1. Censorship:
An Unsettling History

2. Censorship has been practiced since the beginning of the written word.

3. Saint Dominic supervised burning of heretical books
1205
Saint Dominic supervised burning of heretical books

4.
Vatican published index of books that Catholics were forbidden to read.

5. 1500s – 1700s
Zealous missionaries destroyed Native American writings. This is one of the few remaining examples, now in the British Library

6. Martin Luther’s writings
banned by the Pope

7. 1726
Gulliver’s Travels described as “wicked and obscene” and banned in England, even into the 20th century!

8. 1800s
New York Society for the Suppression of Vice urged lawmakers to prohibit “offensive” materials

9. 1929
Candide seized by customs officers in New York. It was an assigned reading text at Harvard!

10. 1982 Book and record burning in Monticello, Minnesota,
organized by fundamentalists ministers

11. 1987
State-approved textbooks
challenged in Alabama

12. Examples of Specific Challenges
Banned in Mayfield, Kentucky (1986), for "offensive and obscene passages referring to abortion"; it also "uses God's name in vain."

13. Grapes of Wrath
Since 1939, it has been burned, barred, banned, challenged, and placed on restricted use for "vulgar language" and characterization.

14. Alice in Wonderland
Censored in China, 1931: "Animals should not use human language."

15. Cinderella
Challenged in court by Hawkins County, Tennessee parents and decreed by a U.S. District Court Judge to "indoctrinate students in secular humanist beliefs."

16. Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret
Banned from some schools; in many others, restricted to students who present written permission from their parents.

17. What About Huck?

18. Lots O’ Controversy…
1885: Banned in Concord, Mass. as "trash and suitable only for the slums." 1905: Barred from the Brooklyn Library Children's Room because "Huck not only itches but scratches, and says sweat when he should say perspiration." 1957: Dropped from New York City schools list of readings for frequent use of the “n” word : Removed from Miami-Dade Junior College required reading list because it "creates an emotional block for black students that inhibits learning."

19. And more… CHALLENGED AS RACIST: 1976: Winnetka, Illinois
1981: Warrington, Pennsylvania
1981: Davenport, Iowa
1982: Fairfax County, Virginia
1982: Houston, Texas
1983: State College, Pennsylvania
1984: Springfield, Illinois
1984: Waukegan, Illinois
1986: Lincoln, Nebraska

20. (Too) Close to Home… Athletic Shorts Banned in Michigan
 Grand Rapids, MI In Grand Rapids, MI, after a parent complained, the teacher was
suspended and the book
was removed from the schools,
including the libraries.

21. Books Most Frequently Challenged - 2007
1) And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell Reasons: Anti-Ethnic, Sexism, Homosexuality, Anti-Family, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group
2) The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Violence
3) Olive’s Ocean, by Kevin Henkes Reasons: Sexually Explicit and Offensive Language
4) The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman Reasons:  Religious Viewpoint
5) The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain Reasons:  Racism

22. 6) The Color Purple, by Alice Walker Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language,
7) TTYL, by Lauren Myracle Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group
8) I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou Reasons:  Sexually Explicit
9) It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris Reasons:  Sex Education, Sexually Explicit
10) The Perks of Being A Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky Reasons:  Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

23. Initiators of Challenges

24. Challenges by Type

25. Challenges by Institution

26. What Do YOU Think? MySpace Page on Banned Books
FaceBook Page on Banned Books
National Coalition Against Censorship