Banned Books Week and "most challenged titles" of 2008!

1 Oct 2009

Banned Books Week and "most challenged titles" of 2008!

What I find interesting about this isn't the list itself...

What IS interesting are the things that scare American readers enough to move them to "challenge" these books. (Please don't think I'm having a pop at Americans, we're similar here the in UK - it's just the list is US specific).

These are:

Political viewpoint,
Religious viewpoint,
Violence,
Homosexuality,
Unsuited to age group.

Funny how differences in opinion on points 1 & 2 tend to create large amounts of number 3.

Anyway, these objections from the public are the "usual suspects" in art & literature - and frankly, if it didn't scare or offend some groups of people, we'd have a very dull culture indeed.

I am, however, pleasantly surprised to see an absence of science books here in the "challenge" list - which appears to me as a good thing. Either that, or no-one gives a shit. Let's hope not...