by Amberlyn Warford Fall 2012

1. Book Banning
with special emphasis on
Suzanne Collins’
Hunger Games Trilogy
By Amberlyn Metcalf Warford

2. Why is Book
Banning bad?
“If there is a bedrock principle underlying the
First Amendment, it is that the government
may not prohibit the expression of an idea
simply because society finds the idea itself
offensive or disagreeable.”
– Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan, Jr
in Texas vs Johnson

3. How does it happen?
1. Someone reads, sees, or hears about a
book and has a problem with it.
2. That person “challenges” the book with
their school, library, bookstore, etc.
3. If the challenge is upheld, the book is then
“banned” and pulled from the shelf to
deny access for anyone else.

4. Why Does it Happen?
American Library Association (2011)

5. Who Challenges
the books?
American Library Association (2011)

6. Where does it happen?
American Library Association (2011)

7. Suzanne Collins
 Author of the best-
selling dystopian series,
The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games
Catching Fire
Mockingjay
 One of the top 10
controversial authors
parents protest http://mockingjay.net/wp-
(Rogers, 2012) content/uploads/2012/03/Suzanne-
Collins2.jpg?9d7bd4

8. Why Ban
The Hunger Games?
Parents have challenged the series since it
was published for the following reasons…
 Not Age Appropriate  Anti-family
 Sexually Explicit  Insensitive
 Violent  Language
 Anti-ethnic  Satanic/Occult

9. What Can We do?
 Participate in Banned Books Week
 Educate students, parents, and the public
 Stay informed
 Report censorship

10. Banned Books Week
 Banned Books Week is a week-long event
held across America each September to
celebrate our freedom to read.
 Join in the celebration by reading books
from the challenged/banned list.
 Promote this special week around your
school and your community.

11. Censorship Education:
Students
 Teach your students about the meaning of
censorship, and create projects and
activities that will make them appreciate the
freedom they have to read whatever they
want to.
 Encourage them to read books from the
banned list both in protest to censorship and
in celebration of our freedoms.

12. Censorship Education:
Parents & The Public
 The First Amendment guarantees us the
right to express our views, but does not give
us the right to control or limit another person‟s
ability to read or access information.
 Parents have the right and responsibility to
guide their own children‟s reading, but that
right doesn‟t extend to other people‟s
children.
(Doyle, 2011)

13. Censorship Education
“ When we speak up to protect the right to
read, we not only defend our individual right
to free expression, we demonstrate tolerance
and respect for opposing points of view. And
when we take action to preserve our
precious freedoms, we become participants
in the ongoing evolution of our democratic
society” (Doyle, 2011, p. 9).

14. Staying Informed
 Pay attention to the news! Be sure to
watch for censorship and First Amendment
issues.
 Keep informed about what‟s going on in
your local schools and libraries.

15. Report It!
 If you experience censorship, be sure to
report it!
 The American Library Association (2012)
estimates that there are four or five times
more challenges each year than are
reported.
 Report all censorship attempts to ALA‟s
Office for Informational Freedom

16. Discussion Questions
 As an educator, what harm, if any, do you
believe is caused by banning books?
 Please explain how you celebrate Banned
Books Week in your classroom or ways you
would celebrate it if you did.

17. References
American Library Association. (2011). [Graph illustration of challenges by reason].
Number of challenges by year, reason, initiator, & institution (1990-2010).
Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/frequently
challenged/stats
American Library Association. (2011). [Graph illustration of challenges by
initiator]. Number of challenges by year, reason, initiator, & institution
(1990-2010). Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned
/frequentlychallenged/stats
American Library Association. (2011). [Graph illustration of challenges by
institution]. Number of challenges by year, reason, initiator, & institution
(1990-2010). Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/
frequentlychallenged/stats
American Library Association. (2012). Frequently challenged books of the 21st
century. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/
frequentlychallenged/21stcenturychallenged

18. References
Brennan, W.J. Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397 (1989)
Down with the Capitol. (2011). [Photograph of three books in Collins‟ series].
Retrieved from http://hungergamesdwtc.net/2012/01/the-hunger-
games-trilogy-ranks-among-the-top-100-best-selling-books-of-2011/
Doyle, R.P. (2011). Books challenged or banned in 2010-2011. American Library
Association. Chicago, IL
Huffington Post. (24 Sept 2011). INFOGRAPHIC: Top ten banned or challenged
books of 2010. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09
/22/top-banned-books- 2010_n_976846.html
Italie, H. (9 Apr 2012). „Hunger Games‟ again on the list of challenged books.
Yahoo! News. Retrieved from http://news.yahoo.com/hunger-games-
again-list-challenged-books-021011377.html
Rogers, A. (31 Jan 2012). Banned books: The 10 authors parents don‟t want their
kids to read. Business Insider. Retrieved from http://www.business
insider.com/banned-books-the-10-authors-parents-dont-want-their-kids-
to-read-2012-1?op=1

19. References
The Week. (10 Apr 2012). Burning question: Should school libraries ban The
Hunger Games? Retrieved from http://theweek.com/article/index/
226616/should-school-libraries-ban-the-hunger-games
[Untitled Collins photograph]. Retrieved from: http://mockingjay.net/wp-
content/uploads/2012/03/Suzanne-Collins2.jpg?9d7bd4
[Untitled illustration of three symbols]. Retrieved from http://wallpapersfor.me/
wp-content/uploads/2012/03/the-hunger-games-trilogy-1920x1200.jpg