By Jacqui McLean
Banned Books Week, running from September 27th to October 3rd, celebrates the freedom to read and diversity in literature topics. Every year parents, administrators, and officials attempt to ban pieces of literature due to language, sexual references, violence, racism, and slurs. Some adults argue that children in school should not be assigned books with this type of content. Others believe there are teachable moments and lessons to be learned from questionable behavior. After all, what is literature if it isn’t thought provoking? The following books represent a few of the now popular 11,300 books to be challenged or banned since books began to be banned in 1982.
- The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
- Violence and language
- Sexual references
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- Language/slurs
- Racially degrading
- The Lord of the Flies by William Golding
- Violence and language
- Demoralizing
- Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
- Using the Lord’s name in vain
- Sexual references
- Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
- The use of witchcraft
- Characters using nefarious tactics to get what they want
- George by Alex Gino
- LGBTQ+ references
- Conflicting religious viewpoint (family structure)
- The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas
- Anti-cop
- Profanity, drug use, and sexual references