The American Library Association’s annual list of “challenged books” was released on Wednesday, and many won’t be surprised to find the mega-popular “Twilight” series in the top five. While one might object to the series for it’s poor female role models and occasionally cringe worthy dialog, complaints to the library about “Twilight” have more to do with sexual content than anything else. Library officials also believe that supernatural stories in general make conservative parents uneasy.
“Vampire novels have been a target for years and the “Twilight” books are so immensely popular that a lot of the concerns people have had about vampires are focused on her books,” says Barbara Jones, director of the association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. Other supernatural hits, like the “Harry Potter” series, have weathered the storm of protests from Christian groups that object to magical themes being read by children. The “Potter” books aren’t on the top ten this year.
Number one on the hit list this year? Lauren Myracle’s “IM” series, which have been criticized for nudity, language and drug references. Last year’s number 1 “challenged” book, “And Tango Makes Three” by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, a story about two male penguins adopting a baby, has been bumped to number 2. Number 3 this year is Stephen Chbosky’s “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” – which raises objections over drugs, suicide, homosexuality and more.
The usual suspects are still on the list, despite being considered literary classics – “The Catcher in the Rye,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “The Color Purple,” and “The Chocolate War.”
The ALA defines a “challenge” as a formal, written complaint filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness.” The number of recorded challenges dropped significantly this year, from 513 to 460. Apparently, for every challenge tallied, four or five go unreported.
