ALA observes banned book week
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
The American Library Association (ALA) is observing Banned Books Week 2005 from September 24 until October 1, the last week in September. The ALA's list of suggested activities for members [1] includes various activities which draw attention to the books that have been challenged or banned within the last few years (see 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2000), such as posting lists, organizing readings, and assigning research papers on censorship in the U.S. to students.
Attempts to ban books from library shelves rose by more than 20%, to 547 formal challenges, in 2004. The most frequent attacked books included several with gay themes, including Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." The most challenged book was Robert Cormier's classic novel "The Chocolate War". In Norwood Colorado, parents recently burned copies of Rudolfo Anaya's "Bless Me, Ultima" after having them pulled from the High School curriculum.
Related News
edit- "Colorado parents burn books" — Wikinews, September 28, 2005
Sources
edit- "Banned Books Week" — ALA, September 2005
- Anna Weinberg. "Kicking Off Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read" — The Book Standard, September 26, 2005
- Hillel Italie. "More book-banning requests filed in 2004" — IDSNews, September 2, 2005
- D. Dion and Margo L. Roberts. "Norwood school books banned, destroyed" — Telluride Gateway, September 28, 2005