I love books. As a future English teacher, I get very heated when I see parents and religious affiliation challenging books. Many of these works of literature teach valuable lessons to its readers and really have no true reason why they should be banned.
1. "Looking for Alaska" by John Green
"Looking for Alaska" by John Green was the most challenged book of 2015. Some of the arguments for this has been it's too sexual, and deals with issues that are too serious to be considered Young Adult. In reality, Looking for Alaska is about freedom and it mixes real life situation as tragic as they may be. Here is John Green discussing the banning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69rd-7vEF3s
2. "Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Steven Chbosky
Like "Looking for Alaska", "Perks of Being a Wallflower" is often criticized for being too sexually driven. The book is written from Charlie's point of view, who is a teen with depression that is trying to figure out the dynamics of high school. The portrayal of his depression is very realistic and moving, making it one of my personal favorite books.
3. "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker
"The Color Purple" shows the hardships of a family with many depths and layers. The book deals with many heavy topics such as rape and poverty. It can be considered too heavy for young readers, but it's still a valuable read.
4. "The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie
This book has been banned due to possible false representations of Native Americans. The main character, transfers to the "white school" and the reader follows his transitions and acceptance. The racial divide is blurred and biased.
5. "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
In "To Kill a Mockingbird", Atticus Finch speaks out against society and racism. This is one of the most critically acclaimed novels of all time. When it was published, during the Civil Rights movement, people were afraid readers would follow in Atticus' footsteps.
6. "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
"The Great Gatsby", by F. Scott Fitzgerald, was banned due to inappropriate language and sexual references. The story itself is about the high class society on the north shore of Long Island in the early 1900's. The language and sexual references are such a small part of the book, that it didn't hold up.
7. "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury
A censored book about censorship, how ironic! Fahrenheit 451 shows a corrupt society where books are banned all throughout the country. They have "firemen" that start fires on books instead of putting them out. They believe books will give them bad ideas and corrupt their society.
8. The Giver by Lois Lowry
"The Giver" is another book about a "Utopian" society that has a character breaking away from the mild. This is also a coming of age novel, so the main character, Jonas is going through puberty with all of his feelings suppressed.
9. "Persepolis" by Marji Satrapi
Persepolis is a graphic novel about a young girl speaking out against the Iraq revolution. This was banned overseas for obvious reasons, but it also sparked controversy in the United States due to the negative connotations surrounding the books.
10. "My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Picoult
My Sister's Keeper handles a very controversial topic of: do you genetically engineer a child to provide body parts for another? Many believe that genetic engineering is morally wrong and adding the conflicts of the book, really outrages people.
11. "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" by Judy Bloom
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret follows Margaret as she begins and goes through puberty. It doesn't glamorize puberty like most other novels would, sparking controversy among parents.
