It looks like maybe two of them mention pregnancy? Readers seem to either love or hate the . In some instances, it has been removed from shelves for its portrayals of teen drinking, profanity and even a claim that its biased against male students. More than a thousand book titles, most addressing racism and LGBTQ issues, have been banned from U.S. classrooms and school libraries in the last nine months, many under pressure from conservative . It is one of dozens of library books that have been flagged for removal in Keller. Even in fiction, books that explore fascist violence are verbotenthe DC Comics graphic novel V for Vendetta, by legendary comic book creator Alan Moore, is banned in three districts for some reason. Some parents have taken it a step further, filling out paperwork to formally challenge the appropriateness of library books and forcing school administrators to review them. Others, such as Brent Sherrards Final Takedowna slim, out-of-print volume from a small Canadian publisher about a kid who faces time in juvenile detentionappear but once (in San Antonios North East Independent School District, the most avid banner of books in the state). When shes not on deadline, you can find her curled up with a new library book or road-tripping through Europe or the American West. Comments. That's why there's Banned Books Week," Weiner said. Book bans tend to be specific to schools, towns or sometimes states. Here is a list of banned books and how to shop. Krause doesnt give any reason or justification for challenging LGBTQ books, despite them being the majority of the books listed. How many have you read from the 2022 banned books list? A Leander parent suggested replacing children's books that mention gender identity or sexuality, including this one, with "classics," such as "White Fang," "The Indian in the Cupboard,""The Swiss Family Robinson" and Shakespeare. Here is just a small sampling of the books that government officials in Texas really, really don't want kids to read: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, by Isabel Wilkerson. Its also irresponsible to take this information out of schools. Apr 08, 2022. Lois Lowrys 1993 dystopian book for children has made waves for nearly three decades now. He believed it was disastrous to put animals and human beings on the same level, as the book does. Yes, All Boys Arent Blue includes graphic content that might not be appropriate for some younger readers, but the book is also an essential work of representation. This book, a collection of interviews with transgender or gender-neutral young adults, was flagged for removal by a parent in Birdville who claimed that the book, which includes descriptions of sexual abuse of minors, encourages sexual activity among young children. And Fort Worth Republican state Rep. Matt Krause compiled a list of 850 books dealing with racism and sexuality he challenged Texas schools to investigate, NBC reported. Youll also find lots of award-winning books, like the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron and Harvey Awards Book of the Year The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen. However, some conservative politicians and parents have assigned the term CRT to dismiss efforts in public schools to incorporate a more comprehensive and inclusive public school curriculum, something they equate to indoctrination. Conservatives have enacted about 1,600 book bans in school districts over the last 9 months, with Texas leading the way, report says. Texas state Rep. Matt Krause, from Fort Worth, who chairs the Texas House's General Investigating Committee, made a 16-page list of roughly 850 book titles he said might make students feel "discomfort." Driving the news: Granbury ISD pulled at least 125 books from school libraries as part of a review and some students were furious. A Right-wing Cabal Took Over Odessas Municipal Government. Perhaps thats because Gender Queer unflinchingly portrays and normalizes topics still often misunderstood: adolescent sexuality, asexuality and the differences between gender identity and sexuality. July 31, 2022. This whimsical 1865 novel by Lewis Carroll has been adapted numerous times in literature, onstage and on screen, but its not beloved worldwide. A former high school English teacher, she covers books, words and grammar for RD.com. Some have been removed pending an investigation that the school district may or may not have the time and resources to conduct in a timely manner. The fervor around critical race theory, which describes an academic framework not taught in public schools, means that it doesnt matter how well regarded a book about race issuch titles are all over the list of banned books. But here are some trends. The series is called Y: The Last Man, but all other series here are listed by individual volume. Books on race and sexuality are disappearing from Texas schools in record numbers. The books the user refers to are: Is this post right about these books being banned in Texas and "Mein Kampf" not banned? ", More:Texas officials to target obscene content in school libraries at governor's request. Aldous Huxleys 1931 dystopian book was first banned in Ireland for anti-religion, anti-family and blasphemous content, according to Carnegie Mellon Universitys Banned Books Project. Of all the things to teach in school or for kids to have access to, this is one of the most important. No. As the controversy around The Breakaways indicates, book-banners seem to contend that any depiction of gay or transgender charactersor nonfiction explorations of those identitiesis inherently inappropriate for kids. Patricia Sharpe writes a regular restaurant column, Pats Pick, for Texas Monthly. In August 2022, Anne Frank's "The Diary of a Young Girl" and the Bible were banned by the Keller Independent School District in Texas. Madeleine LEngles A Wrinkle in Time is widely considered a must-read for its creative take on splitting the twin elements of space and time. The process is similar in public libraries with selections made based on guidelines approved by the library's governing authority. And abortion, in any context, can get a book banned: Melody Roses Abortion: A Documentary and Reference Guide and Johannah Haneys The Abortion Debate: Understanding the Issues, relatively straightforward histories, are on the list, as are books on the history of Roe v. Wade. Ban MY Book! ", A parent in Plano said this coming-of-age novel about a Mexican American character's journey to understanding his own sexuality and ethnic identity should be banned because it contains "profanity, pornography, gambling, homosexuality." Several titles were targeted in multiple districts. A parent in Prosper said this novel, which tells the story of 9/11 and its aftermath from the dueling perspectives of an American boy and an Afghan girl, should be removed from schools because it "depicts American soldiers as callous, evil and terrorists" and because the author mentions the racial or ethnic identities of every character. Ever since I saw this list, Ive been itching to dig into it. You might be wondering why a classic American coming-of-age story has been banned. Books such as Ashley Hope Prezs Out of Darkness, Jesse Andrewss Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and Lauren Myracles l8r, g8r all appear on the list (nine, seven, and four times, respectively) for touching on sexual themes, featuring teens who talk about sex, or depicting sexual abuse. Shortly after Texas state Rep. Matt Krause called for the state's school libraries to review a list of 850 books for possible removal . Here are 50 books Texas parents have asked school districts to ban, nearly all of which deal with racism, sexuality . Thats because book banning is rarely a federal matter. A group of women, called "handmaids,"are forced to produce children for the ruling class of men. And yet it was among the top 10 most challenged books of 2020, primarily for the authors bold public words and the claims that the book includes selective snippets of history. About 5% of the books banned have to do with pregnancy. Between 2021 and 2022, there were a considerable number of books banned or challenged in the United States. Nudity (of animals) and profanity. Drawing from those records, below is a list of 50 books that Texas parents tried to ban in 2021. The PEN study, which took place from July 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022, documented 1,145 unique book titles banned, across 86 school districts in 26 states, and affecting over 2 million students. She has nine titles on the list. Told entirely through instant messages among three high school students, this novel has no place in schools, according to a parent in the Dallas suburb of McKinney, because it contains a "description of oral sex with minors," among other sexually explicit passages. Many of them are books that arent coming out stories, but are SFF or adventures or mysteries that happen to have an LGBTQ character. Books that have been banned in Texas. (Teenagers are, of course, famously respectful of such rules, and rarely seek out such materials on their own.). Most have been banned by administrators, while others are the result of a formal challenge from a parent or other community member. Our editors and experts handpick every product we feature. Leandra Beabout is a lifestyle writer covering health, travel and literature. . The report released on Monday found that school administrators in Texas have banned 801 books across 22 school districts, and 174 titles were banned at least twice between July 2021 through June 2022. Another 40% of these books contains protagonists or prominent secondary characters of color. Whether its on the news or your Facebook feed, youve probably noticed comments about the rise in book banning in libraries and schools. The deal to acquire Simon & Schuster would have made the buyer, Penguin Random House, even larger, and reduced the number of big publishers in the U.S. to four. And its not just trans kids books, its also Pugdog, which is about a kid realizing its okay for his girl dog to be slobbery and messy and not particularly girly. Anything that mentions gender, race, culture, or sexuality is up for grabs. Again, some of these books are nonsensical to assume are being shelved in school libraries, like Whose Life? We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer) as we strive to provide site experiences for browsers that support new web standards and security practices. Claire Lawrence. If the supernaturals your jam, check out our list of the top vampire books for adults. Four books by different authors with the title Gender Identity have all been banned in at least one district. Anne Franks diary was never meant to be public. "We checked four two owned it, one did not, and one did not, but had a video about it. Despite their widespread popularity, the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling have been challenged by Christian religious leaders and groups, with some even calling them satanic. Thats because the book series centers on a young wizard and his crew of friends at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Which, add lovable quirks and color along the way. ", In asking to ban this book about the plight of a Black working-class family as they prepare for Hurricane Katrina, a parent in Katy wrote, "I object to the explicit description of the teenage girl having sex with the boys in her social group. Thank you for signing up! Do they have to comply? Of course, the debate over Steinbecks prized work is similar to the ones around the likes of To Kill a Mockingbird. Tweet The American Library Association condemns censorship and works to ensure free access to information. This content contains affiliate links. Greg Abbott showed support for Krause'sscrutiny of school books, Texas officials to target obscene content in school libraries at governor's request, An Octoberanalysis by The Dallas Morning News, Records requested by NBC News of nearly 100 Texas school districts found 86 formal requests to remove books from libraries in 2021, as reported by the (Nashville)Tennessean, Top 100 Most Banned and Challenged Books: 2010-2019, Leander removes 13 books from high school book club lists amid parent concerns, 'Absurd': Author of 'Maus' condemns Tennessee school's decision to pull book on Holocaust, Here are 50 books Texas parents want banned from school libraries, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. When Gov. "Lawn Boy" covers the journey of self-realization and acceptance of one Mike Muoz, a 22-year-old . But no, her diary hasnt been removed from libraries because of the terror undergirding this heartbreaking account. Incidentally, Chaz Stevens, an atheist activist in Florida, recently made this exact argument to ban the Bible in school as part of an effort to call out right-wing hypocrisy . Despite the poignant themes, The Kite Runner has been banned multiple times for referencing sexual violence and promot[ing] Islam.. Again, I would be very surprised if any school has this book on their shelves in the first place. Proponents for book banningare painting this issue "with a broad brush" forpolitical support while taking the decision-making process away from children andparents, Robinson said. Kobabes Gender Queer, which explores the authors journey to the realization that their identity is beyond the gender binary, is one of just a handful of books to appear nine times on the list. Teenagers should be able to explore questions about sexuality, power, oppression, and more. In the midst of continuing Republican-led political fights over how issues related to race, gender and sex are allowed to be taught in public schools, Gov. The Bluest Eye is a perfect introduction to Morrisons iconic lyrical style. Texas librarians face harassment as they navigate book bans. Greg Abbott showed support for Krause'sscrutiny of school books, he said parents "are rightfully outraged about highly inappropriate books and other content in public school libraries. Not only is every book on human sexuality disallowed, from The Baby Tree to teen books about STIs, but also anything that mentions teen pregnancy, including YA novels.