"Cannibalistic Undertones" and Other Not-So-Common Threats

Get out your Sherman Alexie novels and Maurice Sendak illustrations. It's time to celebrate Banned Books Week.

Banned Books Week started in 1982, the same year that the Supreme Court ruled that “local school boards may not remove books from school library shelves simply because they dislike the ideas contained in those books.” This landmark decision made banning books much more difficult, but it didn’t stop people from trying. 

In 2011, there were a reported 326 book challenges, or attempts to "remove or restrict materials based upon the objections of a person or group." Even The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie, has faced a challenge or two. When an individual or group complains about a book to a local library, the library decides whether or not to remove the material, and since libraries are dedicated to the right to read, challenges rarely result in actual bans; but over the years, the attempts have only gotten more…interesting.

A Light in the Attic: You might remember this Shel Silverstein collection for its fun rhymes and odd illustrations, but do you remember the parts about anarchy and barbarism?  In 1985, it was challenged because it "encourages children to break dishes so they won't have to dry them." Then in 1986 it was challenged again because it "glorified Satan, suicide and cannibalism, and also encouraged children to be disobedient."

 The Diary of Anne Frank: Not only did this text shed light on one of the most horrific and significant moments in human history, it did so in such a way that young readers could gain a better understanding of their own humanity. Unfortunately, it was also “a real downer,” which is why it was challenged in 1985 by the Alabama State Textbook Committee.

Where’s Waldo?: Did anyone ever figure out where he was? Surely a few people did. Others--actually hordes of others--gave up the hunt for the man in the striped hat when they noticed the pea-sized topless woman lying face down on a beach towel. And where did they go? Straight to their local libraries, making this one of the most challenged books of the 90s.  

If you've got a favorite book that's been banned or challenged somewhere, you should join in the Banned Books Week Virtual Read-Out. Check it out, here.

Sources: bannedbooksweek.org, ala.org, and howstuffworks.com