Comments on: The Hunger Games Climbs List Of Most Challenged Book Of 2011 http://live.drjays.com/index.php/2012/04/10/the-hunger-games-climbs-list-of-most-challenged-book-of-2011/ Fri, 24 May 2013 00:33:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: Dan Kleinman of SafeLibraries http://live.drjays.com/index.php/2012/04/10/the-hunger-games-climbs-list-of-most-challenged-book-of-2011/comment-page-1/#comment-1399493 Dan Kleinman of SafeLibraries Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:00:43 +0000 http://live.drjays.com/?p=124285#comment-1399493 Homosexuality is no longer a listed reason for challenging books. And Tango Makes Three has topped or nearly topped the list for five years straight, until now. Now it is not even on the list at all. Now no book is listed for homosexuality. That is very good news. However, I can't help but wonder if my exposing how last year's 2010 list was faked, precisely on the issue of homosexuality, made a difference. The recording I made of the 2010 award-winning author admitting the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom [OIF] fudged the numbers likely was key. See: http://safelibraries.blogspot.com/2011/09/banned-books-week-is-gay-promotion.html That said, the OIF still fails to list the number of challenges for each listed book. I am certain that is because so few challenges are made that no one would pay heed to such a list showing book challenges are really not a problem, a truth directly counter to the OIF's message. Last year, for example, the top book (Tango) was challenged 4 times all year, though the OIF said dozens. That's a problem. Solution? Don't provide the individual numbers, only the aggregate. Demand the numbers. Demand intellectual freedom. How many times was each book challenged. Homosexuality is no longer a listed reason for challenging books. And Tango Makes Three has topped or nearly topped the list for five years straight, until now. Now it is not even on the list at all. Now no book is listed for homosexuality. That is very good news.

However, I can’t help but wonder if my exposing how last year’s 2010 list was faked, precisely on the issue of homosexuality, made a difference. The recording I made of the 2010 award-winning author admitting the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom [OIF] fudged the numbers likely was key. See:
http://safelibraries.blogspot.com/2011/09/banned-books-week-is-gay-promotion.html

That said, the OIF still fails to list the number of challenges for each listed book. I am certain that is because so few challenges are made that no one would pay heed to such a list showing book challenges are really not a problem, a truth directly counter to the OIF’s message. Last year, for example, the top book (Tango) was challenged 4 times all year, though the OIF said dozens. That’s a problem. Solution? Don’t provide the individual numbers, only the aggregate.

Demand the numbers. Demand intellectual freedom. How many times was each book challenged.

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