Posted on September 28, 2020 at 8:43 AM by Maggie Witte
Banned Books Weeks brings together readers, librarians, teachers, and many others in support of the freedom to seek and to express a multitude of ideas. It draws attention to censorship and the harms of censoring books and ideas. If you would like to know more, visit the American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom website for more information.
The following are the top 10 circulating banned and challenged books in the Kansas Talking Book collection. Each has been challenged because of opposition to the content or views within them. Why not make one of these books your next read?
#1 DB 68777 The Holy Bible, Containing the Old and New Testaments: Translated out of the Original Tongues and with the former translations diligently composed and revised
The King James Version of the Old and New Testaments as read by Alexander Scourby in the early 1950s. Combined reissue of RC 40842 and RC 40843. 1611.
Evangelical translations of the Bible, made directly from Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. Written in contemporary English, this version is intended for public and private reading, teaching, preaching, memorizing, and liturgical use.
#3 DB 77672 To kill a mockingbird by Harper Lee
Six-year-old Scout and her brother Jem are intrigued by their reclusive neighbor. Meanwhile, their father Atticus, an attorney, defends a black man charged with raping a white woman in their small Alabama town. Some violence and some strong language. Pulitzer Prize. For junior and senior high and older readers. 1960.
#4 DB 74504 Fifty shades of grey; Fifty shades darker; Fifty shades freed by E.L. James
Trilogy chronicles the dominant-submissive relationship of college student Anastasia and young CEO Christian Grey. In Fifty Shades of Grey naive Ana is intimidated by--and drawn to--the handsome tycoon. As she indulges Christian's erotic tastes, Ana becomes aware of his dark past. Violence, strong language, and explicit descriptions of sex. 2011.
#5 DB 47260 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s stone by J.K. Rowling
On Harry Potter's eleventh birthday, he learns that he is more than an unwanted orphan. The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry recruits him because he has inherent magical abilities. As he purchases his school supplies--robes, wand, and messenger owl--Harry looks forward to attending his new boarding school. For grades 4-7. Bestseller.
#6 DB 57457 The kite runner by Khaled Hosseini
An Afghan in California recalls a fateful 1975 day in Kabul that seared his soul at age twelve--the day he won a kite tournament and abandoned a younger companion to rape. That cowardice keeps haunting him during exile in America until the opportunity for atonement arises--back in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Violence and some strong language. 2003.
#7 DB 24695 The handmaid’s tale by Margaret Atwood
Set in the future, the United States of America is now the Republic of Gilead, a fundamentalist Christian theocracy that arose after fanatics shot the president, machine-gunned the Congress and forced the army to declare a state of emergency. To reverse the declining birthrate, women are forcibly recruited into the ranks of Handmaids and are assigned to the Commanders of the Faithful, whose wives are barren. Some strong language and explicit descriptions of sex. Bestseller 1986.
#8 DB 70544 Thirteen reasons why by Jay Asher
Clay Jensen receives a box of audiocassettes in the mail with no return address. Hannah Baker--a girl he barely knew but secretly liked, who committed suicide--recorded a final message for thirteen people to listen to and then pass on to the next person. For senior high readers. 2007.
#9 DB 87441 The hate u give by Angie Thomas
When sixteen-year-old Starr Carter witnesses the fatal shooting by a police officer of her childhood best friend, Khalil, she is afraid to speak out. But remaining quiet and safe is difficult with rising tensions between the police and the community. Violence and strong language. For senior high and older readers. 2017.
#10 DB 76406 Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
1986. After socially painful circumstances toss Eleanor and Park together, they form an unlikely--and extraordinary--romance. Although the two sixteen-year-olds know that the odds of remaining together forever are slim, they find the courage to try. Strong language. For senior high and older readers. 2013.