the catcher in the rye. a brave new world. lolita lover of lady chatterley.
These are some classics that come to mind when considering books that have been banned from home and school libraries over time.
You are reading: Jason reynolds banned books
but there has been a “remarkable change” in the subject of books now being questioned in the us. uu. When the American Library Association released its list of the 10 most challenged books of 2020 in April, the books that received the most challenges in libraries and schools dealt with “racism, African-American history, and diversity in America,” says Deborah Caldwell-Stone. , director of the wing office for intellectual freedom.
and caldwell-stone says that in 2018 and 2019, the banned books list was “almost exclusively” made up of books dealing with lgbtq concerns.
“I think we’re seeing a response in many ways to some of the conversations, the challenges that we’ve faced as a society since the assassination of George Floyd last year,” he says.
This year’s Banned Books Week theme is “Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us.” public events include a letter-writing campaign to a beloved banned author and feature banned reading, an opportunity for people to submit videos of themselves reading books from the list.
the ten most questioned books of 2020
george by alex gino reasons: challenged, banned, and restricted for lgbtqia+ content, conflicting with a religious viewpoint, and not reflecting “the values of our community “
print: racism, anti-racism and you by ibram x. kendi and jason reynolds Reasons: Banned and questioned due to the author’s public statements and claims that the book contains “selective narrative incidents” and does not cover racism against all people
all american boys by jason reynolds and brendan kiely reasons: banned and questioned for profanity, drug use and alcoholism, and because it was thought to promote the fight against police points of view, contain divisive themes, and be “too sensitive a subject at this time”
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Laurie Halse Anderson’s speech Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted because it was thought to contain a political point of view and was claimed to be biased against male students, and for the inclusion in the novel of rapes and blasphemies
the absolutely true diary of a part-time indian by sherman alexie reasons: banned and questioned for profanity, sexual references and allegations of sexual misconduct by the author
Something Happened in Our Town: A Boy’s Story of Racial Injustice by marianne celano, marietta collins, and ann hazzard, illustrated by jennifer zivoin reasons: challenged by “divisive language” and because it was thought to promote anti-police views
to kill a mockingbird by harper lee motifs: banned and challenged for racial slurs and its negative effect on students, featuring a “white savior” character and his perception of the black experience
of mice and men by john steinbeck reasons: banned and challenged for racial slurs and racist stereotypes, and its negative effect on students
the bluest eye by toni morrison reasons: prohibited and questioned because it was considered sexually explicit and represents child sexual abuse
the hate you give for angie thomas reasons: challenged for profanity, and thought to promote an anti-police message
the hate you give author angie thomas has been on the banned book list before. since making the list often boosts sales, thomas tweeted his gratitude: “happy #bannedbookweek! i remember the time a texas school district banned the hate you give, and i sold tens of thousands of copies in one week in that same district. I keep banning my books. I have to buy a second house.”
Bestselling author Jason Reynolds, the “Honorary Chair of Banned Books Week 2021,” has two books on the latest list: Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, co-written with Ibram X. kendi and all american boys with brendan kiely.
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In a Facebook live chat Tuesday, Reynolds took issue with the mantra that making the list is a “badge of honor” or belonging to a “special club” for authors. “I don’t feel that way. In fact, I think it’s a bigger slap in the face,” Reynolds said, “It’s painful for me because what I know is that when these books are banned, there are going to be thousands and thousands of young people who are not going to get these books.”
Still, nothing says “read me” like the words “banned” or “censored”.
in pennsylvania, the york central school board recently tried to stop the use of a “diversity committee resource list” that included books by nikole hannah-jones and malala yousafzai. a strong student protest ensued and the decision was reversed. There have been similar protests in Texas, where the Leander Independent School District pulled six books, including The Handmaid’s Tale: the graphic novel by Margaret Atwood and Renee Nault.
in tennessee, a local chapter of moms for freedom (mfl) deemed several books inappropriate for second graders, including martin luther king, jr and the march on washington and the picture book ruby bridges going to school, about the six-year-old who became the first African-American to integrate an all-white school in New Orleans.
In a letter to the tennessee department of education, williamson mfl president robin steenman writes: “classroom textbooks and teacher manuals reveal explicit and implicit anti-american, anti-white, and anti-mexican teachings. moreover, it implicates the second graders that people of color continue to be oppressed…and teaches that the racial injustice of the 1960s exists today.”
but steenman says they’re not looking to ban the books. she says mfl has heard complaints from parents in the community, including people of color, about the way second graders are taught certain books. “The way children are presented really alienates some,” she says, and “divides children” according to the color of their skin. “It’s very focused on racial injustice,” she says, “ rather than talking about the progress our country has made.”
caldwell-stone says the ruby bridges challenge goes to school “just amazing”. Written by Bridges herself, Caldwell-Stone calls the book “age and developmentally appropriate” and received “rave reviews” for introducing the subject to children.
during the facebook live chat with jason reynolds, he was asked “what do you think people are afraid of?” when they ban books. Reynolds responded, “There are many, many adults who are terrified of being challenged…because what happens is then we’re going to be forced to deal with our own biases, to deal with our own ignorance.” Later in the conversation he added: “You have to trust your children a little more.”
meghan collins sullivan edited this story.
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