The 50 most banned books in American Schools

[Tennesseer]

The 50 most banned books in American Schools

During the 2021-2022 school year, more than 1,600 books were banned from school libraries. The bans affected 138 school districts in 32 states, according to a report from PEN America, an organization dedicated to protecting free expression in literature.

And the number of bans are only increasing yearly.

Texas and Florida lead the nation in book bans — a revelation that recently spurred Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot to call her city a "book sanctuary."

But what are the most commonly banned books in America, and why are they considered controversial? Here are the 50 most commonly banned books in America from the 2021-2022 school year, with data supplied by PEN America.

50. "And Tango Makes Three," by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell

Complete article here: The 50 most banned books in America

[Spellbound454]

Somebody has to make a decision, I guess.

Some books are totally unsuitable for children depicting rape and suicide.

There also seems to be a surreptitious attempt at indoctrinating vulnerable youngsters. Ever was it thus.

Exactly what the criteria is for a book being banned is a matter of opinion, of course.... and it depends on where the adults making the decisions are standing.

but I'm generally of the, rather protective opinion..... Leave kids alone.... let them grow up carefree and they can work their own way through the complexities of adult life when they have the maturity to deal with the issues.

Children should always be encouraged to read, of course... and there is plenty of good children's literature out there.

[billisonboard]

A story: On several occasions I was leading retraining sessions of volunteer challenge course facilitators who were predominantly teachers. I started an activity in which the group passed multiple stuffed animals around in an established pattern. We discussed the idea that metaphorically the stuffies could represent people with whom they were working. I then pulled an egg out of my pocket and told them they had a new group member. There were various reactions. The main one I am reminded of here is the woman who stepped back out of our circle and told us she wasn't going to participate because, "I don't get dirty." Strong metaphor there.

Other reactions: One teacher refused to allow the group to make the circle smaller to lessen the risk to the egg. The egg should have same experience as others. Another was when the egg was cracked when it hit the wedding ring one man was wearing.

[NoNamePerson]

Back in the dark ages when I was a kid the minute we heard about a book being "banned" that is the first book I started to look for and  read!! Sometimes banning just peaks curiosity      My deep thought for the day  

[Tennesseer]

Jan 20, 2023 7:15:36 GMT -5 Spellbound454 said:

Somebody has to make a decision, I guess.

Some books are totally unsuitable for children depicting rape and suicide.

There also seems to be a surreptitious attempt at indoctrinating vulnerable youngsters. Ever was it thus.

Exactly what the criteria is for a book being banned is a matter of opinion, of course.... and it depends on where the adults making the decisions are standing.

but I'm generally of the, rather protective opinion..... Leave kids alone.... let them grow up carefree and they can work their own way through the complexities of adult life when they have the maturity to deal with the issues.

Children should always be encouraged to read, of course... and there is plenty of good children's literature out there.

And in the U.S. state of Florida:

Outcry Grows After DeSantis Rejects AP African-American Studies Course

lorida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s Department of Education has rejected a request from the College Board—which runs the SAT and approves advanced placement (AP) courses for high schools across the country— to approve a high school African-American Studies course in Florida on the grounds that it violates state law, according to a copy of the letter provided to The Daily Beast.

Specifically, some on the right are saying the Advanced Placement (AP) program, which is currently undergoing a nationwide pilot, was vetoed because state officials believe it promotes Critical Race Theory, recently banned from schools under the state’s “Stop W.O.K.E.” Act.

The brief rejection letter, dated Jan. 12, reads: “as presented, the content of this course is inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value.”

“If the course comes into compliance and incorporates historically accurate content, the Department will reopen the discussion,” said Florida Department of Education spokesperson Cassie Pelelis in an email to The Daily Beast.

The College Board, for its part, said revising the curriculum is par-for-the-course and remained tight-lipped about whether it expected the class to be offered in Florida classrooms.

“The process of piloting and revising course frameworks is a standard part of any new AP course, and frameworks change significantly as a result,” the College Board said in a statement to The Daily Beast. “We look forward to publicly releasing the updated course framework as soon as it is completed and well before this class is widely available in American high schools.”

But Wednesday’s denial nonetheless enraged some Florida educators, who have had to contend with the controversial “Stop W.O.K.E. Act,” which was signed into law last April as part of a spurious effort to combat the teaching of “critical race theory” in Florida—and make other drastic changes to schooling in the state.

“It means an insult to me, it means an injury to me.” said Dr. Marvin Dunn, former professor of psychology at Florida International University and a specialist in the state’s Black history. “ Florida is doing its best to shut down discussions about race, slavery, anything having to do with a challenge to the idea that racism is still a real factor in American life today.”

Outcry Grows After DeSantis Rejects AP African-American Studies Course

[djAdvocate]

Jan 20, 2023 7:15:36 GMT -5 Spellbound454 said:

Somebody has to make a decision, I guess.

Some books are totally unsuitable for children depicting rape and suicide.

There also seems to be a surreptitious attempt at indoctrinating vulnerable youngsters. Ever was it thus.

Exactly what the criteria is for a book being banned is a matter of opinion, of course.... and it depends on where the adults making the decisions are standing.

but I'm generally of the, rather protective opinion..... Leave kids alone.... let them grow up carefree and they can work their own way through the complexities of adult life when they have the maturity to deal with the issues.

Children should always be encouraged to read, of course... and there is plenty of good children's literature out there.

of course somebody has to make a decision!

you know how the best schools in the world do it?  

THEY LEAVE IT UP TO THE SCHOOLS.

i mean, what is so hard about that?

why does the federal government have to be involved AT ALL?

this whole debate is really grim, because ridiculous anti-woke people are making decisions about what MY kids can read.  it is beyond aggravating.  i am trying to restrain my language, but i really want to have a profanity laced tirade.