alexia, sherman
the absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian
thorndike press; small, brown
Challenged, but held in Brunswick County, N.C. schools (2015) because “appeals to a book on which the school board has previously ruled will not be considered for two years”. one grandmother complained that the book “portrays bestiality and is pornographic.” Undeterred by the decision to withhold, she said she achieved her goal with the ultimate challenge: letting parents know about the book. The Young Adult Contemporary Book Challenged is a National Book Award winner. tells the story of a teenager who grows up on the Spokane Indian Reservation but leaves to attend an all-white high school in a farming town. the book has strong language, including racial slurs.
You are reading: How many books were banned in 2015
source: bulletin on intellectual freedom, July 2015, pp. 117-18.
bechdel, alison
funny home: a tragicomic family
houghton mifflin; seafaring books
Questioned as recommended, not required, summer reading for freshmen at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. (2015) because some students objected to the novel’s “depictions of lesbian sexuality, arguing that the book is borderline pornographic and should not have been asked to read it.” Opponents have leveled similar criticism at other colleges and universities that have taught the book, including Charleston College, where state lawmakers have threatened to defund the summer reading program for introducing it, and the University of Utah. Both institutions backed the book, which tells the story of a lesbian coming to terms with her own sexuality when she eventually discovers that her estranged father is also gay. challenged but retained at crafton hills college, a community college in yucaipa, calif. (2015) despite a student’s request to remove the book because it was “objectionable.” One of the most celebrated graphic novels of its generation (a 2006 National Book Critics Circle Award finalist), the stage adaptation won the Tony Award for Best Musical and numerous other awards in 2015.
source: bulletin on intellectual freedom, sept. 2015, pp. 147-49; 161-62.
benioff, david
city of thieves
viking
challenged in republic schools in nashville, tenn. (2015) even though the charter school operator redacted and changed parts of the book that were deemed “inappropriate” for high school students. The 2008 work of historical fiction chronicles the dangers and lives of two boys in the Leningrad era of World War II and includes profanity and sexually explicit scenes. The author was co-creator of the HBO version of “Game of Thrones” and writer of the script for the film adaptation of The Kite Runner.
source: bulletin on intellectual freedom, nov. 2015, pp. 144-45.
bower, bert and jim lobdell
living history! the medieval world and beyond
teacher curriculum institute
challenged as a supplemental history textbook in roxbury township, new jersey. school district (2015) by two or three parents who say the book glorifies Islamic jihad. after district review, the book remained as a companion text from which seventh and eighth grade teachers could choose various activities that are educationally appropriate as they explore world cultures.
source: Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy, Spring 2016, p. 55.
chbosky, stephen
the perks of being an outcast
pocket book
Removed from the required English curriculum for high school freshmen in Wallingford, Conn. (2015) by the school superintendent after a parent complained that the book included references to “homosexuality, date rape, masturbation, and the glorification of alcohol and drug use.” the novel was adapted into a film in 2012, which received mostly positive reviews; mtv, usweekly and complex named it one of the best movies of the year.
source: newsletter on intellectual freedom, May 2015, p. 69.
choldenko, gennifer
al capone makes my shirts
puffin
Challenged on New York State Elementary and High School Reading Lists (2015) because whistleblowers said the book “perpetuates negative stereotypes by promoting the infamous gangster Al Capone.” The two sequels to Choldenko’s “Tales from Gannet” novels were also challenged: Al Capone Cleans My Shoes and Al Capone Does My Homework. Capone was a prisoner on Alcatraz from 1935 to 1939. The book was named a Newbery Honor Selection, a Notable Children’s Book Wing, and in 2007 he received the California Young Reader Medal.
source: newsletter on intellectual freedom, July 2015, p. 96.
difficult, ted
to the river
mangakino university press
banned from sale and supply in new zealand (2015) because it contains “highly offensive language, strong sexual descriptions (and) covers serious things like pedophilia and sexual abuse”. The country’s film and literature board, following complaints from the family advocacy group Family First, withdrew the book from circulation. It was the first book banned in New Zealand in twenty-two years. on October 14, 2015, the film and literature board lifted the ban, ruling by a majority that while aspects of the book were offensive, it did not merit an age restriction. the novel is a coming-of-age story and is intended for a young adult audience. It received the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year Award and also won first prize in the Young Adult Fiction category at the 2013 New Zealand Children’s Book Awards.
source: bulletin on intellectual freedom, nov. 2015, p. 146.
dawson, james
this book is gay
hotkey books
wasilla, alaska public library (2015) moved all of its young adult nonfiction to the adult stacks in response to a complaint about dawson’s book. Several Wasilla residents attacked the book at a city council meeting saying they “didn’t want ‘gay books’ or books about gay people in the library at all.” for defending the sex education book for teenagers, the director of the library was branded a pedophile in highly controversial public debates.
source: Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy, Spring 2016, p. 53.
de haan, linda and stern nijland
king & king
tricycle press
challenged in efland-cheeks, n.c. primary (2015) after a third grade teacher read the book to deal with a case of bullying. the teacher said she read the book after a boy in her class was derogatorily called gay and told her she was acting like a girl. two parents said the book was not appropriate for children that age, and at least one said parents should have been notified in advance. the complaints were withdrawn after the teacher and assistant principal resigned from the school. Originally written in Dutch, the book has been published in at least eight languages and a theatrical version has been performed from Vienna to Mexico City. the image of the princes kissing at their wedding on the last page has been cited by social conservatives as “gay rights movements that undermine religious freedom.”
source: bulletin on intellectual freedom, July 2015, pp. 118-19.
dorfman, ariel
death and the maiden
penguin books
questioned as required reading in rumson-fair haven, new jersey. high school (2015) because the play is “too sexually explicit for high school teens.” An ad hoc committee of teachers, school board members, and a parent recommended that the play be removed from the summer reading list and instead be taught during the school year so that teachers can guide students through it. they read. the play is about a former political prisoner who was raped by her captors. Years later, she believes she has found her attacker, a man who brought her husband home after a flat tire. she ties up her assailant and puts him on trial, with her husband acting as her attorney. The play received the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play in 1992.
source: bulletin on intellectual freedom, nov. 2015, pp. 142-43; Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy, Spring 2016, pp. 55-56.
enemy, jonathan safran
extremely strong and incredibly close
seafaring books
retired matoon, sick. high school curriculum (2015) due to “its use of lewd and possibly offensive materials.” The novel’s narrator is a nine-year-old boy, Oskar Schell, who lost his father in the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, and is convinced that his father left him one last message somewhere in the city. . The book was included in the New York Public Library’s “Books to Remember” list and the American Library Association’s list of Notable Books for Adults (2006). A film adaptation of the novel was released on January 20, 2012, starring Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock.
source: bulletin on intellectual freedom, nov. 2015, p. 141; Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy, Spring 2016, p. 34.
form, gayle
just one day
talk
challenged, but held in rosemount, minn. middle and high school libraries (2015) despite a parent’s concern about “a graphic scene of sex, underage drinking, [and] date rape” as well as “inappropriate language.” the parent suggested that the district remove it from all rosemount-apple valley-eagan libraries. The book centers on a teenage girl, Allyson, who spends a romantic day in Paris with a mysterious actor and then decides that she should drop out of college and return to Europe.
source: al direct, nov. 24, 2015; Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy, Spring 2016, pp. 53-54.
gaiman, neil
the sandman, vol. 2: the dollhouse
dc comics challenged but retained at crafton hills college, a community college in yucaipa, calif. (2015) despite a student’s request to remove the book because it was “objectionable.” The series tells the story of the eternal anthropomorphic personification of sleep who is known by many names, including Morpheus. started in January 1989, the series concluded in March 1996.
source: bulletin on intellectual freedom, sept. 2015, pp. 161-62.
green, john
looking for alaska
dutton’s books
challenged, but held in lumberton township, n.j. high school (2015) despite a parent questioning its “sexual content”. awarded the 2006 michael l. printz award for excellence in young adult literature, this coming-of-age story follows the journey of miles halter, a misfit florida teen who leaves the safety of his home for boarding school in alabama and the opportunity to explore the “great maybe”.
source: bulletin on intellectual freedom, nov. 2015, pp. 163-64.
hadon, mark
the curious incident of the dog in the night
double day
Retired as a summer reading assignment in Leon County, Fla. schools (2015) for the content and language of the book. He went from required reading to optional reading at Lincoln High School in Tallahassee, Fla. (2015) after receiving around a dozen complaints via phone calls and emails about the book’s blasphemy and atheism. the award-winning book is about a 15-year-old autistic boy who investigates the death of a neighbor’s dog.
source: bulletin on intellectual freedom, sept. 2015, p. 146; nov. 2015, pp. 140-41.
harper, kathryn
snow white and the seven dwarfs
See Also: The Best Gettysburg Books | Analysis | Civil War Monitor
pearson education, limited
Removed from a Qatari school library (2016) after a book based on Disney’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” was deemed to contain “indecent” illustrations. qatar’s supreme council of education officials intervened after a complaint was filed by the father of a student at the spanish sek international school, based in the capital, doha. It is not known which images offended, but the book’s cover shows a smiling Snow White being held by the prince, who in the story revives her with a kiss after she ate a poisoned apple, the English-language Doha News website reported.
source: Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy, Spring 2016, p. 41.
henson, jim
for each child a better world
golden books
challenged, but held in the swamp, wis. elementary schools (2015), despite objections from a central wisconsin tea party president and school board member who thought the book was too graphic, namely that its illustrations of some children living in the poverty and violence are inappropriate for kindergarten children. The book, published in 1993 by Golden Press, is “written” by Kermit the Frog (“as told to Louise Gikow and Ellen Weiss”). It was produced in cooperation with the United Nations to raise funds for the organization.
source: journal of intellectual freedom and privacy, spring 2016, pp. 56-57.
hergé [georges remi]
tintin in america
french & european publications
withdrawn by winnipeg public library, canada (2015) pending review due to stereotypical and racist portrayals of indigenous peoples. the library eventually returned the book to general circulation, but in the adult collection, where it will be available to adult readers who want to see it for themselves or “talk to their kids or other people.”
source: newsletter on intellectual freedom, July 2015, p. 93.
hernandez, gilbert
palomar: the stories of the heartbreak soup
fantasy books
Restricted to students, under the age of eighteen, unless they have parental permission in El Rio Rancho, N.Mex. high school library (2015) because it was “too graphic” for a high school library shelf. included in time magazine’s list of the best comics of 2003, and in 2005 it was one of time’s 100 best graphic novels of all time.
source: bulletin on intellectual freedom, sept. 2015, p. 145.
herthel, jessica and jazz jennings
I’m jazz
dial books
Cancelled as scheduled reading at Mount Horeb, Wis. school district (2015) after the Florida-based Liberty Lawyers group threatened to sue. The children’s book is the story of a transgender boy based on the real-life experience of Jazz Jennings. On July 15, 2015, the reality series starring Jazz Jennings premiered to positive reviews.
source: journal of intellectual freedom and privacy, spring 2016, pp. 35-36.
hopkins, elena
glass
margaret k. mcelderry books
Retired from Standard High School in Bakersfield, California. (2015) along with the other two titles in the “crazy trilogy” after a parent complained about the sex, violence, drugs, and alcohol in the book. The book follows the life of a girl named Kristina and her battle with methamphetamine addiction. According to the Simon and Schuster website, the book is recommended for children at least 14 years old. novel was a new york times bestseller, nominated for quills award and received book sense top 10 award, nypl recommended for teens, psla top ten for teens, charlotte award, ira young adult choice award, kentucky bluegrass award, book ssli honor award and gateway readers award.
source: Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy, Spring 2016, p. 31.
hosseini, haled
the kite runner
bloomsbury
suspended, but later reinstated as approved reading in buncombe county, n.c. schools (2015). The whistleblower, a self-described “Conservative government watchdog,” cited state law that requires local boards of education to include “character education” in the curriculum. he also said that schools should teach sex education from an abstinence-only perspective. the book is used in 10th grade honors English classes and parents can request an alternate reading assignment for the child. The New York Times bestseller is set against a backdrop of tumultuous events, from the fall of Afghanistan’s monarchy to Soviet military intervention, the exodus of refugees to Pakistan and the United States, and the rise of the Taliban regime. several adaptations were created after publication, including several stage performances and a graphic novel. the film of the same name was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2007.
source: bulletin on intellectual freedom, July 2015, pp. 96-97.
kean, sam
The Vanishing Spoon: And Other Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World of the Periodic Table of Elements
small, brown; back bay books
challenged at discovery high school in orlando, fla. (2015) because “parts of the book are obscure and (the book has) some content that is quite questionable for a 12- and 13-year-old reader.” the author sees the periodic table as one of the great achievements of humanity, “an anthropological wonder”. the book is full of stories showing how each element affected the people who discovered them, for better or worse. The book was nominated by the Royal Society in the UK as one of the best science books of 2010 and named one of Amazon’s top 5 science books of the year.
source: bulletin on intellectual freedom, nov. 2015, p. 140.
kilodavis, cheryl
my princess: a mother’s story about a child who loves to dress up
aladdin
challenged, but held at the hood county library in granbury, texas. (2015) despite complaints that the book promotes “perversion” and the “gay lifestyle”. The Hood County Library Advisory Board voted to keep the book in the library. The controversy comes at the same time that the Hood County Clerk refused to approve same-sex marriage licenses. the book is based on the author’s son who prefers to wear clothes that some people consider feminine.
source: bulletin on intellectual freedom, July 2015, pp. 93-94; September 2015, p. 160.
kleinbaum, b. h.
society of dead poets
bantam books
challenged, but held at the jersey cusd 100 in jerseyville, ill. (2015) despite the complaint of a local pastor who found the book “disturbing, very close to soft and hard pornography… to me that book represents a [disrespectful attitude towards] parents and their judgments. it shows rebellion towards teachers and has graphic areas of immorality.” Set in the conservative and aristocratic Welton Academy in the northeastern United States in 1959, it tells the story of an English teacher who inspires his students through his teaching of poetry. The 1989 film starring Robin Williams received critical acclaim and was a box office success; It was also the best film at the baftas and the best foreign film in france and italy. the film also received the academy award for best original screenplay.
source: journal of intellectual freedom and privacy, spring 2016, pp. 33-34.
lahiri, jhumpa
the namesake
houghton mifflin
Recommended for removal by the Coeur d’Alene, Idaho School District Ad-Hoc Literature Committee (2015) because it contains “depictions of sexual conduct that are too explicit for high school seniors.” the novel examines being caught between two conflicting cultures with very distinct religious, social, and ideological differences. In March 2006, a film adaptation of the novel was released in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and India. The Indian-Bengali American author won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2000 and received the National Medal of Arts and Humanities in 2014 at a White House ceremony.
source: Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy, Spring 2016, p. 33.
maclaverty, bernard
heating
w. w. norton & company
questioned as required reading in rumson-fair haven, new jersey. high school (2015) because the novel is “too sexually explicit for high school teens”. the novel has been on and off the required reading list for young people in recent years. an ad hoc committee of teachers, school board members, and a parent determined that the novel was age-appropriate for the district’s juniors and seniors. published in 1983, the novel is about a young Irish Catholic involved in the Irish Republican Army who falls in love with the wife of a man killed in an incident in which he was a hit-and-run driver. The film of the same name was released in 1984 starring Helen Mirren.
source: bulletin on intellectual freedom, nov. 2015, pp. 142-43; Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy, Spring 2016, pp. 55-56.
marillier, juliet
daughter of the forest
for books
challenged, but held in warrensburg, mo. high school library (2015) despite a rape scene in the book. The book is a historical fantasy novel first published in 1999 and is loosely based on the legend of the Children of Lir and “The Six Swans” (a story that has many versions, including one by the Brothers Grimm). It was a finalist for the 2000 Aurealis Fantasy Novel Awards and won the 2001 American Library Association Alex Award.
source: Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy, Spring 2016, p. 54.
morrison, toni
beloved
knopf
Challenged, but retained as an optional summer reading option in Satellite Beach, Fla. high school advanced placement classes (2015). One parent admitted not reading the entire book when he addressed the committee in September, but he wanted the book banned for what he called “pornographic content.” challenged in fairfax county, va. English Reading List for Seniors (2016) by a parent who states that “the book includes scenes of violent sex, including gang rape, and was too graphic and extreme for teenagers.” The controversy led to legislation (Bill 516) requiring the Virginia Department of Education to create a policy that notifies parents of content and then allows them to review the materials. The novel is inspired by the story of an African-American slave, Margaret Garner, who escaped from slavery in Kentucky in late January 1856 and fled to Ohio, a free state. It won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, was a finalist for the 1987 National Book Award, and was adapted into a 1998 film of the same name starring Oprah Winfrey. A New York Times poll of writers and literary critics ranked it the best work of American fiction from 1981 to 2006.
source: bulletin on intellectual freedom, nov. 2015, p. 163; live, February 9, 2016 and March 4, 2016.
o’brien, tim
the things they were carrying
houghton mifflin harcourt
challenged in the troup, tex. school district (2015) because the book is “vulgar”, “complete rubbish rubbish”, and “full of sexual content and profanity”. The book is a collection of short stories about a platoon of American soldiers in the Vietnam War. Published in 1990, the book has received multiple awards, including France’s Prix du meilleur livre etranger and the Chicago Tribune’s Heartland Award, as well as being a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critics Circle finalist.
See Also: The Last Apprentice series in order ▷ Joseph Delaney&039s books
source: bulletin on intellectual freedom, nov. 2015, p. 145.
pardi, francesca and tullio f. high
little egg (piccolo uovo)
lo stampatello
banned by the mayor of venice, italy along with 48 other children’s books from the city’s preschool libraries. most of the books—destined for the city’s 28 nursery schools and kindergartens—never made it to the libraries and are still packed in boxes in various municipal offices. After an outcry from residents, authors, publishers, library associations, and even Amnesty International, he reduced his list of banned books to just two. Pardi’s book, the story of an unhatched egg who sees happiness in various family settings, won the prestigious Andersen Prize in 2012, Italy’s top award for children’s literature, even as a popular Catholic magazine cited it as a book to avoid.
source: new york times, August 19, 2015, p. a4.
perritano, juan
city of friendship
rosen publication
challenged in wake county, n.c. Escuelas (2015) because a parent denounced that the graphic novel “talked about a man who murders his family and shows a man walking with his shotgun towards his parents and his sister and his brother.” the book is listed at an interest level for grades three through six and a reading level for grades two through three.
source: Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy, Spring 2016, p. 31.
pittman, gayle e.
this day in June
imagination pr.
challenged, but held at the hood county library in granbury, texas. (2015) despite complaints that the book promotes “perversion” and the “gay lifestyle”. The Hood County Library Advisory Board voted to keep the book in the library. The controversy comes at the same time that the Hood County Clerk refused to approve same-sex marriage licenses. This book, about a gay pride parade, focuses on the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
source: bulletin on intellectual freedom, July 2015, pp. 93-94; September 2015, p. 160.
satrap, marjane
persepolis: the story of a childhood
pantheon books
challenged, but retained at crafton hills college, a community college in yucaipa, calif. (2015) despite a student’s request to remove the book because it was “objectionable.” The book was a New York Times Notable Book, a Time Magazine “Best Comic of the Year,” a San Francisco Chronicle, and a Los Angeles Times Bestseller, winner of the 2004 Alex Award, and named to the Best Books list for 2004 young adults. a film version was nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at the 80th Academy Awards in 2007.
source: bulletin on intellectual freedom, sept. 2015, pp. 161-62.
skloot, cardigan
the immortal life of henrietta is missing
crown
challenged as a summer reading assignment in knoxville, tenn. high school system (2015) because a parent stated that the nonfiction book “has too much graphic information.” Henrietta Lacks was a poor black tobacco farmer whose cells, taken without her knowledge in 1951, became one of medicine’s most important tools, vital to developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, in vitro fertilization and more. Winner of multiple awards, including the 2010 Chicago Tribune Heartland Award for Nonfiction, the 2010 Wellcome Trust Book Award, the American Association for the Advancement of Science Award for Excellence in Science Writing, the 2011 Audie Award for Best Nonfiction Audiobook and an Open Book Award from the Association of Medical Journalists, the book was featured in more than 60 media outlets, including The New York Times, Oprah, NPR, and Entertainment Weekly.
source: bulletin on intellectual freedom, nov. 2015, p. 144.
steinbeck, john
of mice and men
rooster; penguin; viking
It is recommended to be removed from classroom instruction and made available only on a voluntary, small-group basis in ninth-grade English classes in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho (2015). his use of profanity, “bastard”, for example, and “damn”, makes the book unsuitable. In addition to the profanity, the curriculum committee found the story of two immigrant farmhands who struggled during the Great Depression too “negative.” The 1937 novel is one of the Nobel Prize-winning and Pulitzer Prize-winning author’s best-known works and has often been adapted for stage and screen. on June 1, 2015, the school board voted 4-1 to keep thenovella as an option for English teachers to assign their classes, rather than downgrading it to voluntary small-group discussion as recommended by a school district committee that is revising novels taught in schools.
source: bulletin on intellectual freedom, July 2015, pp. 94-95; Live, June 3, 2015.
stokstad, marilyn
art history: art from the eighteenth to the twenty-first centuries, third edition
learning room
challenged, but held in williamson county, tenn. schools (2015) despite concerns from citizens who said the book was “political and too provocative”. Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher aren’t even mentioned.” The book will be used in the American Art and Identity class, a special course that will only be available to seniors who have already taken Advanced Placement (AP) Art History at Independence. high school. the class had seven students enrolled.
source: bulletin on intellectual freedom, nov. 2015, p. 164.
summers, courtney
some girls are
st. martin griffin
Excerpted from the English I Honors Summer Reading List for Freshmen at West Ashley High School in Charleston, S.C. (2015) after a parent complained about the novel’s dark and explicit content. The book is about a high school senior who is ostracized and harassed by her former friends after reporting an attempted rape by a popular boy.
source: bulletin on intellectual freedom, sept. 2015, pp. 146-47.
tamaki, mariko and jillian tamaki
this summer
first second
Removed from an elementary school library and restricted in three Florida high school libraries in Longwood (2015) in response to a parent complaint about the graphic novel’s language. It’s a coming-of-age story of two rosy, windy preteen friends during one summer in Awago, a small seaside town. The book won the 2015 Printz Award, the Caldecott Honor Award, the Eisner Award, and the 2014 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Graphic Novel.
source: journal of intellectual freedom and privacy, spring 2016, pp. 32-33.
texier, ofelia
jean has two moms (jean a deux mamans)
French and European publications
banned by the mayor of venice, italy along with 48 other children’s books from the city’s preschool libraries. most of the books—destined for the city’s 28 nursery schools and kindergartens—never made it to the libraries and are still packed in boxes in various municipal offices. after an outcry from residents, authors, publishers, library associations, and even Amnesty International, it reduced its list of banned books to just two.
source: bulletin on intellectual freedom, sept. 2015, pp. 149-50.
two, mark [samuel l. clement]
the adventures of huckleberry finn
rooster; bobs-merrill; nasty; harpist; copse; houghton; long man; mamillan; end; Norton; penguin; pocket books
Retired from Montgomery County, Penn. school curriculum (2015) after a group of students said that the use of the n-word in the book made them uncomfortable and the students thought that the school was not being inclusive. Since its publication in 1884, the book has caused controversy beginning in 1885 when it was banned in Concord, Mass. as “garbage and fit only for the slums.”
source: Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy, Spring 2016, pp. 34-35.
vaughan, brian
y: the last man, vol. 1
vertigo
challenged, but retained at crafton hills college, a community college in yucaipa, calif. (2015) despite a student’s request to remove the book because it was “objectionable.” The dystopian sci-fi comic series was nominated for the first Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story. Vaughan won the 2005 Eisner Award for Best Writer and the 2008 Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series. In 2015, the Eisner Awards inducted Vaughan into the Comic Book Hall of Fame.
source: bulletin on intellectual freedom, sept. 2015, pp. 161-62.
walls, jeannette
the glass castle: memories
writer
suspended in ambridge, pa. high school (2015) because the book is “racist and sexually explicit.” the disputed memoir deals with growing up poor with a father who spent his money on alcohol and a mother who became homeless. Published in 2005, the memoir spent a total of 261 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and is now being developed as a feature film by Paramount. By the end of 2007, The Glass Castle had sold more than 2.7 million copies, been translated into 22 languages, and received the Christopher Award, the American Library Association’s Alex Award (2006), and the Books for Better Living Award.
source: bulletin on intellectual freedom, nov. 2015, pp. 143-44.
winter, jeanette
the librarian of basra: a true story from iraq
hmh books for young readers
challenged in duval county, fla. public schools (2015) because a coalition of parents believes the book is inappropriate for promoting a religion other than Christianity and is too violent for young children. Critics claim that the book promotes “the Koran and the prayer to Muhammad.” The true story is about a librarian who steals books from a library during the United States. attacks in iraq. the librarian works with community members to keep books safe until the war is over and a new library can be built. duval county public school libraries have a banned book list of ten literary works, including roald dahl’s disgusting rhymes, tom robbins’s even cowgirls get blue, and tony kushner’s angels in america, which are also listed removed from a textbook, the Guardian reported.
source: bulletin on intellectual freedom, sept. 2015, pp. 145-46.
winter, jeanette
the secret school of nasreen: a true story from afghanistan
beach lane books
challenged in duval county, fla. public schools (2015) because a coalition of parents believes the book is inappropriate for promoting a religion other than Christianity and is too violent for young children. Critics claim that the book promotes “the Koran and the prayer to Muhammad.” duval county public school libraries have a banned book list of ten literary works, including roald dahl’s disgusting rhymes, tom robbins’s even cowgirls get blue, and tony kushner’s angels in america, which are also listed removed from a textbook, the Guardian reported. challenged in the eau claire, wis. schools (2015) because the book contains an Islamic prayer. The book is about the Taliban taking control of an Afghan village and preventing girls from going to school. After Nasreen’s father is kidnapped and presumed murdered, Nasreen’s grandmother smuggles her every day to an underground school where she can learn to read and write.
source: bulletin on intellectual freedom, sept. 2015, pp. 145-46; Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy, Spring 2016, p. 35.
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