The top spot on the ALA’s list is a book that has been in the top 10 since 2016, “George” by Alex Gino.Īccording to the ALA, the book which explores the story of a transgender fourth-grade girl, has been challenged, banned and restricted for its LGBTQ content, conflicting with a religious viewpoint and not reflecting “values of our community.” However, the book has earned multiple book awards and, has landed on several best-of book lists.
On learning about the complaints, Kendi tweeted out a statement saying in part, “We must end the indoctrination that this nation is post-racial and colorblind that adults impart onto young people when we don’t discuss racism with them and challenge books that do.” Kendi and Jason Reynolds, which discusses the history of racism and the narratives that have been used to justify it.Īccording to the ALA, it was challenged because of claims that the book contains “selective storytelling incidents” and doesn’t encompass racism against all people.ĭespite the challenges, Kendi and Reynolds’ book is currently rated at 4.48 stars on Goodreads with over 5,000 reviews. The second most-challenged book of 2020 was “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You” by Ibram X. We saw an uptick in challenges to books dealing with anti-racism and the experiences of Black persons of racial violence,” Caldwell-Stone told CNN. “This year I think reflecting are the inflection points that we saw in US society and politics around racial injustice.
In more recent years, complaints are about books about diverse topics and diverse characters, like stories about Black children’s life experiences and LGBTQ characters. Ten years ago, complaints were about books that referenced sex, sexual activity and profanity. The results reflect a trend that the library association has noticed over the past decade, said Deborah Caldwell-Stone director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. The top 10 list in 2019 was dominated by books that dealt with the LGBTQ experience, and none were challenged over racial issues. The list included new books plus library staples such as “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Of Mice and Men.” Books that talked about racism and racial justice – or told the stories of people of color or the LGBTQ community – were among the most challenged as inappropriate for students in 2020, according to a survey by the American Library Association.Īs the nation attempted a reckoning in 2020 over the issue of race in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, parents took issue with books that dealt with some of the same issues.įor the first time in the survey’s history, six of the 10 most-challenged books – out of 273 books that were targeted in libraries, schools and universities – touched on issues of race, and the complaints ranged from “divisive language” to anti-police views, according to the ALA.
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