Banned Books Week — 'Of Mice and Men' ranked #10

Last week marked the American Library Association's (ALA) annual Banned Books Week.

Each year the ALA draws attention to books chosen for children to read that have been criticized as unsuitable and inappropriate.

Last year the ALA received 547 challenges — formal, written complaints filed with a school or library requesting that materials be removed because of content.

A year earlier (2003) 458 such challenges were made.

Most books were not removed from shelves following such actions.

Here are last year's ALA "Greatest Hits" — the 10 most frequently challenged books in 2004:

1. "The Chocolate War," by Robert Cormier, for sexual content, offensive language, religious viewpoint, being unsuited to age group and violence.

2. "Fallen Angels," by Walter Dean Myers, for racism, offensive language and violence.

3. "Arming America: The Origins of a National Gun Culture," by Michael A. Bellesiles, for inaccuracy and political viewpoint.

4. Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey, for offensive language and modeling bad behavior.

5. "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," by Stephen Chbosky, for homosexuality, sexual content and offensive language.

6. "What My Mother Doesn't Know," by Sonya Sones, for sexual content and offensive language.

7. "In the Night Kitchen," by Maurice Sendak, for nudity and offensive language.

8. "King & King," by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland, for homosexuality.

9. "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," by Maya Angelou, for racism, homosexuality, sexual content, offensive language and unsuitability to age group.

10. "Of Mice and Men," by John Steinbeck, for racism, offensive language and violence.

Valerie Straus of the Washington Post interviewed Michael Gorman, ALA president and dean of library services at California State University at Fresno, on the topic of libraries and censorship.

Here's the interview, from yesterday's Washington Post.

How do you account for a rise in the number of challenges in recent years?

We have noticed more challenges to gay-themed books in school and public libraries. I wonder if that has to do with the prominence of issues such as same-sex marriage [and] civil unions and a consequent backlash.

Who is trying to remove books from library shelves?

Parents who think that your children should not read books of which they disapprove; organized groups with particular religious, moral or social opinions; and individuals or groups who recognize the power of books and reading and are afraid of it.

Clearly there are books that children are not mature enough to read. Is there a standard for school libraries?

School library books and other materials are selected by professional librarians skilled in selection of age-appropriate materials, sometimes within guidelines drawn up by boards.

Where is the line?

A good and complex question and one that is very much dependent on the context. Children should be encouraged to inquire and to seek knowledge, not deterred.

In this context, I am reminded of an interview with Jeanette Winterson I once read.

She remarked that when she was a girl her mother was extremely unhappy with Winterson's love of books and reading.

Her main complaint?

"You just can't tell by looking at them what's in them."

Precisely.

Just like computer code, actually: is it an unsuitable picture or a meditation of Marcus Aurelius?

Who knows?