Image sourced from Google Images
Introduction
Minority groups around the word have been suppressing and challenging all forms of literature for many hundreds of years sighting political, religious, sexual and social reasons. From books that may never have made it to print to others that we now know as classics have been amongst those targeted due to the subjective opinions of governments, parent groups, schools and teachers or religious leaders. According to the American Library Association's website it is parents that challenge material more than any other group.
Books familiar to all of us that have been deemed inappropriate include, The Bible, The Koran, Arabian Knights, The Catcher in the Rye, Little Black Sambo, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harry Potter and some on more than one occasion. This in itself is paints a rather interesting picture and gives us all something to think about as the literary content of these books stay the same but public and social attitudes change, potentially leaving any book as a target.
This blog will be divided into three lists and will include :
· Literature suppressed or challenged on social grounds
· Literature suppressed or challenged on sexual grounds
· Suppressed or challenged children’s literature
The content focus will generally be on European, British and American Literature of the last 200 years and each post will discuss in more detail one Featured Book from the different lists.
Books familiar to all of us that have been deemed inappropriate include, The Bible, The Koran, Arabian Knights, The Catcher in the Rye, Little Black Sambo, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harry Potter and some on more than one occasion. This in itself is paints a rather interesting picture and gives us all something to think about as the literary content of these books stay the same but public and social attitudes change, potentially leaving any book as a target.
This blog will be divided into three lists and will include :
· Literature suppressed or challenged on social grounds
· Literature suppressed or challenged on sexual grounds
· Suppressed or challenged children’s literature
The content focus will generally be on European, British and American Literature of the last 200 years and each post will discuss in more detail one Featured Book from the different lists.
Literature suppressed on Social Grounds
Literature suppressed on social grounds is seen, for whatever reason as not meeting a certain social or community standard and often labelled as unacceptable or harmful to particular readers. These books commonly dubbed as vulgar or obscene come under fire from their challengers and censors (often with the best intentions) for a variety reasons, including language, depiction of drug use, depiction and description of sexual relationships or sexual orientation and racial representation or characterisation.
The following list is made up of just some many well-known books that I have compiled from a number of ‘Challenged or Suppressed’ book lists that I have found online and in print, including three of ALA's Frequently Challenged books list that are linked a little further down.
Until now I have been unaware of the level of controversy some of these books have created.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X
The Basketball Diaries By Jim Carroll
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Camille by Alexandre Dumas. Jr.
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English Edited by Robert. L. Chapman
Dracula by Bram Stroker
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
I Know Why the Cage Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Gorillas in the mist by Dianne Fossey
Lord of the flies by William Golding
Manchild of the Promised Land by Claude Brown
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
FEATURED BOOK: The adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
While The adventures of Huckleberry Finn is considered as an American Classic by many, it has also happens to be one of America’s most frequently challenged books since is publication in over 125 years ago. It appears on three of ALA’s banned book lists including Banned and Challenged Classics, 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books: 1990–2000 and 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books: 2000-2009.
Most of us will be familiar with the story of Huckleberry Finn. A boy on the run from his drunken father, accompanied by and his companion Jim, a runaway slave. The tale is of their journey down the Mississippi River on a raft, their friendship, their adventures and the people they meet along the way, with racism and slavery just two of the themes dealt with in the story.
The early challengers of the book complained mainly due to the immoral and wayward ways of Huck Finn, the bad grammar and common vernacular in the way the story was told. With the emergence of the civil rights movement in America in the 1950’s opposing views have more commonly been about racism and the reoccurring use if the word nigger.
Complaints have resulted in removal of the book from public and school libraries and specific editing of certain editions since the late 19th century. An article on banned books on the TIME website site tells us that, “In an attempt to avoid controversy, CBS produced a made-for-TV adaptation of the book in 1955 that lacked a single mention of slavery and did not have an African-American portray the character of Jim”.
Sourced mainly from the books, 120 Banned Books by Nicholas J.Kardolides, Margaret Bald & Dawn B. Sova and Banned Books : 387B.C to 1978 AD by Anne Lyon Height, the list below details only a small number of the many occasions that Huckleberry Finn has been suppressed or challenged.
The Beacon for Freedom of Expression Database and The File Room were also useful sources of information.
1885
Concord (Massachusetts) Public Library banned the book, charging that novel was “trash suitable only for slums”. Conventional morality was offended by the street vernacular spoken by Jim and Huck, as well as by their coarse behaviour.
1902
Brooklyn Public library removed it from the children’s room on the charge that “Huck not only itched but he scratched and that he said sweat when he should have said perspiration”.
1930
Soviet border guards confiscated the novel, along with Tom Sawyer.
1957
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People protested the racist aspects of the book and demanded that it be removed from all High Schools in New York.
1975
Yielding to pressures across the nation (U.S.A), publishers met challengers by substituting the euphemisms for the term nigger. Scott, Foresman rewrote passages to eliminate the word, Singer replaced it with slave and McGraw-Hill replaced the term with servant.
1988
Caddo Parish (Louisiana) removed the novel from both its school library and reading list, charging that it contained racially offensive slurs.
1992
The school superintendent of Kinston (North Carolina) School District removed the book from the middle school in the belief that students were too young to read a work containing the word nigger
2003
Sourced from the School Library Journal Website:
Teachers in Escambia County, FL, will no longer be allowed to use The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn with students in grades 10 and below. That was the January 29 decision of the Escambia County School District, after a parent of a seventh-grader at Ransom Middle School complained that the racially charged content of the Mark Twain novel made the student uncomfortable, reports the Pensacola News Journal. School officials say the book will remain accessible to middle school students at the district's school libraries
The video and image below are not strictly related to suppressed literature but are cute all the same.
Originally uploaded by Dunechaser
Literature suppressed on Sexual Grounds
Over the last two hundred years books that many of us a will be familiar with have been suppressed or challenged on sexual grounds. The reasons put forward by the challengers have ranged anywhere from themes of prostitution, promiscuity and adultery through to explicit or graphic sexual description. Often these books are labelled as profane, lewd or pornographic, lacking in any social value. As a result books have been removed from libraries, editions have been edited, books sent back to publishers and even burned in the case of Ulysses in 1922.
Over the years as obscenity laws have changed, books that have been hidden away or blacklisted as absence have made their way back onto the shelves of libraries, though more recently books intended for young adults have come under fire as inappropriate. More often than not is it due to sexual themes and mention birth control or STD’s and are often thought to encourage sexual experimentation or even take away the importance of marital sex.
The list of books below that have been challenged or suppressed on sexual grounds, many of which are quite well known or considered now as modern classics, which illustrates the changing view that society has on erotica and sex in literature.
An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
Boy by James Hanley
Christine by Steven King
The Deer Park by Norman Mailer
Forever by Judy Blume
From Here To Eternity by James Jones
The Goats by Brock Cole
Ladies In The Parlour by Jim Tully
Lady Chatterley’s Lover by DH Lawrence
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
Snow falling on cedars by David Guterson
Sophie’s Choice by William Styron
Tropic Of Capricorn & Tropic Cancer by Henry Miller
Ulysses by James Joyce
Banned: Judy Blume’s FOREVER
An article from Small Words Magazine
Teen Spirit
An article from the UK Guardian.
Judy Blume Talks About Censorship
Pages from Judy Blume’s Website
Judy Blume’s Lesons in Love
An interview from the U.K Telegraph.
Over the years as obscenity laws have changed, books that have been hidden away or blacklisted as absence have made their way back onto the shelves of libraries, though more recently books intended for young adults have come under fire as inappropriate. More often than not is it due to sexual themes and mention birth control or STD’s and are often thought to encourage sexual experimentation or even take away the importance of marital sex.
The list of books below that have been challenged or suppressed on sexual grounds, many of which are quite well known or considered now as modern classics, which illustrates the changing view that society has on erotica and sex in literature.
I found these titles appeared in a few pre existing lists including the ALA lists I mentioned earlier. The books, 120 Banned Books and Literature Suppressed on Sexual Grounds, also listed some of these titles. There are alot more books mentioned that have not been included below so I these books mentioned above are worth a read.
An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
Boy by James Hanley
Christine by Steven King
The Deer Park by Norman Mailer
Forever by Judy Blume
From Here To Eternity by James Jones
The Goats by Brock Cole
Ladies In The Parlour by Jim Tully
Lady Chatterley’s Lover by DH Lawrence
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
Snow falling on cedars by David Guterson
Sophie’s Choice by William Styron
Tropic Of Capricorn & Tropic Cancer by Henry Miller
Ulysses by James Joyce
FEATURED BOOK : Forever by Judy Blume
Image sourced from Google Images
Published in 1975 Forever has been under attack from may parents with teenagers and still remains one of Judy Blume’s most popular and well known books, perhaps due to controversy that always seems to be surrounding it. It tells the story the story of Katherine and Michael, two high school seniors and their blooming relationship from when they first meet, to the complexities of first time sexual experiences, to when the relationship ends before going off to college and everything else in between.
Dealing with themes of teenage sexuality and even birth control, Forever has been challenged for reasons including description of sexual activity, encouraging sexual activity between teenagers, taking away the importance of marital sex and even disobedience to parents. It appears on a few Challenged ot suppressed book lists, including ALA's 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books: 1990–2000 and 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books: 2000-2009.
The list below includes just a few of the occasions FOREVER has been challenged or banned over the last 30 years. My research has only led me to find recorded evidence of this in America so I am not sure about other parts of the world. Though it's not a focus of my project, it would be interesting to find out more about censored literature in Australia.
Dealing with themes of teenage sexuality and even birth control, Forever has been challenged for reasons including description of sexual activity, encouraging sexual activity between teenagers, taking away the importance of marital sex and even disobedience to parents. It appears on a few Challenged ot suppressed book lists, including ALA's 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books: 1990–2000 and 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books: 2000-2009.
The list below includes just a few of the occasions FOREVER has been challenged or banned over the last 30 years. My research has only led me to find recorded evidence of this in America so I am not sure about other parts of the world. Though it's not a focus of my project, it would be interesting to find out more about censored literature in Australia.
Sourced mainly from Literature suppressed on sexual grounds by Dawn B. Sova and Hit list for teen 2 : frequently challenged books by Teri S. Lesesne and Rosemary Chance.
1982
Challenged at Orlando (Florida) schools and at Park Hill (Missouri) South Junior High School Library, where it was housed on the restricted shelves because the book promotes ‘the stranglehold of humanism on life in America’.
1984
Challenged at the Cedar Rapids (Iwoa) Public Library because it is ‘pornography and explores areas that God didn’t intend to explore outside marriage.
1988
The principal at West Herando (Florida) yielded to parent’s complaints that the novel was ‘inappropriate’ and asked that it be removed from the school library shelves.
1993
The super superintendent of schools in Riblake (Wisconsin), filed a ‘request for reconsideration’ of the book after determining that is was ‘sexually explicit’. The book was placed on the ‘parental permission shelf’ then later confiscated by the school principal. High School guidance councillor, Mike Dishnow, spoke out against the district school policy and crtitised the actions of the principal in restricting student access to the novel, was not rehired the following academic year. He sued the school district and a federal Jury in Madison, Wisconsin awarded him $394, 560 in damages and lost wages.
2002
The Eligan Area district school board (Illinois) voted to lift the 1995 ban and return the Forever to the middle school library’s shelves.
2005
Sourced from Small Words Magazine
In Pasadena, Texas a parent's complaint concerning Forever resulted in the book being removed from the city's school libraries. In northern California, the same year, a 6-year-old student was charged with sexual harassment for bringing her copy of Forever to school to lend a friend.
The following are a few links that I found to be of significant interest while researching FOREVER. I thought to include them as it's interesting to find out more about her as person, a writer for teenagers and her views on censorship.
Judy Blume V’s Censors
A video of Judy Blume about the censorship of her books, including FOREVER.
1984
Challenged at the Cedar Rapids (Iwoa) Public Library because it is ‘pornography and explores areas that God didn’t intend to explore outside marriage.
1988
The principal at West Herando (Florida) yielded to parent’s complaints that the novel was ‘inappropriate’ and asked that it be removed from the school library shelves.
1993
The super superintendent of schools in Riblake (Wisconsin), filed a ‘request for reconsideration’ of the book after determining that is was ‘sexually explicit’. The book was placed on the ‘parental permission shelf’ then later confiscated by the school principal. High School guidance councillor, Mike Dishnow, spoke out against the district school policy and crtitised the actions of the principal in restricting student access to the novel, was not rehired the following academic year. He sued the school district and a federal Jury in Madison, Wisconsin awarded him $394, 560 in damages and lost wages.
2002
The Eligan Area district school board (Illinois) voted to lift the 1995 ban and return the Forever to the middle school library’s shelves.
2005
Sourced from Small Words Magazine
In Pasadena, Texas a parent's complaint concerning Forever resulted in the book being removed from the city's school libraries. In northern California, the same year, a 6-year-old student was charged with sexual harassment for bringing her copy of Forever to school to lend a friend.
The following are a few links that I found to be of significant interest while researching FOREVER. I thought to include them as it's interesting to find out more about her as person, a writer for teenagers and her views on censorship.
Judy Blume V’s Censors
A video of Judy Blume about the censorship of her books, including FOREVER.
.
Banned: Judy Blume’s FOREVER
An article from Small Words Magazine
Teen Spirit
An article from the UK Guardian.
Judy Blume Talks About Censorship
Pages from Judy Blume’s Website
Judy Blume’s Lesons in Love
An interview from the U.K Telegraph.
Another Video of Judy Blume and other figures at the National Coalition Against Censorship's 35th Anniversary Tribute.
Literature Suppressed in Australia
I mentioned earlier, that I haven't yet uncovered any examples of the books that I am looking at for this project being suppressed or challenged in Australia. This made me peruse the interwebs and I have stumbled across some interesting things.
- The Banned in Australia project is a separately published work within AustLit Database, that we have access through at Swinburne. It collects information on books that have been banned or restricted by under the Trade and Customs Act of 1901.
- Banned Books in Australia: from moral crusader to national security was a story on ABC radio's The Book Show in 2007. The podcast is also online. The presenter and her guests discuss literature that has been banned here as recently as 2006. This is worth a listen or read.
- The following has been taken from Failblog.org It's not strictly suppressed literature in the same way that other books mentioned in this blog are but due to a typo, this particular version has become suppressed all the same. Good one Penguin Australia.
This is blog is the funniest. Definately worth checking out.
Suppressed and Challenged Children 's Literature
As mentioned in an earlier post, according to ALA’s statistics it is parents the in America who challenge and attempt to censor books more than any other group, all in a bid to protect the children from what they believe is harmful. The following is a quote from Censoring the imagination: challenges to children's books, an article by Judith Saltman (found through Swinburne's Databases), that I think sums up this all too common event.
“…… many adults are wary of the power of ideas, concepts and attitudes found in children's books. Sincere in their concern for children, many individuals wish to protect children from beliefs and realities that they don't agree with, that they don't want their children to adopt, or that they feel are harmful to their children. There will always be those who feel ideas are dangerous, children’s books hold much mischief and children inexperienced, vulnerable and easily influenced should be given only books that promote certain, "right" values and thoughts”.
Like before, the following list of suppressed or challenged children’s books has been compiled from a number of other lists appearing in Literature suppressed on social grounds, Hit List for Children 2 : Frequently Challenged Books (E-books available through Swinburne, 120 Banned books and online sources including Challenged Children’s Books from the University of Illinois and ALA’s Banned/Frequently Challenged lists.
I have decided to focus on younger children’s literature (picture books and chapter books) and not include Young Adult as the previous post featuring Judy Blume has already covered an aspect of this.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carol
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
Anastasia Krupnick by Lowis Lowery
Blubber by Judy Blume
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey
Daddy’s roommate by Michael Willhoite
Doctor Dolittle series by Hugh John Lofting
Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine
Guess What by Mem Fox
Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam
Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
Harriett the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
How to Eat Fries Worms by Thomas Rockwell
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman
The Stupids by H. Allard
Featured Book: Captain Underpants (series) by Dav Pilkey.
Image sourced from Google Images
Originally uploaded on Central Highlands Regional Library's image index.
Captain Underpants, as a collective series of books has been frequently challenged, mainly by parents and teachers who argue that it is vulgar and inappropriate toilet humour, not suitable for young children. Despite theses claims the Captain Underpants series seem to very popular with many eight to twelve year old boys around the world, including the libraries I work at….but who is Captain Underpants?Originally uploaded on Central Highlands Regional Library's image index.
The character George and Harold, the two main characters of the books, who love drawing comics, are the accidental creators of Captain Underpants. He is a super hero but also the alter ego of their cranky school principal Mr Krupp. The boys chronicle all the adventures of Captain Underpants in the books.
Below is a video found on Youtube, that may help you understand the Captain Underpants story a little more. The original source of the video can be found Dav Pilkey’s (the author) website, which is much higher quality.
Like the previous books discussed the list below contains just a few of the recorded occasions that the Captain Underpants series has been challenged or removed from libraries. Most information I have found, (sourced from Literature suppressed on social grounds and various online sources) details this happening in North American school libraries. I haven’t seen any records of this happening in Australia or anywhere else in the world.
2000
Principal Rebecca Sciacc, of Maple Hill School in Naugatuck (Connecticut), removed The Adeventures of Captain Underpants from the primary school library. Superintendent of schools Alice Carol supported the decision and noted in an interview, “These Captain Underpants books are clearly inappropriate for a primary school library. All of their humour comes from the bathroom and bodily functions. There is a fine line between selection and censorship, It comes down to what you think. I call it selection, you may call in censorship”.
2002
Parent and former teacher, Dawn Ihry of Page (North Dakota) submitted a formal complaint to the school board requesting the removal of Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopy Pants, from the primary school library. She said, “I didn’t care for the language, I didn’t care for the innuendo”. This complaint lead to a policy allowing the school board to review and reject any materials that ‘ label or characterise any individuals in an undeserving manor’.
2003
Pam Santi a grandmother raising four children in Riverside (California), filed a complaint to the school district requesting for the removal of The Adventures of Super Daiper Baby, after she found her grandson drawing one of the characters. She voiced a number a complaints including, ‘There is just no moral value to that poop character”, that her grandson was drawaing. After voting the school board rejected the challenge.
2006
The article Brief this: Captain Underpants is back states that in 2006 a high school principal in Long Beach, N.Y., banned students from dressing up as the title character. Three 17-year-old girls wore beige leotards and nude stockings under white briefs and red capes on the school's "Superhero Day.
The CNN atricle Captain Underpants: the straight poop on a grossly entertaining series of children's books has recorded some counter arguments in the Captain Underpants debate. It seems worthwhile to include these too.
- "The content IS sometimes vulgar, scatological, rude -- but so are 9-year-old boys," said Mary Jo Dickerson, whose son Ian reads the books out loud to her. "I say any book that encourages my son to read is worth its weight in gold."
- "There's a lot of talk these days about how 'Harry Potter' has gotten kids interested in reading again, but not in our house," said Janice Shepherd, the mother of a 9-year-old in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. "My son wasn't at all interested in reading until he discovered Captain Underpants."
Featured book: In the night kitchen by Maurice Sendak
Image sourced from Google ImagesOriginally uploaded on Davenport Public Library's Kids Blog.
Though a children’s book has already been featured I thought that In the night Kitchen, the picture book by Maurice Sendack also deserves a quick mention.
Published in 1970, this story is Mickey’s fantasy dream journey, after he ‘falls into the light of the night kitchen’. The outrage this book has created is due to the fact that in some of the illustrations Mickey appears totally naked. Deemed offensive by some adults this book has been challenged as inappropriate and even pornographic. According to Beverley C. Becker and Susan M. Stan, who wrote Hit List for children: frequently challenged books, ‘concerned teachers, librarians and parents have taken the liberty of dressing Mickey in diapers or pants by drawing over the pictures of his unclothed body’.
Below is a video of In the night kitchen read aloud, that I found on Youtube. If you can’t remember or don’t know the story it worth a look.
Sourced again from Hit List for children: frequently challenged books, the following paragraphs detail occasions that this book has been challenged. This time I haven’t found any recorded accounts of the book being removed from shelves though, ‘concerned’ adults physically altering the book is possibly just as bad.
1988
Challenged at Robeson Elementary School in Champion (Illinois) because of ‘gratuitous’ nudity.
1989
Challenged at Camden Elementary School Libraries (New Jersey), because of nudity.
1992
Challenged at Elk River Schools (Minisota) because reading the book ‘could lay the foundation for future use of pornography.
1994
Challenged at the El Paso (Texas) Public Library because ‘the little boy pictured did not have any clothes on and it pictured his private area’.
The article El Paso mother calls In the night kitchen porn, which appeared in the June 1994 issue of American Libraries, gives exstensive details of this particular challenge.
Freedom to read
Image source from Google Images
Originally uploaded on Every Picture Tells a Story
The reasons given by people for challenging or trying to suppress literature vary but it would seem that so often it is because the books in question do not meet a current standard of particular social values. As mentioned before a lot of the time it is well-intended but fearful people (mainly parents) trying to ‘protect’ the world (mainly children) from what they see as unsuitable or inappropriate. These continual knee jerk reactions, which have been covered earlier on, have managed to spark quite a different reaction in others.
I have decided to end this report by listing just some of the initiatives that are out there that advocate the freedom to read. Like the rest of the research, many of the initiaves have originated in America but still play an important part in the censorship issue.
Follow the links to find out more about each one.
ALA’s page on Banned Books Week
Freedom to Read (Canada)
Office of Intellectual Freedom
The Beacon for Freedom of Expression Project
Judy Blume Talks About Censorship
Banned Books Australia Project (within the AusLit Database)
Teaching Banned Books: 12 guides for young readers (An E-book available through Swinburne)
NCITE’s Anti- Censorship Center (National Council of Teachers of English)
As the image at the top of this report says:
CENSORSHIP CAUSES BLINDNESS
READ!
Bibliography
Books
Blume, J 1975, Forever, Simon & Schuster, New York.
Karolides, N, Bald, M & Sova, D 2005, 120 banned books, Checkmark, New York.
Lyon Haight, A 1978, Banned books : 387B.C to 1978 B.C, 4th ed., R. R Bowker, New York.
Pilkey, D 1997, Captain Underpants : an epic novel, Scholastic, New York.
Sendak, M 2001, In the night kitchen, Red Fox, London.
Twain, M 2009, The adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Penguin, Camberwell, Victoria.
Baker, B & Stan, S 2002, Hit list for children 2 : frequently challenged books, EBL EBook Library, ALA Editions, Chicago, viewed on 27 April 2010.
Jarnow, J 2004, ‘Introduction’, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and race in America, The Rosen Publishing Group, New York, viewed 8 April 2010.
Lesesne, Teri S. 2002, Hit List for Young Adults 2 : Frequently Challenged Books, EBL EBook Library, ALA Editions, Chicago, viewed on
Sova, Dawn B. 2006, Literature suppressed on sexual grounds, EBL EBook Library, Infobase, New York, viewed on 16 April 2010.
Sova, D 2006, Literature suppressed on social grounds, EBL EBook Library, Infobase, Rev. ed., New York, viewed on 10 April 2010.
Other sites are referenced with links in blog post.
Journal Articles (Databases)
Bilyeu, S 2010, ‘Twain’s bad boy’, New York Times Upfront, March 1 2010, p.18-22, General Onefile, Gale, Document A219898767, viewed 11 April 2010.
B.G, 2000, ‘Censorship watch’, American Libraries, vol. 31 Issue 1, Jan 2000, p25, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, EbscoHost, Document AN 2691657, viewed April 26 2010.
Crisp, T 2001, ‘Self-regulate, educate and classify: staying out of the censorship shadow’,Australian Bookseller and Publisher, vol. 81, no. 2, Aug 2001, p16-17, Australian Public Affairs, Informant, Document 200113939, viewed April 26 2010.
Eubanks, B 2002, ‘Banned books: celebrating the freedom to read’, NoveList Curriculum Guide, NoveList Plus, Ebscohost, Document AN 319305, viewed April 26 2010.
LK 1994, ‘El Paso mother calls ‘In the night kitchen’ porn’, American Libraries, vol. 25. Issue. 6, p.480-481, Education Research Complete, EbscoHost, Document ANs9406207751, viewed 26 April 2010.
Saltman, J 1998, ‘Censoring the imagination: challengers to children’s books, Emergency Librarian, vol. 25, issue 3, Jan/Feb 98, p8-12, MasterFile Premier, EbscoHost, viewed April 24 2010.
Scales, P 2009, 'What makes a good banned book', Horn Book Magazine, vol. 85, issue 5, Sep/Oct 2009, p533-536, Academic Search Complete, EbsoHost, viewed April 26 2010.
Tilloston, L 2006, ‘Choices for children, Book Links, vol. 16, issue 1, Sep 2006, p4, Humanities International Complete, EbscoHost, Document AN 22379445, viewed April 23 2010.
Journal Articles (online)
Owen, M 2003, ‘Developing a love of reading: why young adult literature is important’, Orana, vol.39, no.1, viewed 16 April 2010. http://www.alia.org.au/publishing/orana/39.1
