Book censorship in the United States

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Main articles: Censorship and Censorship in the United States
Book censorship is the removal, suppression, or restricted circulation of literary,
artistic, or educational material – of images, ideas, and information – on the grounds
that these are morally or otherwise objectionable in the light of standards applied by the
censor.[1] Censorship is "the regulation of speech and other forms of expression by an
entrenched authority".[2] The overall intent of censorship, in any form, is to act as "a kind
of safeguard for society, typically to protect norms and values [...] censorship
suppresses what is considered objectionable from a political, moral, or religious
standpoint."[2]
The Marshall University Libraries, which conduct research on banned books in the
United States, have defined a banned book as one that has been "removed from a
library, classroom, etc."[3] and a challenged book as one that "has been requested to be
removed from a library, classroom, etc."[3] by a censor.
Public and school libraries in the US have the ability to limit children's choice of books to
read. This problem "highlights the tension between parental authority and society, but it
is ultimately about defining American Value."[4] It has been suggested that as there are
parental guidance to movies, there is a need for something similar for books. Some of
the banned books are valuable in helping children discover their identities or educate
themselves. These are not all banned in all states, by all educators.
Sponsors of literacy in education have carried out censorship, including parents, school
boards, lobbying groups, clergy, librarians and teachers.[5] Banning, one of the most
permanent and effective method of censorship, begins with a challenge and then
progresses until the book is no longer available to any student in a school, library or
district.[6] In many cases, books are banned or petitioned to be banned by parents who
are concerned about the material their children are reading.[7] People For The American
Way reported that in the school year from 1991–1992, the success of censors in having
books removed in some capacity rose to 41 percent from 34 percent in the previous
year.[8] In response, several professional organizations such as the American Library
Association (ALA), the Freedom to Read Foundation, and the National Coalition Against
Censorship[9] have employed various initiatives to help combat book censorship in all its
forms.[10][11] Combating book censorship with their advocacy for First Amendment rights,
these long-standing organizations have been at the center of multiple Supreme Court
cases spanning from the early 1970s.[12][13]

Contents

 1History
 2School boards
 3Reasons for censorship
 o 3.1Social
o 3.2Political
o 3.3Sexual
o 3.4Religious
o 3.5Security
o 3.6Parenting
o 3.7Examples of "banned" books
 3.7.1Brave New World
 3.7.2Of Mice and Men
 3.7.3To Kill a Mockingbird
 3.7.4The Catcher in the Rye
 3.7.5The Harry Potter series
 3.7.6Fun Home
o 3.8Organizations opposing book censorship
o 3.9Banned Books Week
 4Voices of banned authors
o 4.1John Green
o 4.2David Guterson
 5List of other banned books
 6See also
 7References

History[edit]
During the 1600s, a typical form of book censorship in the United States was book
burning. In October 1650, William Pynchon's pamphlet, The Meritorious Price of Our
Redemption, was criticized and promptly burned by the Puritan government. This book
burning in Boston, Massachusetts is often referred to and even considered the "first
book burning in America".[14]
On March 3, 1873, the Comstock Law was passed by the United States
Congress under the Grant administration; also referred to as an Act for the
"Suppression of Trade in, and Circulation of, Obscene Literature and Articles of Immoral
Use". The Act criminalized usage of the U.S. Postal Service to send any of the following
items: erotica, contraceptive, abortifacients, sex toys, personal letters alluding to any
sexual content or information, or any information regarding the above items. The Act not
only restrained the distribution of pornography but also the spread of medical journals
that held information regarding contraceptives and abortion.[15] In places such
as Washington, D.C., where the federal government has direct jurisdiction, the act also
made it a misdemeanor, punishable by fine and imprisonment, to sell, give away, or
have in possession any "obscene" publication.[16] Half of the states passed similar anti-
obscenity statutes that also banned possession and sale of obscene materials.[17]
Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman's famous collection of poetry, was withdrawn in Boston
in 1881, after the District Attorney threatened criminal prosecution for the use of explicit
language in some poems. The work was later published in Philadelphia.[18] This version
went through five editions of 1,000 copies each.[19] Its first printing, released on July 18,
1882 sold out in a day.[20]
Mark Twain's notoriously challenged book Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was first
published in the United States in February 1885 and was promptly banned by librarians
in Massachusetts in March of the same year.[21] The book has faced further scrutiny in
recent times due to Twain's frequent use of the word "nigger" as well as the novel being
described as "racially insensitive," and as "perpetuat[ing] racism."[22] It has since been,
and still remains, among the top 100 most challenged books up to date.[23]
In 1915, architect William Sanger was charged under New York law for disseminating
contraceptive information.[24] His wife Margaret Sanger was similarly charged in 1915 for
her work The Woman Rebel. Sanger circulated this work through the U.S. postal
service, effectively violating the Comstock Law. On appeal, her conviction was reversed
on the grounds that contraceptive devices could legally be promoted for the cure and
prevention of disease.[25]
The publication of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species in 1859 "unleashed a
controversy that resonates even today. In presenting a revolutionary theory of evolution,
the British naturalist challenged the biblical creation story and provoked the ire of
detractors who accused him of 'dethroning God'. Despite the surrounding
controversy, On the Origin of Species remained uncensored in the United States all the
way into the 1920s, when high school curricula started to incorporate the theory of
Darwinian evolution."[26] Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species was soon after
banned in parts of America, notably Tennessee.[27] The Tennessee ban remained on the
books until 1967, "when the Supreme Court declared it in conflict with the First and
Fourteenth Amendments".[28]
The banning of books became more prevalent during the twentieth century
as modernist and progressive writers such as James Joyce, Theodore Dreiser, Ernest
Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and John Steinbeck began their literary
careers.[27] These authors did not refrain from revealing their opinions about
controversial subject matter. For example, Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms depicts the
grim realities of World War I,[29] and the story of the two lovers, Frederic
Henry and Catherine Barkley, includes graphic details of a childbirth gone awry. This
story strays greatly from traditionalist literature, the majority of American literature at the
time, which depicted good prevailing over evil. Some cities, including Boston, banned A
Farewell to Arms in 1929, labeling the book "salacious."[29]
In addition, Boston in the 1920s censored other novels such as The American
Mercury, Elmer Gantry, An American Tragedy, Strange Interlude, and Lady Chatterley’s
Lover. The rise of censorship in Boston aroused local opposition.[30] The Harvard
Crimson in 1929 wrote, "it has become so tiresome to reproach Boston for their
constant repression of creative work, that we are beginning to surrender in
despair."[30] The Boston censors countered that the censorship was justified because
according to the U.S. federal political system, it is the duty of the states to implant their
educational policies.[31] The texts selected for the schools are ultimately approved by the
state. School boards, as part of the Tenth Amendment, do have the right to select which
state-approved text should be placed in the libraries. Over the years, parents on school
boards have challenged their state's selection of certain books for their libraries. The
main reasons of the parents and school boards is to protect children from content
deemed by them as inappropriate.
The state of Georgia created the Georgia Literature Commission in 1953, which initially
described its role as aiding local prosecutors in enforcing the state's obscenity laws. In
1958, it gained the power to issue subpoenas and injunctions to stop publication. It
censored hundreds of publications, but became less powerful after court rulings against
it in the 1960s, and was abolished in 1973.[32][33]

School boards[edit]
School boards have frequently been involved in litigation involving the rights of freedom
to read, which is considered by some organizations to be encompassed in the First
Amendment. Some legal cases have reached state supreme courts and the United
States courts of appeals. Cases like Evans V. Selma Union High School District of
Fresno County in 1924 ruled "The mere act of purchasing a book to be added to the
school library does not carry with it any implication of the adoption of the theory or
dogma contained therein, or any approval of the book itself except as a work of
literature fit to be included in a reference library."[34] In Minarcini V. Strongsville City
School District in 1976, the court upheld the school district's decision to not allow certain
texts to be used in a curriculum, but "found the removal of the books from the library to
be unconstitutional, referring to the library as a 'storehouse of knowledge.'"[35]
Censorship has also been addressed by the United States Supreme Court in the
case Island Trees School District v. Pico in 1982. This case involved the school board
removing certain books that it deemed inappropriate. The court came to the conclusion
that, "The First Amendment imposes limitations upon a local school board's" discretion
to remove books from high and junior high school libraries.[36] The case was brought to
the Supreme Court by five students who challenged their school board's decision to
remove nine books from the school's library, after a challenge came from an
organization called Parents of New York United.[37] The Supreme Court ruled that, under
the First Amendment, "Local school boards may not remove books from school library
shelves simply because they dislike the ideas contained in those books".[38] Justice
William Brennan, who wrote the opinion, reasoned that "Local school boards have
broad discretion in the management of school affairs, but such discretion must be
exercised in a manner that comports with the transcendent imperatives of the First
Amendment".[38] Brennan continues that school boards do have "absolute discretion to
choose academic materials"[38] and what texts are used in classrooms, so removing
books from curriculum would not be unconstitutional, as long as a school board's
discretion is not "exercised in a narrowly partisan or political manner."[38] Finally, he
comments on the library, saying it is a distinct institution as it represents the First
Amendment's "role in affording the public access to discussion, debate and the
dissemination of information and ideas."[38] "[36]

Reasons for censorship[edit]

Books are often challenged by concerned parents who desire to protect their children
from the themes or content within books. Books can be banned for more than one
reason as well. As of the ten years preceding 2016, the top three reasons cited for
challenging materials as reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom were:
 1. The material was considered to be "sexually explicit".
2. The material contained "offensive language".
3. The material was "unsuited for a certain age group".[39]
According to the American Library Association, there are also more than 20 other
reasons for censorship, including the material containing or being: anti-ethnic, cultural
sensitivity, racism, sexism, anti-family, nudity, offensive language, other offensive items,
abortion, drug/alcohol/smoking, gambling, gangs, violence, suicide, homosexuality,
sexually explicit, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, occult/Satanism, unsuited for
age group, inaccurate, technical errors, and other objections.[40] According to People for
the American Way, "sexually explicit"[41] material was the most frequent cause of book
challenges in the decade from 1990 to 2000, while "offensive language"[41] was
responsible for the second-most number.
Social[edit]
Numerous books have been suppressed "because of language, racial characterization,
or depiction of drug use, social class, or sexual orientation of the characters, or other
social differences that the challengers viewed as harmful to the readers."[42] There are
many examples of books being suppressed on social grounds in the United States.
Dawn Sova authored Literature Suppressed on Social Grounds, a novel that lists books
that have been banned or challenged on the preceding grounds to raise awareness of
why books are censored. A few examples of this type of censorship are J. D.
Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,
and Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. All of these stories have main
characters who disrespect authority and don't live according to societal norms and
social rules.[42] Holden Caulfield, Randle McMurphy, and Huck Finn are similar in their
use of vulgar language and anti-traditionalist world views.[42] All of these books have
themes of characters who are idolized for breaking the rules and living life that is full of
pleasures instead of listening and adhering to traditional order. Sova suggests that
censors have sought to ban these books because they fear that the rebellious nature of
the characters will lead children to follow them, meaning they will have no respect for
their parents, the law or teachers.[42]
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884) by Mark Twain was listed by the American
Library Association as the 5th most commonly banned book in the U.S. due to
supposed racism in 2007.[43] NewSouth Books received media attention for publishing an
expurgated edition of the work that censored the words nigger and Injun. A parent in a
school district in Arizona attempted to have the novel banned in a case that reached
the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in the case Monteiro v. The
Tempe Union High School District (1998).[44]
In August 1939, the Board of Supervisors of Kern County, California passed a resolution
to ban The Grapes of Wrath from county libraries and schools. The head librarian of the
Kern County Free Library, Gretchen Knief, despite personally protesting to the
supervisors, complied with the ban. The ban is said to have been largely a product of
the county's reliance upon agriculture, and Knief's compliance, along with a lack of
official support from librarians. The ban was rescinded in 1941.[45]
In September 2020, the Burbank Unified School District in California removed from
required reading To Kill a Mockingbird, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Of Mice and
Men, The Cay, and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry from middle school and high school
curriculum after parents showed concerns over racism.[46]
Political[edit]
Books have been suppressed for their political content by both local governments and
the federal government. In particular books that some perceive to
promote anarchism, communism or socialism have a history of being suppressed in the
United States.[47] The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels was
frequently challenged and widely restricted in libraries because of its communism
themes, especially during the Red Scare in the 1950s.[47] George Orwell's Nineteen
Eighty-Four was challenged in Jackson County, Florida in 1981 because it was deemed
"pro-communist and contained explicit sexual matter."[48] In 1980, Irwin Schiff published
the Federal Mafia which was found to be fraudulent by the Ninth Circuit Court of
Appeals.[49]
Sexual[edit]
Reviews for Theodore Dreiser's The "Genius" (1915) were mixed at best. The Kansas
City Star, like many Midwestern dailies, labeled the novel "a procession of sordid
philandering," while the Milwaukee Journal derided Dreiser as a "literary Caliban,"
wallowing in depravity.[50] Many libraries and bookstores refused to stock the book, and
the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice threatened legal action, leading
Dreiser's supporters to issue their own call to arms.[51] Critic Willard Huntington Wright, a
former editor of the Los Angeles Times Book Review and The Smart Set and a Dreiser
fan of long standing, threw himself "wholeheartedly into an anti-censorship campaign on
behalf of [the novel]. Along with Alfred Knopf, John Cowper Powys, [publisher Ben]
Huebsch, and H. L. Mencken, [he] circulated petitions and drummed up support
wherever he could for the man he believed to be the most significant, unjustly harassed
writer of the day."[52] Eventually, five hundred writers signed an Authors' League petition
on behalf of The "Genius", including Willa Cather, Max Eastman, Robert Frost, Sinclair
Lewis, Jack London, Amy Lowell, Jack Reed, Edwin Arlington Robinson, Ida Tarbell,
and Booth Tarkington.
The foreword to the 1923 reissue of the novel addressed the censorship issue directly:
"It has been urged that this book is detrimental to the morals of the young and might
have had a bad effect upon people with weak moral sense, but are thousands of
perfectly normal and responsible people to be denied this form of aesthetic stimulation
simply because it is harmful to children and perverts?"[53]
Copies of the literary journal The Little Review containing episodes from James Joyce's
novel Ulysses were seized by the United States Postal Service under the Comstock
law.[54] James Joyce's Ulysses was suppressed in 1921 for obscenity, because of a
scene that involved masturbation, first published in The Little Review.[55] Ulysses was
then the subject of a court challenge in 1933, United States v. One Book Called
Ulysses.[56] Judge John M. Woolsey's ruling that the book was not obscene marked a
notable change in how the courts viewed obscenities in novels.[56]
Henry Miller's novel Tropic of Cancer has been described as "notorious for its candid
sexuality" and as responsible for the "free speech that we now take for granted in
literature".[57]: 22 [58] It was first published in 1934 by the Obelisk Press in Paris, France, but
this edition was banned in the United States.[59] Its publication in 1961 in the U.S.
by Grove Press led to obscenity trials that tested American laws on pornography in the
early 1960s. In 1964, the U.S. Supreme Court declared the book non-obscene. It is
regarded as an important work of 20th-century literature.
The children's book And Tango Makes Three has been one of the most challenged
books in the 21st century due to the plot, which focuses on two homosexual penguins in
the Central Park Zoo.[60] Tango is one of several books that have been censored
because of homosexual themes. In 2003 the children's book The Family Book was
removed from the curriculum of the Erie, Illinois school system due to the book's
representation of same-sex families.
Flowers for Algernon, a science fiction short story and subsequent novel written
by Daniel Keyes, is on the American Library Association's list of the 100 Most
Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–1999 at number 43.[61] The reasons for the
challenges vary, but usually center on those parts of the novel in which Charlie
struggles to understand and express his sexual desires. Many of the challenges have
proved unsuccessful, but the book has occasionally been removed from school libraries,
including some in Pennsylvania and Texas.[62] It won the Hugo Award for Best Short
Story in 1960.[63] The novel was published in 1966 and was joint winner of that
year's Nebula Award for Best Novel (with Babel-17).[64]
Religious[edit]
In the United States, books have also been challenged for attacking or disagreeing with
religious beliefs.[65] On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin has been challenged
and suppressed since its publication in 1859 due to its theories on evolution, though not
until 1925 in the US, when the Butler Act was enacted in Tennessee, banning the
teaching of evolutionary theories statewide.[66] Works, such as the Harry Potter series,
have also been challenged because they are perceived by some to promote witchcraft
and the occult.[60]
Security[edit]
Operation Dark Heart, a 2010 memoir by U.S. Army intelligence officer Lt. Col Anthony
Shaffer, is notable for the lengths the U.S. Defense Department went to in an attempt to
censor information that the book revealed, even after it had already been distributed
free of changes. Both censored and original copies of the book are available in the
public domain.[67]
Parenting[edit]
As an author, John Green said, "Text is meaningless without context. What usually
happens with Looking for Alaska is that a parent chooses one page of the novel to send
to an administrator and then the book gets banned without anyone who objects to it
having read more than that one particular page."[68]
Examples of "banned" books[edit]
Brave New World[edit]
Aldous Huxley's dystopian novel, Brave New World (1931), was challenged in various
school districts. In 2003 in the South Texas Independent School District, Mercedes,
Texas it "was challenged but retained". Parents had "objected to the adult themes—
sexuality, drugs, suicide—that appeared in the novel. Huxley's book was part of the
summer Science Academy curriculum. The board voted to give parents more control
over their children's choices by requiring principals to automatically offer an alternative
to a challenged book."[69]
Of Mice and Men[edit]
John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, first published in 1937, is considered an American
classic and listed as the 12th best novel of the 20th century by the Radcliffe Publishing
Course.[70] It has remained a popular choice for teaching in English curriculums because
of its simplistic nature, but profound message.[8] Regardless, the novel appeared on the
ALA's top ten most frequently challenged books in 2001, 2003 and 2004.[71] H.N.
Foerstel, the author of Banned in the U.S.A., a novel documenting the cases of
censorship in the United States, states that "the censors claim to be protecting the
young and impressionable from this tragic tale of crude heroes speaking vulgar
language within a setting that implies criticism of our social system."[8] The main reasons
for censorship, as noted by the Office of Intellectual Freedom, are "offensive language,
racism, unsuited to age group, violence".[71]
A case against the novella began in Normal, Illinois in 2004 when a group of parents
and community members in the school district, proposed a set of books that could be
read instead of Steinbeck's novel that addressed the same themes as Of Mice and Men,
but did not have the racial slurs that the group objected to.[72] The group also suggested
that the book should be removed from the permanent, required reading list for a
sophomore English curriculum, however, they did not ask that the book be
banned.[72] The group appreciated that the novel addressed injustices of the past, but
believed the alternative books that they proposed "address multicultural and socially
sensitive issues in a meaningful, respectful manner",[72] whereas Steinbeck's novel does
not.
To Kill a Mockingbird[edit]
To Kill a Mockingbird (1960), by Harper Lee, rose to fame quickly after winning
the Pulitzer Prize and has since been considered an American classic. The novel
confronts issues of rape and racial inequality, but is highly regarded for its universal
themes that can appeal to many readers.[8] The novel has been censored since its 1960
publication and appeared on the ALA's top ten most frequently challenged books in
2009 and 2011.[71] The novel was considered objectionable because it deals with racial
injustice, class systems, gender roles, loss of innocence while discussing violence,
rape, incest and authority, while using strong language.[73] In July 1996, the
Superintendent of the Moss Point School District in Mississippi announced To Kill a
Mockingbird would be reviewed by a group of parents, community members and
teachers after a complaint came from Reverend Greg Foster about the novel's racial
descriptions and discussion of sexual activity. The novel was ultimately banned from
being accessed in the school district.[8] Another case began with a resident in Cherry
Hill, New Jersey, in 2008, who objected to having To Kill a Mockingbird as part of a high
school English curriculum. The challenger had problems with how African-Americans
were treated in the novel and feared that the descriptions may upset black students who
were reading the novel. Instead of banning the book, the school board voted
unanimously to keep the book in the curriculum and instead responded to fears of
upsetting black students with racial sensitivity training for teachers who used the novel
in their classrooms.[74]
The Catcher in the Rye[edit]
The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, was first published in 1951 and has since
been both frequently challenged and taught. In the 1980s, it "had the unusual distinction
of being the nation's most frequently censored book, and, at the same time, the second
most frequently taught novel in the public schools."[8] The American Library Association
deemed it the most censored book from 1966 to 1975 and the tenth most challenged
book from 1990 to 1999.[75][76] The novel also appears as the second best and most
classic novel of the 20th century based on a list developed by the Radcliffe Publishing
Course.[70]
The majority of the objections have been over the novel's language, but the book also
has mentions of prostitution, sexuality and underage drinking, as cited by the book
review published by the organization Focus on the Family, an American, conservative
group.[77] The ALA cites the reasons for censorship as "offensive language, sexually
explicit, unsuited to age group".[71] The first case of censorship the book ever witnessed
was in 1960 when it was banned in a Tulsa, Oklahoma school district and the eleventh
grade teacher who had assigned the book was fired because of the questionable
content of the book.[78] A case in Paris, Maine in 1996 allowed for The Catcher in the
Rye to continue being taught at the district high school, but mandated practices that
would tell parents what books their children read, ultimately leaving it in the hands of
parents to decide what their children should read, rather than the school.[8]
The Harry Potter series[edit]
The seven-book Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling has been highly popular since the
first novel came out in 1997, leading to the release of eight movies based on the series
and an amusement park inspired by the characters. Harry Potter has brought similar
amount of controversy as it has obsession: the series was the most frequently
challenged book in 2001 and 2002, before falling to second-most challenged book in
2003.[71] The ALA cites the reasons for censorship as "anti-family, occult/Satanism,
religious viewpoint, violence",[71] but the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas's "Free
People Read Freely" report also cited concerns over sexual content.[79]
In one case in Lawrenceville, Georgia in 2007, a parent asked that the Harry
Potter books be kept out of classrooms, suggesting that the novels promote the practice
of witchcraft and contain violent content that is not suitable for her 15-year-old daughter
to read as she was becoming inspired to try witchcraft like the characters do in the
series.[80] School board attorney, Victoria Sweeney, presented evidence for why the
novels should be kept in the classroom, noting that they encourage children's
fascination with reading and explore themes such as good triumphing over evil.[80] The
board ultimately unanimously decided to keep the books in the classroom since they
had the potential to spark creativity and imagination, as well as a love for learning and
reading.[80]
Fun Home[edit]
In October 2006, a resident of Marshall, Missouri attempted to have the graphic
novel Fun Home by Alison Bechdel removed from the Marshall Public Library.[81] The
book addresses themes of sexual orientation, gender roles, suicide, emotional
abuse, dysfunctional family life, and the role of literature in understanding oneself and
one's family. These challenges are significant because the fact that they are filled with
illustrations make them more likely to be accessible to younger children, and therefore,
more susceptible to challenges when the content is considered mature for the
audience.[82]
Organizations opposing book censorship[edit]
Established in 1876, the American Library Association is the oldest and largest library
association in the world "to provide leadership for the development, promotion and
improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in
order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all."[83] Also The
American Library Association's website has noted the top three reasons for book
censorship in the United States. The motives for this controversial practice are as
following: the material was considered to be "sexually explicit", the content contained
"offensive language", and the book was "unsuited to any age group."[84] The Freedom to
Read Foundation focuses more on the legal issues regarding book censorship. One of
their main objectives is "to supply legal counsel, which counsel may or may not be
directly employed by the Foundation, and otherwise to provide support to such libraries
and librarians as are suffering legal injustices."[85] Founded on November 20, 1969, the
association made its first U.S. Supreme Court appeal in Kaplan v. California.[86] The case
involved an "adult" bookstore owner who was convicted of "violating
a California obscenity statute by selling a plain-covered unillustrated book containing
repetitively descriptive material of an explicitly sexual nature."[87] The Freedom to Read
Foundation brought the case before the Supreme Court and filed "a motion asking the
Court to consider an amicus brief addressing constitutional questions posed by the new
three-prong test for obscenity in Miller v. California." The motion was ultimately denied
as the Court ruled that First Amendment rights only applied to "serious literature or
political works".[87]
Banned Books Week[edit]
On ALA's website there is a section of "Banned & Challenged Books" and they release
most banned and challenged books every year; however, they also organize Banned
Books Week, "an annual event celebrating the freedom to read."[83] usually taking place
during the last week of September. Banned Books Week is the product of a national
alliance between various organizations who strive to bring awareness to banned
books.[88] Founded by first amendment and library activist Judy Krug and the Association
of American Publishers in 1982 with the goal of bringing banned books "to the attention
of the American public".[89][90] By the year 2000, the intention of this event expanded to
"bring[ing] together the entire book community; librarians, booksellers, publishers,
journalists, teachers, and readers of all types, in shared support of the freedom to seek
and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular."[91] The
coalition that now sponsors the week each year consists of American Library
Association (ALA), the American Booksellers Association, American Booksellers
foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE), Association of American Publishers, American
Society of Journalists and Authors, and has support from the Center for the Book in the
Library of Congress. Now the goal of Banned Book Week is not only to invite students
and other readers to look at censored or challenged books, but also advocates for
literary freedom in schools, libraries, and all places involving books. Its most current
goal is "to teach the importance of our first Amendment rights and the power of
literature, and to draw attention to the danger that exists when restraints are imposed
availability of information in a free society".[88] In recent years banned book week has
expanded from just books to addressing the filtering any academic material by schools.
This includes software that removes services such as YouTube, social media, and
games. The American Association of School Librarians stance on all filtering is that it is
important for students to go past "the requirements set for by the Federal
Communications Commission in its Child Internet Protection Act".[92]
However, while the week generally receives a positive reception, that does not mean it
is criticism free. Tom Minnery, vice president of Focus on the Family, claims that "the
ALA has irresponsibly perpetrated the 'banned' books lie for too long" and that "nothing
is 'banned'" and Ruth Graham from Slate Magazine agrees.[93][94] She thinks that
celebrating book banning week conflates issues of book censorship in a public library
versus a school library, where actual cases of censorship are rather minimal.[94] Groups
who generally challenge numerous books, such as Focus on the Family, often stand
opposed to Banned Book Week, but that doesn’t mean everyone is. Maddie Crum, a
writer for the Huffington Post, argues in defense of the week, stating that the week helps
to keep people aware of the fact that Americans’ right of free expression is often limited
and in many cases not easily won.[95]

Voices of banned authors[edit]

John Green[edit]
American author John Green's novel Looking for Alaska has been challenged due to
"offensive language" and "sexually explicit descriptions".[68] Defending his work, Green
says that the novel "is arguing really in a rather pointed way that emotionally intimate
kissing can be a whole lot more fulfilling than emotionally empty oral sex."[68] The ALA
protects him, stating that "challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point
of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library,
thereby restricting the access of others. As such, they are a threat to freedom of speech
and choice."[68]
David Guterson[edit]
David Guterson's first novel Snow Falling on Cedars was listed as one of the most
banned books, having been compared to pornography [96] and described as sexually
inappropriate. When he was writing his second novel, Guterson said it was "always hard
to write another book" and that he was "deathly afraid" of having his books banned. [97]
List of other banned books[edit]
The American Library Association, specifically the Office of Intellectual Freedom, has
maintained a list of books, since 1990, that have been banned or censored in the United
States. This is an incomplete list of books, both fiction and non-fiction, that have been
challenged or censored in the United States. (See List of Banned & challenged books at
the American Library Association and/or the List of most commonly challenged books in
the United States Wikipedia page)

 Black Boy[citation needed]

 Candide[98]
 The Canterbury Tales[98]
 Captain Underpants[99]
 Carrie[citation needed]
 Catch-22[100]
 The Decameron[98]
 Fanny Hill[101]
 The Federal Mafia[102]
 Homo Sapiens, withdrawn from sale by the publisher after
being labeled obscene[103]
 The Meritorious Price of Our Redemption[104]
 Moll Flanders[105]
 My Life and Loves[106]
 Naked Lunch[107]
 Operation Dark Heart[108]
 Uncle Tom's Cabin[109]
 United States – Vietnam Relations: 1945–1967[110]
 Women in Love[111]
 Drama[citation needed]
 And Tango Makes Three[citation needed]
 Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian[citation needed]
 Looking for Alaska[citation needed]

See also[edit]
 Book censorship
 Books in the United States
 Bowdlerization
 Comics Code Authority
 Comstock laws
 Island Trees School District v. Pico
 List of books banned by governments
 List of most commonly challenged books in the United
States
  List of proposed anti-gay book bans in the United States
 National Organization for Decent Literature
 Wilhelm Reich

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