The Top Ten Challenged Books of 2011

April 12, 2012

The American Library Association released its list of the the top ten most frequently challenged books of 2011.

Whether it portrays violence, sexually explicit content, or foul language, each year, several books are challenged for content. This year, The Office for Intellectual Freedom reported 326 challenges to books. Here's a look at the books that had the most opposition in 2011.

1. ttyl; ttfn; l8r, g8r (series), by Lauren Myracle. Reasons: offensive language; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group

2. The Color of Earth (series), by Kim Dong Hwa. Reasons: nudity; sex education; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group

3. The Hunger Games trilogy, by Suzanne Collins. Reasons: anti-ethnic; anti-family; insensitivity; offensive language; occult/satanic; violence

4. My Mom's Having A Baby! A Kid's Month-by-Month Guide to Pregnancy, by Dori Hillestad Butler. Reasons: nudity; sex education; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group

5. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie. Reasons: offensive language; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group

6. Alice (series), by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. Reasons: nudity; offensive language; religious viewpoint

7. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley. Reasons: insensitivity; nudity; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit

8. What My Mother Doesn't Know, by Sonya Sones. Reasons: nudity; offensive language; sexually explicit

9. Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily Von Ziegesar. Reasons: drugs; offensive language; sexually explicit

10. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. Reasons: offensive language; racism 

To find out more check out YALSA's The Hub.