Twilight ranks among 'most challenged' 2009 books in America

 Source: ABC.net.au



The bestselling vampire-themed Twilight book series has entered the top 10 list of books US schools and public libraries were asked to remove from their shelves in 2009.

The American Library Association (ALA) report rates Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series fifth on the 2009 list -- its first year in the annual compilation.

The books, which have been turned into a blockbuster film franchise, have been challenged for their religious views, and for being sexually explicit and unsuitable for their targeted age group.

But the ALA's worst offender is Lauren Myracle's young adult novel series, ttyl, written entirely in the style of instant messages.

The series, which came top of the 2009 list, was challenged for nudity, offensive language and drugs.

And although they are no longer in the top 10, JK Rowling's Harry Potter series landed atop the 100 most frequently challenged books of the 2000-2009 decade.

Objections to the bestselling tales of the boy wizard have been raised over perceived anti-family and occult themes.

The ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom defines a challenge as a formal written complaint filed with a library or a school's request for the removal of material from bookshelves or a school curriculum.

The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom's director, Barbara Jones, says it received 460 such reports from a variety of sources in 2009, although few were successful.

"Even though not every book will be right for every reader, the ability to read, speak, think and express ourselves freely are core American values," she said.

Harper Lee's 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning classic To Kill a Mockingbird came fourth because of challenges on the grounds of racism and language.

Other books in the top five included And Tango Makes Three by Pater Parnell and Justin Richardson, and The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.


Edit (19/4/2010)
Here is the top ten, and their reasons for censorship:

1. ttyl, ttfn, l8r, g8r (series), by Lauren Myracle
Reasons: Nudity, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group, Drugs

2. “And Tango Makes Three” by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
Reasons: Homosexuality

3. “The Perks of Being A Wallflower,” by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Anti-Family, Offensive Language, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group, Drugs, Suicide

4. “To Kill A Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee
Reasons: Racism, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

5. Twilight (series) by Stephenie Meyer
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group

6. “Catcher in the Rye,” by J.D. Salinger
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

7. “My Sister’s Keeper,” by Jodi Picoult
Reasons: Sexism, Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group, Drugs, Suicide, Violence

8. “The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things,” by Carolyn Mackler
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

9. “The Color Purple,” Alice Walker
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

10. “The Chocolate War,” by Robert Cormier
Reasons: Nudity, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group