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We often print top 10 lists, on such topics as the most expensive sales at auction, or most expensive sales on the AbeBooks website. These are positive lists to be on. This one is not. It is of the 10 most censored books in libraries, a list created by the American Library Association. The ALA had earlier reported a huge increase in the number of attempts to ban books from libraries in 2022, up 74% from 2021. There was also a 32% increase in the number of titles people sought to ban. The Library Association is majorly concerned. Well they should be. The type of books people seek to ban has moved beyond the usual sex and vulgarity to books designed to help and protect minorities, society's most vulnerable individuals. This is behavior not generally associated with America.
Here is the ALA list, with a very brief description from us and the apparent reasons behind efforts to ban them.
1. Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe. Autobiography of a nonbinary person. LGTBQ+.
2. All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson. Growing up black and queer. LGTBQ+/Race.
3. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. Black girl wishing to be white. Race/Sexual Abuse.
4. Flamer by Mike Curato. Being gay at Boy Scout camp. LGTBQ+.
5. (tie) Looking for Alaska by John Green. Coming of age story. Sex.
5. (tie) The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. Coming of age story. Sexual Abuse and Drugs.
7. Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison. Coming of age as Mexican-American. Sex/LGBTQ+/Race.
8. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Indian growing up in native and white world in poverty. Unpleasant Realism.
9. Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez. Mexican-American girl and black boy. Sex/Race.
10. (tie) A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas. Fantasy fiction. Sex.
10. (tie) Crank by Ellen Hopkins. Good student gets caught up in drugs. Drugs/Sex.
10. (tie) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews. Coming of age story. Vulgar Language/Sex.
10. (tie) This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson. Help and comfort for gay children. LGBTQ+.
ALA President Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada released the following statement concerning these banned books: “By releasing the list of Top 10 Most Challenged Books each year, ALA recognizes all of the brave authors whose work challenges readers with stories that disrupt the status quo and offer fresh perspectives on tough issues. The list also illustrates how frequently stories by or about LGBTQ+ persons, people of color, and lived experiences are being targeted by censors. Closing our eyes to the reality portrayed in these stories will not make life’s challenges disappear.”
Our own review of this list finds most books are banned because of either sexual content or because they offer support for minority children who often find themselves the target of abuse, bullying, and discrimination. The sexual bans are old hat. They have not worked in the past and won't work now. Once kids reach puberty, sex is on their minds and they are going to learn about it. The question is can they learn from books selected by librarians who care about them, or on the street, where the quality of information has not, to say the least, been evaluated by caring professionals.
As for the ban on books designed to help the most vulnerable of kids during a very difficult time of life, that is deeply troubling. Why people want to make life miserable for vulnerable children is hard to fathom. Life can already be difficult for LGBTQ+ and racial minority children. Why would anyone want to make it harder?
One thing history teaches us is that when those with power are allowed to attack the most vulnerable among us, it can lead to very bad outcomes. No nation is immune. Americans will have to decide whether they wish to risk taking the journey down this road.
