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Top 10 banned books of 2010

American Library Association says more than 11,000 books have been challenged since 1982

By Layer 8 on Mon, 09/26/11 - 2:52pm.

The American Library Association this week observing its 13^th annual Banned Book Week where it takes a look at censorship and all manner of literary issues. The ALA says the Banned Books list was started in 1982 as a "response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries."

More interesting news: 20 of the weirdest, wackiest and stupidest sci/tech stories of 2011 (so far!)

More than 11,000 books have been challenged since 1982 and there were 348 challenges reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom in 2010, the ALA stated.

In 2010 the 10 most challenged titles include:

And Tango Makes Three, by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson

Reasons: homosexuality, religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie

Reasons: offensive language, racism, religious viewpoint, sex education, sexually explicit, violence, unsuited to age group

Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley

Reasons: insensitivity, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit

Crank, by Ellen Hopkins

Reasons: drugs, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit

The Hunger Games (series), by Suzanne Collins

Reasons: sexually explicit, violence, unsuited to age group

Lush, by Natasha Friend

Reasons: drugs, sexually explicit, offensive language, unsuited to age group

What My Mother Doesn't Know, by Sonya Sones

Reasons: sexism, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America, by Barbara Ehrenreich

Reasons: drugs, inaccurate, offensive language, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint

Revolutionary Voices edited by Amy Sonnie

Reasons: homosexuality, sexually explicit

Twilight (series), by Stephenie Meyer

Reasons: sexually explicit, religious viewpoint, violence, unsuited to age group

These books join other well-known that have been banned or challenged in the past such and traditionally make the top 10 list such as Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, The Koran, and Slaughterhouse-Five. And Tango Makes Three actually reappears as the #1 banned book after a year's hiatus; it was #1 2006-2008.

Follow Michael Cooney on Twitter: nwwlayer8

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