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Top 100 Challenged Books 1990-2000

Dogmatix

Dogmatix

New Member
In keeping with the theme for September's Banned Books Voting here is a list from the American Library Association



The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–1999

  1. [SIZE=-1]Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz[/SIZE]
  2. [SIZE=-1]Daddy’s Roommate by Michael Willhoite[/SIZE]
  3. [SIZE=-1]I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou[/SIZE]
  4. [SIZE=-1]The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier[/SIZE]
  5. [SIZE=-1]The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain[/SIZE]
  6. [SIZE=-1]Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck[/SIZE]
  7. [SIZE=-1]Forever by Judy Blume[/SIZE]
  8. [SIZE=-1]Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson[/SIZE]
  9. [SIZE=-1]Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman[/SIZE]
  10. [SIZE=-1]The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger[/SIZE]
  11. [SIZE=-1]The Giver by Lois Lowry[/SIZE]
  12. [SIZE=-1]My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier[/SIZE]
  13. [SIZE=-1]It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris[/SIZE]
  14. [SIZE=-1]Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor[/SIZE]
  15. [SIZE=-1]Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine[/SIZE]
  16. [SIZE=-1]A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck[/SIZE]
  17. [SIZE=-1]The Color Purple by Alice Walker[/SIZE]
  18. [SIZE=-1]Sex by Madonna[/SIZE]
  19. [SIZE=-1]Earth’s Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel[/SIZE]
  20. [SIZE=-1]The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson[/SIZE]
  21. [SIZE=-1]In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak[/SIZE]
  22. [SIZE=-1]The Witches by Roald Dahl[/SIZE]
  23. [SIZE=-1]A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle[/SIZE]
  24. [SIZE=-1]The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein[/SIZE]
  25. [SIZE=-1]Go Ask Alice by Anonymous[/SIZE]
  26. [SIZE=-1]The Goats by Brock Cole[/SIZE]
  27. [SIZE=-1]The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard[/SIZE]
  28. [SIZE=-1]Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry[/SIZE]
  29. [SIZE=-1]Final Exit by Derek Humphry[/SIZE]
  30. [SIZE=-1]Blubber by Judy Blume[/SIZE]
  31. [SIZE=-1]Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam[/SIZE]
  32. [SIZE=-1]Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George[/SIZE]
  33. [SIZE=-1]Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane[/SIZE]
  34. [SIZE=-1]The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison[/SIZE]
  35. [SIZE=-1]What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters by Lynda Madaras[/SIZE]
  36. [SIZE=-1]Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers[/SIZE]
  37. [SIZE=-1]The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood[/SIZE]
  38. [SIZE=-1]The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton[/SIZE]
  39. [SIZE=-1]The Pigman by Paul Zindel[/SIZE]
  40. [SIZE=-1]To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee[/SIZE]
  41. [SIZE=-1]We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier[/SIZE]
  42. [SIZE=-1]Deenie by Judy Blume[/SIZE]
  43. [SIZE=-1]Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes[/SIZE]
  44. [SIZE=-1]Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden[/SIZE]
  45. [SIZE=-1]Beloved by Toni Morrison[/SIZE]
  46. [SIZE=-1]The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar[/SIZE]
  47. [SIZE=-1]Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat by Alvin Schwartz[/SIZE]
  48. [SIZE=-1]Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling[/SIZE]
  49. [SIZE=-1]Cujo by Stephen King[/SIZE]
  50. [SIZE=-1]James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl[/SIZE]
  51. [SIZE=-1]A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein[/SIZE]
  52. [SIZE=-1]Ordinary People by Judith Guest[/SIZE]
  53. [SIZE=-1]American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis[/SIZE]
  54. [SIZE=-1]Brave New World by Aldous Huxley[/SIZE]
  55. [SIZE=-1]Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)[/SIZE]
  56. [SIZE=-1]Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard[/SIZE]
  57. [SIZE=-1]Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole[/SIZE]
  58. [SIZE=-1]What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons by Lynda Madaras[/SIZE]
  59. [SIZE=-1]The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell[/SIZE]
  60. [SIZE=-1]Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume[/SIZE]
  61. [SIZE=-1]Boys and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy[/SIZE]
  62. [SIZE=-1]Crazy Lady by Jane Conly[/SIZE]
  63. [SIZE=-1]Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher[/SIZE]
  64. [SIZE=-1]Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan[/SIZE]
  65. [SIZE=-1]Fade by Robert Cormier[/SIZE]
  66. [SIZE=-1]Guess What? by Mem Fox[/SIZE]
  67. [SIZE=-1]Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut[/SIZE]
  68. [SIZE=-1]Lord of the Flies by William Golding[/SIZE]
  69. [SIZE=-1]Native Son by Richard Wright[/SIZE]
  70. [SIZE=-1]Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies by Nancy Friday[/SIZE]
  71. [SIZE=-1]Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen[/SIZE]
  72. [SIZE=-1]On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer[/SIZE]
  73. [SIZE=-1]The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende[/SIZE]
  74. [SIZE=-1]Jack by A.M. Homes[/SIZE]
  75. [SIZE=-1]Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge[/SIZE]
  76. [SIZE=-1]Family Secrets by Norma Klein[/SIZE]
  77. [SIZE=-1]Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole[/SIZE]
  78. [SIZE=-1]Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya[/SIZE]
  79. [SIZE=-1]Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle[/SIZE]
  80. [SIZE=-1]The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney[/SIZE]
  81. [SIZE=-1]Carrie by Stephen King[/SIZE]
  82. [SIZE=-1]The Dead Zone by Stephen King[/SIZE]
  83. [SIZE=-1]The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain[/SIZE]
  84. [SIZE=-1]Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison[/SIZE]
  85. [SIZE=-1]Always Running by Luis Rodriguez[/SIZE]
  86. [SIZE=-1]Private Parts by Howard Stern[/SIZE]
  87. [SIZE=-1]Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford[/SIZE]
  88. [SIZE=-1]Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene[/SIZE]
  89. [SIZE=-1]Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume[/SIZE]
  90. [SIZE=-1]Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman[/SIZE]
  91. [SIZE=-1]Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett[/SIZE]
  92. [SIZE=-1]Running Loose by Chris Crutcher[/SIZE]
  93. [SIZE=-1]Sex Education by Jenny Davis[/SIZE]
  94. [SIZE=-1]Jumper by Steven Gould[/SIZE]
  95. [SIZE=-1]Christine by Stephen King[/SIZE]
  96. [SIZE=-1]The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene[/SIZE]
  97. [SIZE=-1]That Was Then, This is Now by S.E. Hinton[/SIZE]
  98. [SIZE=-1]Girls and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy[/SIZE]
  99. [SIZE=-1]The Wish Giver by Bill Brittain[/SIZE]
  100. [SIZE=-1]Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier[/SIZE]
 
Just yesterday, my oldest dd showed me our local library's copy of Schindler's List and pointed out that unknown censor took it upon themselves to cover up the bad words in the book. I only saw two words treated this way, and in a quick thumb-through, did not see any other words this 'helper' might have missed. You can be sure I will show this to the head librarians when I return the book Wednesday.
 
Good, abc!

Aside from the usual outrage over people so blinkered and thick that all they see in a classic are the profanities, isn't it appalling that people are challenging books designed to help children understand puberty?

[SIZE=-1]What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters by Lynda Madaras

[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons by Lynda Madaras[/SIZE]
Click to expand...
[SIZE=-1][/SIZE]

Ironically - and this is generally the case - it's the children of the parents who would want to ban the book, who need to read it the most.
 
Shade said:
Good, abc!

Aside from the usual outrage over people so blinkered and thick that all they see in a classic are the profanities, isn't it appalling that people are challenging books designed to help children understand puberty?



Ironically - and this is generally the case - it's the children of the parents who would want to ban the book, who need to read it the most.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah! I know some people object to the tone or 'deviant' viewpoint presented in some of these types of books. However, I know of at least one good series for sex ed from a conservative Christian worldview..but any such book can be used, even by the most conservative parents-IF they will read the book with the child and explain where their views differ from the author. Big if, I know:rolleyes: But really, that's the best cure I know for this whole book banning issue..read the book with the kid..or at least be familiar enough with it to discuss it intelligently.
 
Poor Mark Twain never seems to catch a break :(. Thats a surprisingly diverse list though, though the main themes seems to be books that portray America as anything less than infallible, and anything that threatens the veil of ignorance that the reproductive process is placed within... that list is pretty gross in general, and good impetus to read more in case books start getting tossed into bonfires again...
 
Thanks for posting the list. However, it would be nice if the ALA included reasons why these books have been challenged or banned. Some (like Sex, American Pyscho and The Sleeping Beauty Trilogy) are pretty self-explanatory, while others (The Stupids? The Earth's Children novels) are... awkward, to say the least.
 
There is the other side to the discussion that tends to get short shrift in discussions such as this, namely that parents do have a valid and strong interest in how their children are brought up and the influences they are exposed to. The rearing of children has not been completely ceded to the school system, yet, so I think parents validly register their objections in the usual democratic manner that we all benefit from. And -- while I'm feeling reckless, or foolish, or both -- I'll observe that there is never any shortage of advice on how other people should raise their children, and what other parents should allow their children to read. Which goes both ways, as I hope we realize.
Peder
 
Anamnesis said:
Thanks for posting the list. However, it would be nice if the ALA included reasons why these books have been challenged or banned. Some (like Sex, American Pyscho and The Sleeping Beauty Trilogy) are pretty self-explanatory, while others (The Stupids? The Earth's Children novels) are... awkward, to say the least.
Click to expand...

The books are usually challenged because of sex scenes or for religious reasons (however silly they may sound). I havent really read the Earth children books, but if i'm not mistaken there is quite a few sex-scenes in them. Thats probably the reason.
 
Zolipara said:
The books are usually challenged because of sex scenes or for religious reasons (however silly they may sound). I havent really read the Earth children books, but if i'm not mistaken there is quite a few sex-scenes in them. Thats probably the reason.
Click to expand...

That's true. My understanding is, most people who object for reasons other than the obvious sex or violence, object to the use of certain books that 'glorify' or 'normalize' lifestyles they object to on religious grounds. This is one reason we homeschool. Rather than fight with teachers and school officials, we just chose to educate our kids ourselves.Does that mean my kids have been shielded from all these challenged books? Um, no! It just means that we've monitored what they read and either asked them to hold off on a certain book, or read the book in question too. Of course not everyone is willing or able to do this, but its a viable option for some.
 
abecedarian said:
This is one reason we homeschool. Rather than fight with teachers and school officials, we just chose to educate our kids ourselves.Does that mean my kids have been shielded from all these challenged books? Um, no! It just means that we've monitored what they read and either asked them to hold off on a certain book, or read the book in question too. Of course not everyone is willing or able to do this, but its a viable option for some.
Click to expand...

What type of books that they use in school do you wish to shield your kids from then?
 
Zolipara said:
What type of books that they use in school do you wish to shield your kids from then?
Click to expand...

I guess for us it isn't so much what we want them shielded from, as a matter of being able to be more proative in what they're taught. It really isn't the books we're worried about so much as education agendas and methods that are opposed to our values.
 
I think it's a bit odd that parents would try to shield kids from certain books. Being a teenager, I know that the moment someone tells you that you can't read a book because it's banned, you will want to read it. In fact, we even had a school assignment where we got a list of banned books, picked one, and wrote an essay on whether or not we thought it should be banned. I guess I should just be thankful that my school doesn't ban many books.

The whole thing is ridiculous. If I want to read a book, I will. I can understand parents telling their children not to read a book, but they go too far when they try to get the book banned so other children can't read it. When it comes to what other people read, people need to mind their own business.
 
First off; I do not have any children. That means I have no idea how difficult it is to be a parent and I am in no position to tell parents "How it's done". My feeling about banned books, video games, records, etc is this:
It is not society's job to parent children. Parents must be ever vigilant in monitoring what their children are exposed to. I'm sure it is a monumental and frustratingly difficult job. One that runs 24 horus a day for 18 years with no coffee breaks.

Can society help? Yes of course it can. Should it? I'm not so sure how I feel about it. Here is an extreme example...Would anyone get upset if Hustler or Juggs magazine was banned from the periodical section of the library? I doubt it. So that's acceptable. "Our Bodies our Selves"? That one is probably a lot less clear. My point is that it's difficult for society to draw a line that will make everyone happy so perhaps no line should be drawn at all. That means that parents, God love every single overtired and overworked one of them, really have to do it themselves.

God bless parents!
 
drmjwdvm said:
Can society help? Yes of course it can. Should it? I'm not so sure how I feel about it. Here is an extreme example...Would anyone get upset if Hustler or Juggs magazine was banned from the periodical section of the library? I doubt it. So that's acceptable. "Our Bodies our Selves"? That one is probably a lot less clear. My point is that it's difficult for society to draw a line that will make everyone happy so perhaps no line should be drawn at all. That means that parents, God love every single overtired and overworked one of them, really have to do it themselves.

God bless parents!
Click to expand...

How many libraries have Hustler and Juggs in their periodical section and can you give me the adresses?
 
Zolipara said:
How many libraries have Hustler and Juggs in their periodical section and can you give me the adresses?
Click to expand...

I can't prove it of course, but I think the reason my local library put a lovely copy of Perfume by Patrick Suskind on their sale cart was because of the topless lady on the cover. I'm postive whoever made that decision never read the book.
 
Ok, I GOTTA ask... What the heck is wrong with Where's Waldo?????? I am completely mystified over here.:confused:
 
KristoCat said:
Ok, I GOTTA ask... What the heck is wrong with Where's Waldo?????? I am completely mystified over here.:confused:
Click to expand...

Seriously. I can maybe understand banning something like Women on Top, but come on, Where's Waldo? You look at a book and find some guy in a striped red t-shirt. If that causes emotional damage to a kid, then I don't know what doesn't.
 
savvyambrose said:
some guy in a striped red t-shirt.
Click to expand...
I'm as baffled as the next person here, especially since it seems that there are so many Where's Waldo books by now. But if a guy in a red striped T-shirt is the guessed at cause for objection, I guess I'll ask whether that is all there is to it, really. Or is somebody seeing something else in that guy?
Just asking,
Peder
 
Ok, I found this little snippet about Where's Waldo...
"Where's Waldo?" was challenged because in the Beach Scene, one mean little kid is about to throw a bucket of water on a sunbathing woman who has untied the top of her bikini.
Click to expand...

You can view the whole article here.

How do people notice that? Seriously.
 
Good article to read. Summarizes many of the points already made here, but adds that, Oh yes, the future of everything the United Stands for is now in jeopardy.
My hair is standing on end,
Peder
 
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