We may not be fans of some of the most recently challenged books —
50 Shades of Grey continues to make the list, but so does
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, a semi-autobiographical novel by Sherman Alexie about a Native kid who grows up on a reservation, where alcoholism, poverty, bullying, and violence can happen. Rudolfo Anaya’s 1974 classic
Bless Me, Ultima also made 2013’s top ten, suspiciously soon after it was reported to be the best-selling Chicano novel of all time. Of course, Toni Morrison was named. Again. But, according to the Office for Intellectual Freedom, the title that provoked the most lighter-waving hysteria, for the second year in a row, is that subversive, rabble-rousing
Captain Underpants. These days, book burners prefer to appeal to anxious minded parents, but such was not always the case. During Michelle Tea’s
Night of Banned and Challenged Books, readers — Tom Temprano, Kathryn Ma, Brontez Purnell, Archy Obejas, Chris Carlsson, and Virgie Tovar — may acknowledge Banned Book Week by searching the annals of censorship for favorites from
Ulysses to
Harry Potter.
— Silke Tudor
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