By Clare Duignan-Masterson, University Marketing and Communication
According to the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, below is a list of the top 10 most challenged books of 2015 and the reasons for their banishment. Good news, they’re all available at our own J. Willard Marriott Library.
“Looking for Alaska”
By John Green
[bs_row class=”row”][bs_col class=”col-sm-4″][/bs_col]
[bs_col class=”col-sm-8″]Challenged: Offensive language, sexually explicit and unsuited for age group.
[/bs_col]
[/bs_row]
“Fifty Shades of Grey”
By E. L. James
[bs_row class=”row”][bs_col class=”col-sm-4″][/bs_col]
[bs_col class=”col-sm-8″]Challenged: Sexually explicit, unsuited to age group and other (“poorly written,” “concerns that a group of teenagers will want to try it”).
[/bs_col]
[/bs_row]
“I Am Jazz”
By Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings
[bs_row class=”row”][bs_col class=”col-sm-4″][/bs_col]
[bs_col class=”col-sm-8″]Challenged: Inaccurate, homosexuality, sex education, religious viewpoint and unsuited for age group.
[/bs_col]
[/bs_row]
“Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out”
By Susan Kuklin
[bs_row class=”row”][bs_col class=”col-sm-4″][/bs_col]
[bs_col class=”col-sm-8″]Challenged: 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”).
[/bs_col]
[/bs_row]
“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”
By Mark Haddon
[bs_row class=”row”][bs_col class=”col-sm-4″][/bs_col]
[bs_col class=”col-sm-8″]Challenged: Offensive language, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group and other (“profanity and atheism”).
[/bs_col]
[/bs_row]
[bs_row class=”row”][bs_col class=”col-sm-4″][/bs_col]
[bs_col class=”col-sm-8″]Challenged: Religious viewpoint
[/bs_col]
[/bs_row]
“Fun Home”
By Alison Bechdel
[bs_row class=”row”][bs_col class=”col-sm-4″][/bs_col]
[bs_col class=”col-sm-8″]Challenged: Violence and other (“graphic images”)
[/bs_col]
[/bs_row]
“Habibi”
By Craig Thompson
[bs_row class=”row”][bs_col class=”col-sm-4″][/bs_col]
[bs_col class=”col-sm-8″]Challenged: Nudity, sexually explicit and unsuited for age group.
[/bs_col]
[/bs_row]
“Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan”
By Jeanette Winter
[bs_row class=”row”][bs_col class=”col-sm-4″][/bs_col]
[bs_col class=”col-sm-8″]Challenged: Religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group and violence.
[/bs_col]
[/bs_row]
“Two Boys Kissing”
By David Levithan
[bs_row class=”row”][bs_col class=”col-sm-4″][/bs_col]
[bs_col class=”col-sm-8″]Challenged: Homosexuality and other (“condones public displays of affection”)
[/bs_col]
[/bs_row]