able to find those materials in libraries, classrooms, and bookstores. Our goal is to protect one of our most precious fundamental rights—our freedom to read."
ALA’s OIF has spent nearly 20 years collecting reports on book challenges, defined as formal, written complaints, filed with a library or school, requesting that materials be removed or restricted because of content or appropriateness.
In 2008, OIF received 513 reports on efforts to remove or restrict materials from school curricula and library bookshelves.
Though OIF receives reports of challenges in public libraries, schools and their libraries, and a variety of sources, the majority of challenges go unreported. OIF estimates that its statistics reflect only 20-25 percent of the challenges that actually take place.
Six titles were dropped from the list, including: The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier (challenged for sexually explicit content, offensive language, and violence); Olive's Ocean by Kevin Henkes (for sexually explicit content and offensive language); The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (for racism); The Color Purple, by Alice Walker (for homosexuality, sexually explicit content, and offensive language); I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (for sexually explicit content); and It's Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris (for sexually explicit content).
Here is ALA’s list of Top 10 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2008:
1. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell
Reasons: Anti-Ethnic, Anti-Family, Homosexuality, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group
2. His Dark Materials Trilogy (Series) by Philip Pullman
Reasons: Political Viewpoint, Religious Viewpoint, Violence
3. TTYL; TTFN; L8R, G8R (Series) by Lauren Myracle
Reasons: Offensive Language, Sexually Explicit, Unsuited to Age Group
4. Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
Reasons: Occult/Satanism, Religious Viewpoint, Violence
5. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
Reasons:Occult/Satanism, Offensive Language, Religious Viewpoint, Sexually Explicit, Violence
6. The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons: Drugs, Homosexuality, Nudity, Offensive Language, Sexually Explicit, Suicide, Unsuited to Age Group
7. Gossip Girl (Series) by Cecily von Ziegesar
Reasons: Offensive Language, Sexually Explicit, Unsuited to Age Group
8. Uncle Bobby's Wedding by Sarah S. Brannen
Reasons: Homosexuality, Unsuited to Age Group
9. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Reasons: Offensive Language, Sexually Explicit, Unsuited to Age Group
10. Flashcards of My Life, by Charise Mericle Harper
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Unsuited to Age Group
For more information on book challenges and censorship, please visit the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom's Banned Books Week Web site at www.ala.org/bbooks.
