Censorship in Libraries, 2006

Here we go again. As if it isn't difficult enough getting the funds to purchase books for our shelves, the censors want to take them away. The ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom, the library profession's watchdog on challenges to books, has released the ten most challenged titles of 2006. According to the March 6 press release, the book, And Tango Makes Three, about two male penguins parenting an egg from a mixed-sex penguin couple, tops the list of most challenged books in 2006 by parents and administrators, due to the issues of homosexuality. The list also includes two books by Tony Morrison, Beloved and The Bluest Eye. The ALA/OIF recorded 546 formal challenges this year. Several classics--J.D Salinger's Catcher in the Rye; Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men; and Twain's The Tales of Huckleberry Finn, dropped off the list this year. To see what the other titles are go to the ALA/OIF Challenged Books web site.