1. Why Are Books Challenged?
People challenge books for many reasons, but the
motivation behind a challenge is usually
disagreement with the content of a book and a
belief that it should not be available to certain
members of the public.

2. Some Reasons Cited in Book
Challenges:
Offensive language
Sexual content, nudity, and homosexuality
Racism and sexism
Religious viewpoint and occult/satanism
Violence
Unsuited to age group
Most books are challenged for multiple reasons

3. Offensive Language
Challenged due to language considered inappropriate
for the target audiences, such as profanity or racial
slurs. Some books challenged for offensive language
include:
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Fat Kid Rules the World by K. L. Going
The Color Purple by Alice Walker

4. Sexual content, nudity, and
homosexuality
Challenged for its inclusion or description of
sexual acts, nudity, or same-sex relations.
Some books challenged for these reasons
include:
And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and
Justin Richardson
Lush by Natasha Friend
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen
Chbosky

5. Racism and Sexism
Challenged for racist or sexist languages or
depictions of racism or sexism. Books include:
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark
Twain
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher
Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Meyers
What Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones

6. Religious Viewpoint and
Occult/Satanism
Challenged for containing a specific religious
message or for including occult themes, such
as magic. Books challenged for these include:
The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Twilight by Stephenie Mayer
His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman
Scary Stories series by Alvin Shwartz

7. Violence
Challenged for containing vivid depictions of or
condoning/glorifying violence. Some books
challenged for their violent content include:
Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George

8. Unsuited to Age Group
Challenged for containing content not considered
appropriate for the target age group of the book.
Almost all the books on the American Library
Association's list of frequently challenged books
are challenged for this reason. This is due to the
majority of book challenged being made to keep
certain books out of the hands of children.

9. Who Challenges Books? Where?
We've establishes WHY books are challenged,
but WHO is challenging them, and WHERE do
they challenge?

10. Who Challenges Books? Where?
About 60% of challenges are from concerned
parents, but anyone can and has challenged
books.
The institutions most challenged are schools,
followed by school libraries and public libraries.

11. Banning and K. L. Going
Fat Kid Rules the World was unanimously banned
by the school board from all Pickens County, SC
schools, citing reasons of profanity, drug use,
treatment of suicide, and sexual innuendo. This
decision was made after a review committee
voted 6-1 to retain the book at the middle school
where the complaint was made.
None of Going's other works have been banned,
but her other novels do contain similar themes in
regards to drugs, language, and sexuality.

12. Works Cited
"Frequently challenged books of the 21st century | American Library
Association." ALA | Home - American Library Association. American
Library Association, n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2012.
<http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/21stcenturychall
enged>.
"School District of Pickens County removes Fat Kid Rules the World from all
school libraries ." Cnsrd Bks. cnsrdbks.com, n.d. Web. 5 May 2012.
<www.cnsrdbks.com/news/school-district-of-pickens-county-removes-fat-
kid-rules-the-world-from-all-school-libraries/>.
"Number of Challenges by Year, Reason, Initiator & Institution (1990 - 2010)
| American Library Association." ALA | Home - American Library
Association. American Library Association, n.d. Web. 5 May 2012.
<http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/stats>.