Banned and challenged books: Banned and challenged Washington state
In our state
Book Challenges in Washington State
While Washington State has not typically been a hot zone of book bans and challenges, we do have our moments of censorship. The following are some of the books, that the TCC Library holds, that have been challenged in Washington state over the years. The hyperlinks serve as citation, taking you to the source material.
Bans and challenges by the map
This map, while it has unfortunately not been updated since its first appearance, visually accounts challenges and bans between 2007-2011. You can Find Washington state, zoom in, to learn about individual books, and explore the rest of the map. Where do most of the challenges and bans seem to happen according to this map? Where are the least?
- Kids' right to read projectThe map above was drawn from data documented by the ALA, and the Kids' Right to Read Project.
Featured books
One flew over the cuckoo's nest
DVD of the movie adaptation also available in the library
PN1997.O54 1997
Challenged as part of the curriculum in an Aberdeen High School honors English class (1986) because the book promotes "secular humanism." The school board voted to retain the title.
The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian
Since its publication in 2007, TATDPTI has been among the top 10 most challenged books for six years, 5 of those consecutively (ALA).
Banned, but later returned to the Richland school district’s reading list (2011) despite objections to the “coarse themes and language in the young-adult novel.” Challenged at the West Valley School District in Yakima, Wash. (2013) because some parents found the sexual references and profanity in the novel inappropriate for high school students.
Soul on ice
In 1979 parents in the Omak school district challenged the book, as required reading in a class, due to "profane language". The book was retained. (In Connecticut in 1973 a school board member (and former police officer) challenged the book for "Cleaver's... horrible hatred of the white man and law-abiding black man". Interestingly, after a heated 2-hour public meeting, the book was narrowly retained, but quickly following this decision, the board then voted to eliminate the course that taught the book, effectively "banning" it.
Brave new world
Also available in digitized format through the library.
In Seattle, 2011, a parent had complained that the book has a “high volume of racially offensive derogatory language and misinformation on Native Americans. In addition to the inaccurate imagery, and stereotype views, the text lacks literary value which is relevant to today’s contemporary multicultural society.” Despite this challenge, the book was retained.
Recent Washington State challenges, bans, or K-12 course removals
- Jack of hearts and other parts (Covington, Washington)This book was challenged and removed from a middle school library by the principal, along with at least one other book, If I Was Your Girl.
- To kill a mockingbird (Mukilteo, Washington)This book is widely being removed from lists of course required readings, but largely maintained in school libraries.
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