Banned Books Are Here Again

Once again, the ALA has put out the list of the ten most banned and protested books in America for the past year, and once again I reflect on how many people in our country need a hobby. From the ALA website:

1. ttyl, ttfn, l8r, g8r (series), by Lauren Myracle
Reasons: Nudity, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group, Drugs
2. “And Tango Makes Three” by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
Reasons: Homosexuality
3. “The Perks of Being A Wallflower,” by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Anti-Family, Offensive Language, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group, Drugs, Suicide
4. “To Kill A Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee
Reasons: Racism, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group
5. Twilight (series) by Stephenie Meyer
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group
6. “Catcher in the Rye,” by J.D. Salinger
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group
7. “My Sister’s Keeper,” by Jodi Picoult
Reasons: Sexism, Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group (Bibliovore's note: Ummm. Wasn't this written for adults?), Drugs, Suicide, Violence
8. “The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things,” by Carolyn Mackler
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group
9. “The Color Purple,” Alice Walker
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group
10. “The Chocolate War,” by Robert Cormier
Reasons: Nudity, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

Say it with me, people: "I have every right to stop my kid from reading a book. I have no right to stop anybody else's kid from reading a book." Sigh.

It being the end of a decade, we also get the most challenged books of the 00s. Our old favorites like Robert Cormier and Scary Stories to tell in the dark are back, and of course, Harry Potter. My favorite reasoning? Harry Potter's anti-family themes.

. . . Yeah.

P.S. Wait, Twilight has explicit sex? I so missed that. Somebody tell me a page number so I don't have to read the whole book to get to it.