Celebrate Banned Books Week 2008 - West Campus Library

39th most challenged book of 2000-2007
Challenged for obscene language and for promoting witchcraft
Anaya's first novel, it is considered an important contribution to Chicano literature
Call number: PS3551.N27 B58 1994

Banned Book of the Day - Friday, October 3, 2008

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Collectively, the #1 most challenged books of 21st century (2000-2005)
#1 most challenged books in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002; 2nd in 2003.
Challenged for promoting witchcraft and being unsuited to age group
The books have sold over 375 million copies worldwide
Call number: PR6068.O93 H337

Banned Book of the Day - Thursday, October 2, 2008

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

Off the top 10 list for 2007; 5th most challenged in 2006
Challenged for sexual content and offensive language
Toni Morrison was the 1st Black woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature (1993)
Selected for Oprah's Book Club in 2000
Call number: PS3563.O8749 B55 2007

Banned Book of the Day - Wednesday, October 1, 2008

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

19th most challenged book of 2000-2007
Frequently challenged for obscene language, sexual scenes
Widely included on high school reading lists and has been banned from some; in 1960, an Oklahoma teacher was fired for assigning it (he was later reinstated after withdrawing the book.)
Call number: PS3537.A426 C315

Banned Book of the Day - Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

72nd most challenged book of 2000-2007
Plot centers around themes of book burning, censorship and tyranny
Inspired a 1966 film version and a film in development (2010)
Call number: PS3503.R167 F3

Banned Book of the Day - Monday, September 29, 2008

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

8th most frequently challenged book of 2007
Challenged for being sexually explicit
Autobiographical novel based on Maya Angelou's early years
Nominated for a 1970 National Book Award
Call number: PS3551.N464 Z466

Banned Book of the Day - Sunday, September 28, 2008

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

4th most frequently challenged book of the 21st century (2000-2005)
Challenged for offensive and vulgar language
1937 instant bestseller that launched Steinbeck into celebrity status
Steinbeck later received the Nobel Prize in Literature (1962)
Call number: PS3537.T3234 O2 2002

Banned Book of the Day - Saturday, September 27, 2008

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

6th most frequently challenged book of 2007
Challenged for containing homosexuality, being sexually explicit, and containing offensive language
Received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1983) and the National Book Award
Inspired a Broadway musical produced by Oprah Winfrey
Inspired a 1985 film directed by Steven Spielberg
Call number: PS3573.A425 C6

What is Banned Books Week?

Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to read by calling attention to literature that has been challenged or censored. It offers people the opportunity to exercise this freedom and celebrates diversity in the opinions and view points that make up our society.

Banned Books Week has been celebrated in the last week of September since 1982, and is sponsored by the American Library Association, the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the Association of American Publishers, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and the National Association of College Stores; it is also endorsed by the Center for the Book of the Library of Congress.

How can I celebrate banned books?

READ a challenged or banned book! See the American Library Association's list of Frequently Challenged Books.

Where can I get more information?