Officials in a school district near Fort Worth, Texas, have directed school staff and librarians to temporarily remove books that have been challenged through the district's formal complaint process in the past school year, including the Bible and an illustrated adaptation of Anne Frank's diary.
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Here are the top 10 books people wanted removed from schools and libraries in 2020
10. "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
Reasons: Challenged for profanity, and it was thought to promote an anti-police message.
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9. "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
Reasons: Banned and challenged because it was considered sexually explicit and depicts child sexual abuse.
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8. "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck
Reasons: Banned and challenged for racial slurs and racist stereotypes, and their negative effect on students.
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7. "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
Reasons: Banned and challenged for racial slurs and their negative effect on students, featuring a “white savior” character, and its perception of the Black experience.
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6. "Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story About Racial Injustice" by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard, illustrated by Jennifer Zivoin
Reasons: Challenged for “divisive language” and because it was thought to promote anti-police views.
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5. "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references, and allegations of sexual misconduct by the author.
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4. "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson
Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted because it was thought to contain a political viewpoint and it was claimed to be biased against male students, and for the novel’s inclusion of rape and profanity.
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3. "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, drug use, and alcoholism, and because it was thought to promote anti-police views, contain divisive topics, and be “too much of a sensitive matter right now.”
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2. "Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You" by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds
Reasons: Banned and challenged because of author’s public statements, and because of claims that the book contains “selective storytelling incidents” and does not encompass racism against all people.
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1. "George" by Alex Gino
Reasons: Challenged, banned, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content, conflicting with a religious viewpoint, and not reflecting “the values of our community.”
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