# How many of the ALA's most frequently challenged books have you read? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 23, 2005, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-alas-most-frequently-challenged-books-have-you-read/327489 "2005-10-23T03:13:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-alas-most-frequently-challenged-books-have-you-read/327489/1 "2005-10-23T03:13:58Z")
[Here](http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bbwlinks/100mostfrequently.htm) is the list of the 100 most frequently challenged books 1990-2000 as compiled by the American Library Association. I was surprised to find that I have read 19 of them, although **read** may be a bit over the top when it comes to 19 and 88. How about you? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-alas-most-frequently-challenged-books-have-you-read/327489/2 "2005-10-23T03:17:05Z")
Three. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-alas-most-frequently-challenged-books-have-you-read/327489/3 "2005-10-23T03:19:41Z")
I’ve read 14. Again, that’s if you include 88 as a book you can actually read. And why on earth would it be challenged? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-alas-most-frequently-challenged-books-have-you-read/327489/4 "2005-10-23T03:20:56Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > I’ve read 14. Again, that’s if you include 88 as a book you can actually read. And why on earth would it be challenged? I wondered about that myself. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-alas-most-frequently-challenged-books-have-you-read/327489/5 "2005-10-23T03:20:56Z")
If you count reading ‘some’ of a series as reading the series, I’ve read 25 or 26 of them. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-alas-most-frequently-challenged-books-have-you-read/327489/6 "2005-10-23T03:23:29Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > I wondered about that myself. There is a drawing of a topless woman in the beach scene. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-alas-most-frequently-challenged-books-have-you-read/327489/7 "2005-10-23T03:29:56Z")
Sixteen, but I used to work at a Library. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-alas-most-frequently-challenged-books-have-you-read/327489/8 "2005-10-23T03:33:18Z")
Sixteen. ---
**Author:** ![SnakesCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-alas-most-frequently-challenged-books-have-you-read/327489/9 "2005-10-23T03:35:26Z")
I’ve read 19 of them, but why in the world would “Flowers for Algernon” be challenged? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-alas-most-frequently-challenged-books-have-you-read/327489/10 "2005-10-23T03:38:13Z")
[The Forbidden Library](http://title.forbiddenlibrary.com/) Doesn’t list “Flowers for Algernon”, though. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-alas-most-frequently-challenged-books-have-you-read/327489/11 "2005-10-23T03:45:39Z")
> [@Snakescatlady](#): > > I’ve read 19 of them, but why in the world would “Flowers for Algernon” be challenged? There are some swears and such. Schools aren’t really big on the swearing. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-alas-most-frequently-challenged-books-have-you-read/327489/12 "2005-10-23T03:54:47Z")
I’ve read 41 of them for sure, and possibly 3-5 others. What I wonder, though, is what sort of libraries challenge them. They don’t _just_ mean school libraries, do they? If so, the judgement of some people - who apparently wanted some of these books in the libraries - is pretty suspect. You’d have to be half-crazy to think the average school is going to welcome books like the joy of gay sex…the school needs to take parental reactions into account, after all. [Wait](http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=bbwlinks&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=40912), this page says 71% of the challenges were in fact school libraries. Hmm. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-alas-most-frequently-challenged-books-have-you-read/327489/13 "2005-10-23T03:59:09Z")
1. Got a lot of nice oldies on there. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-alas-most-frequently-challenged-books-have-you-read/327489/14 "2005-10-23T03:59:21Z")
> [@mobo85](#): > > There are some swears and such. Schools aren’t really big on the swearing. Missed this. You don’t think him nearly having sex with a pregnant hooker has anything to do with it? ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-alas-most-frequently-challenged-books-have-you-read/327489/15 "2005-10-23T04:13:34Z")
Fifteen for me. ---
**Author:** ![soulmurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@soulmurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulmurk)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-alas-most-frequently-challenged-books-have-you-read/327489/16 "2005-10-23T04:16:24Z")
1. Most of those being required reading in school. Best I could ever do is 99, as I’ll never even share a room with number 19. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-alas-most-frequently-challenged-books-have-you-read/327489/17 "2005-10-23T04:23:25Z")
1. Why is “Where’s Waldo” on the list? ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-alas-most-frequently-challenged-books-have-you-read/327489/18 "2005-10-23T04:27:22Z")
1. Every time I read that list, I always giggle about the fact that “The Witches” is more challenged than “The new joy of gay sex”. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-alas-most-frequently-challenged-books-have-you-read/327489/19 "2005-10-23T04:35:53Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > 1. > > Why is “Where’s Waldo” on the list? I believe there was a scene on the beach with women in bikinis. ---
**Author:** ![Julius\_Henry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8797f3/32.png) [@Julius\_Henry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Julius_Henry)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-alas-most-frequently-challenged-books-have-you-read/327489/20 "2005-10-23T04:36:26Z")
Nine. And my life was forever corrupted by \*\*The Adventures of Tom Sawyer \*\* and **To Kill a Mockingbird**. Some people really have nothing to do with themselves, do they. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-the-alas-most-frequently-challenged-books-have-you-read/327489.md?page=2)