Banned Books Week
It's American Library Association's Banned Books Week. Here's a look at some books that are consistently challenged.
House of the Spirits, Isabel Allende’s debut novel, tells the story of the Trueba
family and the social and political circumstance of their unnamed country. This magical
realism saga was published in 1982 and was named the Best Novel of the Year in Chile
that same year. Since its publication, it has been translated into over 20 languages
and is recognized by the International Baccalaureate program as a world literature
study book. This novel is also one of the most frequently banned or challenged books
over the past decade, with three challenges during the 2023-2024 school year.
Critics have frequently described the novel as “pornographic,” “immoral”, or “violent”, though one California county challenged it because of its supposed “anti-Christian” views. One of the most notable objections to House of the Spirits came in 2013, when several parents at a North Carolina high school raised formal complaints to the school board about its inclusion in the English curriculum. The book remained on the school library shelves only after three appeals and a defense letter from Allende herself, which read: “I find myself in the unusual and awkward position of having to “defend” my novel The House of the Spirits that risks being banned from a high school in Boone, North Carolina. Banning of books is a common practice in police states, like Cuba or North Korea, and by religious fundamentalist groups like the Taliban, but I did not expect it in our democracy.”
Toni Morrison’s 1970 debut novel the Bluest Eye is set in Lorain, Ohio in the 1940’s and tells the story of a young Black girl named
Pecola who longs for blue eyes. This powerful novel explores themes of race, beauty,
and identity, and helped Morrison become the first Black woman to win a Nobel Peace
Prize for Literature. The Bluest Eye also ranks #10 on the American Library Association’s
list of Top 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of the last decade, racking up 52
bans in the 2023-2024 school year alone.
One of the most recent challenges came in March 2024 from Norfolk, Nebraska where one member of the pressure group Parents United questioned whether the books should even be available to minors anywhere in the state. Superintendent Jami Jo Thompson said she was aware of the book and would be pulling The Bluest Eye from circulation to be reviewed by media specialists. The Bluest Eye is covered on the Advanced Placement English exam administered annually across the United States.
And Tango Makes Three is a 2005 children’s picture book inspired by two male penguins,
Roy and Silo, from the Central Park Zoo, who paired with each other and together raised
a penguin chick. After reading a New York Times article about the penguins, Justin
Richardson and Peter Parnell were inspired to write a book about them that they believed
would help parents introduce the concept of homosexuality to their children. This
book was named ALA’s Notable Children’s Book in 2005, Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, 2005, and Nick Jr. Family Magazine Best Book of the Year. It is also frequently banned or challenged,
facing 7 bans in the 2023-2024 school year.
Though the most common objection to this children’s story is its depiction of a same-sex relationship between two penguins, And Tango Makes Three has also been accused of being “unsuited to age group”, “anti-family” despite the strong family values of Silo and Roy as they adopt and care for a chick, and the absurd accusation of being “anti-ethnic.” Currently, Florida is leading the way in number of challenges; the Escambia County School Board alone has spent more than $100,000 to keep the picture book off library shelves.
Khaled Hosseini’s 2003 debut novel the Kite Runner tells the story of a young Afghan
boy living in Kabul during the late 20th century, as he witnesses the Soviet-Afghan War and rise of the Taliban. It was a
near instant success, appearing on the New York Times best-seller list for over 2
years and selling over seven million copies in the United States. It was voted the
Reading Group Book of the Year for 2006 and 2007 and was generally lauded by critics
and audiences for its beautiful writing and storytelling.
In 2008, however, the American Library Association reported that it was one of the most-challenged books of 2008, criticized due to its “offensive language, sexually explicit [content], and unsuit[ability for] age group.” That year, the ironically named Freedom High School in North Carolina challenged it as an appropriate book for a 10th grade honors English class due to its vulgar language. The Kite Runner has consistently remained a challenged book every year since 2008, with 73 bans in the 2023-2024 school year alone. In February 2025, the United States Department of Defense flagged the book for temporary removal from Pentagon-run schools pending review of its compliance with new federal policies.
All four books, plus many more banned and challenged items, are available to check out from Miller Library. For now.
You can learn more about banned and challenged books through the American Library
Association: https://www.ala.org/bbooks
