The American Library Association (ALA) has released its annual list of the most frequently challenged library books of the year. John Green’s 2005 young adult novel, Looking For Alaska, claimed the top spot.
Throughout the year 2015, the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom received 275 reports of challenged books. Follow this link to check out an infographic that explores “Banned Books Through History.”
Here’s more from the organization’s press release: “A challenge is defined as a formal, written complaint filed with a library or school requesting that a book or other material be restricted or removed because of its content or appropriateness. In July 2015, a Harris poll on attitudes about book banning and school libraries revealed that out of the 2,244 US adults who participated, the percentage (28 percent) who felt that certain books should be banned increased by more than half since the previous survey (18 percent) conducted in 2011.”
10 Most Frequently Challenged Library Books of 2015
1. Looking for Alaska by John Green
2. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
3. I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings with illustrations by Shelagh McNicholas
4. Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin
5. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
6. The Holy Bible
7. Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
8. Habibi by Craig Thompson
9. Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan written and illustrated by Jeanette Winter
10. Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan