Reading's Fundamentalist

Gay Penguin Book Still #1 in Scaring Conservative Readers

tangomakesthree

tangomakesthree2

For the third consecutive year the 2005 book And Tango Makes Three, based on a true story about two gay male penguins at the Central Park Zoo who raise a baby girl chick together, tops the American Library Association’s list of the “most frequently challenged” titles, calculated by how many complaints library patrons file against any title. Equally worth a laugh: Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (racism!), Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (sex!), and Alice Walker’s The Color Purple (homos!) all dropped off from the 2008 tally, while Cecily von Ziegesar’s Gossip Girl scores at No. 7. The full list:

1. “And Tango Makes Three,” by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell
Reasons: Anti-Ethnic, Anti-Family, Homosexuality, Religious Viewpoint,
Unsuited to Age Group

2. “His Dark Materials Trilogy” (Series), Philip Pullman
Reasons: Political Viewpoint, Religious Viewpoint, Violence

3. “TTYL”; “TTFN”; “L8R, G8R” (Series), Lauren Myracle
Reasons: Offensive Language, Sexually Explicit, Unsuited to Age Group

4. “Scary Stories” (Series), Alvin Schwartz
Reasons: Occult/Satanism, Religious Viewpoint, Violence

5. “Bless Me, Ultima,” by Rudolfo Anaya
Reasons: Occult/Satanism, Offensive Language, Religious Viewpoint, Sexually
Explicit, Violence

6. “The Perks of Being A Wallflower,” by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons: Drugs, Homosexuality, Nudity, Offensive Language, Sexually
Explicit, Suicide, Unsuited to Age Group

7. “Gossip Girl” (Series), by Cecily von Ziegesar
Reasons: Offensive Language, Sexually Explicit, Unsuited to Age Group

8. “Uncle Bobby’s Wedding,” by Sarah S. Brannen
Reasons: Homosexuality, Unsuited to Age Group

9. “The Kite Runner,” by Khaled Hosseini
Reasons: Offensive Language, Sexually Explicit, Unsuited to Age Group

10. “Flashcards of My Life,” by Charise Mericle Harper
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Unsuited to Age Group

(via St. Louis Today)

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