Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop 2016

I want to give a big shout out to the hosting blog of this awesome hop, Bookhounds. 

Libraries and books have been a huge part of my life ~ my entire life. Growing up, I was a regular patron at our small town library and as an adult, I have worked in libraries for over 24 years now.

Banned Books Week is the national book community's annual celebration of the freedom to read. Hundreds of libraries and bookstores around the country draw attention to the problem of censorship by mounting displays of challenged books and hosting a variety of events. The 2016 celebration of Banned Books Week will be held from September 25 - October 1.

Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. There were 275 challenges reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom in 2015, and many more go unreported.

Over this recent past decade, 5,099* challenges were reported to the Office for Intellectual Freedom.

• 1,577 challenges due to "sexually explicit" material;
• 1,291 challenges due to "offensive language";
• 989 challenges due to materials deemed "unsuited to age group";
• 619 challenged due to "violence"' and
• 361 challenges due to "homosexuality."

The ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) receives reports from libraries, schools, and the media on attempts to ban books in communities across the country. They compile lists of challenged books in order to inform the public about censorship efforts that affect libraries and schools.

Source: ALA 2015 Book Challenges Infographic

For my giveaway, the winner can select any banned book they want (up to $15) from the list of top 10 books challenged in 2015. (see above) OR.... you know what? Let's go broader. The winner can pick ANY book that made the Top Ten Challenged Books Lists by Year: 2001-2014!

Top Ten Challenged Books of 2015

1. Looking for Alaska by John Green

Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group.

2. Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James

Reasons: Sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, and other (“poorly written,” “concerns that a group of teenagers will want to try it”).

3. I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings

Reasons: Inaccurate, homosexuality, sex education, religious viewpoint, and unsuited for age group.

4. Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin

Reasons: Anti-family, offensive language, homosexuality, sex education, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group, and other (“wants to remove from collection to ward off complaints”).

5. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Reasons: Offensive language, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group, and other (“profanity and atheism”).

6. The Holy Bible

Reasons: Religious viewpoint.

7. Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

Reasons: Violence and other (“graphic images”).

8. Habibi by Craig Thompson

Reasons: Nudity, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group.

9. Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan by Jeanette Winter

Reasons: Religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group, and violence.

10. Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

Reasons: Homosexuality and other (“condones public displays of affection”).

This giveaway is for any challenged book from 2001-2015 ~ up to $15 (INT). The book will be shipped from Amazon or The Book Depository, if they ship to your country. Winners have 48 hours to respond to an email or another winner will be selected. 

And don't forget to hop on over to the rest of the blogs for more chances to win!

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