Freedom to read might seem different from freedom of speech but it’s actually one and the same. If no one is allowed to take in your speech—no matter how unorthodox it is—you have no freedom of speech.
Started in 1982, Banned Books Week aims to bring awareness to the history of censorship that’s been imposed on literature in the past and the specter of book bans that still looms today.
According to the American Library Association, in 2014 their Office for Intellectual Freedom received 311 challenges to books.
“A challenge is defined as a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness,” states the ALA’s website.
While there are currently no formal bans on books in the U.S., past banned books include now-classics such as “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Ulysses,” “Catch-22,” and “Naked Lunch.”
In celebration of Banned Books Week, which runs through Oct. 3, here are the top ten most frequently challenged books in the U.S. of 2014 according to the ALA:
1) The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: anti-family, cultural insensitivity, drugs/alcohol/smoking, gambling, offensive language, sex education, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group, violence. Additional reasons: “depictions of bullying”
2) Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi
Reasons: gambling, offensive language, political viewpoint. Additional reasons: “politically, racially, and socially offensive,” “graphic depictions”
3) And Tango Makes Three, Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
Reasons: Anti-family, homosexuality, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group. Additional reasons: “promotes the homosexual agenda”
4) The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
Reasons: Sexually explicit, unsuited for age group. Additional reasons: “contains controversial issues”
5) It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris
Reasons: Nudity, sex education, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group. Additional reasons: “alleges it child pornography”
6) Saga, by Brian Vaughan and Fiona Staples
Reasons: Anti-Family, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group. Additional reasons:
7) The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
Reasons: Offensive language, unsuited to age group, violence
8) The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, homosexuality, offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group. Additional reasons: “date rape and masturbation”
9) A Stolen Life, Jaycee Dugard
Reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group
10) Drama, by Raina Telgemeier
Reasons: sexually explicit