Over the summer, I worked at a public library, and there was a parent who wanted
an award winning MG/YA graphic novel removed from our collection because there
are homosexual characters in it. Naturally, as soon as he figured out the hefty
amount of paperwork required to petition a library board about a book, he
dropped his case. Yet, even as someone who is well aware of the problem of
censorship, I was so shocked when I saw a book being challenged in person.
Someone was so angry about a book that he wanted to forbid any other readers
from discovering it, readers who might not have the same objectives he did.
In case you didn’t know, every year, hundreds (if not thousands) of books are
challenged or banned. This means that someone somewhere found something they
deemed unacceptable, inappropriate, or generally wrong in a book and sought
action to have it removed from readers’ hands. This can take the form of a
parent wanting a book removed from a school reading list, a company refusing to
sale a specific book, or a government banning the publication or purchase of a
work. Typical reasons people give for challenging or banning a book are usually
for things like sexual content, explicit language, religious ideals, etc. In
recent years, young adult literature seems to be a main target for censorship,
though books ranging from picture books to centuries old classics have been
challenged before.
In order to continue the fight against censorship and celebrate literature and
Banned Books Week, I have listed four YA novels that I have super enjoyed, all
of which have been challenged or banned within the last three years (many of
them ‘repeat offenders’).
About:
Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years,
Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon
diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears
at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.
Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning
author John Green’s most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly
exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.
THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER by Stephen Chbosky
About: A
feature film in 2012 starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, and Paul Rudd and
written and directed by the author—the provocative and poignant “coming-of-age
tale in the tradition of The Catcher in the Rye and A Separate Peace” (USA
TODAY) that has affected an entire generation of young people.
Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a
time to see what it looks like from the dance floor. This haunting novel about
the dilemma of passivity vs. passion has become a modern classic.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is the story of what it’s like to grow up in
high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie’s letters are singular and
unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives or to whom he
is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Caught between trying to live
his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through
uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and
new friends. The world of sex, drugs, and music—when all one requires to feel
infinite is that perfect song on that perfect drive.
Through Charlie, Stephen Chbosky has created a deeply affecting story, a
powerful novel that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller
coaster days known as growing up.
About:
Kaeleigh and Raeanne are identical down to the dimple. As daughters of a
district-court judge father and a politician mother, they are an all-American
family -- on the surface. Behind the facade each sister has her own dark secret,
and that's where their differences begin.
For Kaeleigh, she's the misplaced focus of Daddy's love, intended for a mother
whose presence on the campaign trail means absence at home. All that Raeanne
sees is Daddy playing a game of favorites -- and she is losing. If she has to
lose, she will do it on her own terms, so she chooses drugs, alcohol, and sex.
Secrets like the ones the twins are harboring are not meant to be kept -- from
each other or anyone else. Pretty soon it's obvious that neither sister can
handle it alone, and one sister must step up to save the other, but the question
is -- who?
About:
REVEALED is the spellbinding eleventh and penultimate installment in the #1 New
York Times bestselling vampyre series by PC and Kristin Cast.
Drastically altered after her fall at the end of Hidden, Neferet is now more
dangerous than ever—and her quest for vengeance will wreak havoc on humans, as
well as Zoey and her friends. Chaos is loosed in Tulsa and the House of Night is
blamed. Can Zoey stop Neferet in time to keep her anger from escalating to
full-on war? Or will someone else have to step in to take the fall?
The House of Night series is an international phenomenon, reaching #1 on U.S.,
German, and UK bestseller lists, and remaining a fixture on The New York Times
Children’s Series bestseller list for nearly 150 weeks and counting. With more
than 12 million copies in print, rights sold in thirty–eight countries to date,
and relatable, addictive characters, this series is unstoppable. Now, in the
eleventh and penultimate installment of the series, the action is more intense
and the stakes even higher as Zoey and her friends battle to protect their
school and home from devastating evil—all while balancing romances, precarious
friendships and the daily drama of the House of Night's halls.