Censorship of Young Adult Literature

Jennifer La Vine and Savannah Whitaker

Censorship of Young Adult Literature

The issue: prevention of Intellectual Freedom

Children and young adults are often looking for images of themselves, images as they are at that moment, struggling with parent conflicts, problem acne, feelings of rejection, and raging hormones, and images of what they might become. Literature affords the distance to examine one's self or potential self in a way not otherwise possible (Curry, 2001).

History of Censorship

Twelve changes in American society that accounts for the growth of censorship
Changes in the literature curriculum
The paperback revolution The increasing number of students in school The increased amount of education which students receive The divisive (causing disagreement) nature of education The success of the schools The increase in reading by Americans The increasing cost of education The view of education as scapegoat The role of education to reinforce democratic values

An increased willingness to protest government actions

Mistakes made by the schools

Examples of Censored Books in the South

Censorship vs. Selection

Are We Selecting? Or Are We Censoring. By Christine M. Allen Why are works selected? Not selected? Contemporary vs. Classic Young Adult Literature and controversial topics Censorship and unexciting collections

Censorship in Our Schools

Censor your own child not mine!

Intellectual Freedom and Censorship

Where is Judy Blume? Controversial Fiction for Older Children and Young Adults By Ann Curry Moving materials Reasons why materials are censored Importance of keeping challenging materials

Self-censorship
Moving Toward a Method to Test for Selfcensorship by School Library Media Specialists By Ken P. Coley Causes of self-censorship Texas Schools and Media Specialists (the study) 82% practiced self-censorship 18% owned NONE of the chosen titles

Book Removal in Schools

The Question...What Should I Do If My Principal Orders Me to Remove an Unchallenged Book? By Gail Dickinson

Two different options: Remove it...Dont remove it

New vs. Practiced Media Coordinators Job preservation

Intellectual Freedom
Championing Intellectual Freedom: A School Administrator's Guide By Jeffrey Gibson Two scenarios of book removal Ways the School Media Coordinator can help Being a Champion for students (preserving First Amendment rights

Addressing the Problem

Is the movement of materials an option? Or is this yet another form of censorship? Promote parental involvement in School Media Centers

Conclusion
No book is safe in todays censorship climate (Brown, 1994).

References
Allen, C. M. (2007). Are we selecting? Or are we censoring. Young Adult Library Services, 5(3), 5. Brown, J. E., & National Council of Teachers of English. (1994). Preserving intellectual freedom: Fighting censorship in our schools. Urbana, Ill: National Council of Teachers of English.Burress, L. (1989). Battle of the books: Literary censorship in the public schools, 1950-1985. Metuchen, N.J: Scarecrow Press.Coley, K. P. (2002). Moving toward a method to test for self-censorship by school library media specialists {computer file}. School Library Media Research, 5.Curry, A. (2001). Where is Judy Blume? Controversial fiction for older children and young adults. Journal Of Youth Services In Libraries, 14(3), 28-37. Dickinson, G. (2007). The question...What should I do if my principal orders me to remove an unchallenged book?. Knowledge Quest, 36(2), 70-71. Gibson, J. (2007). Championing intellectual freedom: A school administrator's guide. Knowledge Quest, 36(2), 46-48. Hull, M. (1999). Censorship in America: A reference handbook. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABCCLIO.Riley, G. B. (1998). Censorship. New York: Facts on File.Simmons, J. S. (1994). Censorship: A threat to reading, learning, thinking. Newark, Del: International Reading Association.