If you want to be banned in 2010, just follow the trends from last year and speak frankly about teenage development and sexuality, or write about two gay penguins raising an egg.

According to the American Library Association, the most terrifying topics for parents are gay parenthood, and the sexual and social development of their own children.

The following three books received the most criticism from parents and critics, challenging the ALA to take them out of schools and public libraries.

#1 TTYL (The Internet Girl Series) by Lauren Myracle

Lauren Myracle’s Internet Girl Series, which includes titles TTYL, TTFN, BFF and L8r, G8r has made her the number one challenged author in America for two years running.

The TTYL series, written entirely in SMS text messages between high-school friends follows the predictable teenage explorations of sex, drugs and adult themes.

#2 And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson

This adorable book, illustrates the true story of Roy and Silo, two male Central Park Zoo chinstrap penguins who try to hatch a rock, then are given a real egg by the supportive zookeepers. They create their own happy penguin family with two male parents.

Anti-gay forces around the US have raged against this positive portrayal of same-sex family, pressuring school boards, courts and libraries to restrict children from reading the picture book.

#3 The Perks of Being A Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky

Any author who claims Cather in the Rye as a source of inspiration is bound to come under fire. The American Library Association has ranked Stephen Chbosky’s novel the third most challenged two years in a row.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower follows a shy teenage boy through the perils of adolescence, frequently referencing other banned and risqué books, movies and music.

This book also explores teen drug use, social anxiety, abuse and sexuality – heavy topics for conservative parents who argue the material is too mature for teen readers.

For more on the 2010 Most Challenged Books, court cases, disputes and decisions check out the American Library Association Website at www.ala.org.

I can hear a collective scream among kids and adults alike in some schools and libraries after many petitions to ban Harry Potter books have been circulated. The general consensus is that Harry Potter books are great fantasy novels that empower even the most reluctant of readers to pick up a book and read. On the other side many concerned parents and groups have called for these books to be banned from classrooms and libraries. They claim that these books promote witchcraft and an interest in the occult and should not be read by kids. Its interesting how people take FICTION and turn into some real world problem. According to the American Library Association Harry Potter books are on the top 10 list of challenged books from 1990-2000. Its interesting that the series is also one of the top ten best selling book series in history.

This is the first part in a series dedicated to books that have been banned and yet have a huge cult following. Whatever the reason, these books have been deemed unfit for mainstream readers and yet if you start reading you cant put them down. I dare you to pick up one of these books and take a gander at some thrilling, controversial plots that will leave you dying for more.

1. American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis

We all know the movie starring Christian Bale but did you know that it was based off a book published in 1991? the book basically follows serial killer and businessman Partrick Bateman,  a privileged yet twisted young man. During the day he is a successful vice president of a wall street investment company and at night turns into a murdering sexual sadist. The graphic violence and sexual nature of this novel might not be suitable for many readers and has been banned in many countries to this day. You can however find online version of this book to read, so if you are into thrillers with a sadistic twist pick up a copy and be prepared to be entertained.

Exerpt

“Where are you going?” she asks again.
I make no comment, lost in my own private maze, thinking about other things: warrants, stock offerings, ESOPs, LBOs, IPOs, finances, refinances, debentures, converts, proxy statements, 8-Ks, 10-Qs, zero coupons, PiKs, GNPs, the IMF, hot executive gadgets, billionaires, Kenkichi Nakajima, infinity, Infinity, how fast a luxury car should go, bailouts, junk bonds, whether to cancel my subscription to The Economist, the Christmas Eve when I was fourteen and had raped one of our maids, Inclusivity, envying someone’s life, whether someone could survive a fractured skull, waiting in airports, stifling a scream, credit cards and someone’s passport and a book of matches from La Côte Basque splattered with blood, surface surface surface, a Rolls is a Rolls is a Rolls. To Evelyn our relationship is yellow and blue, but to me it’s a gray place, most of it blacked out, bombed, footage from the film in my head is endless shots of stone and any language heard is utterly foreign, the sound flickering away over new images: blood pouring from automated tellers, women giving birth through their assholes, embryos frozen or scrambled (which is it?), nuclear warheads, billions of dollars, the total destruction of the world, someone gets beaten up, someone else dies, sometimes bloodlessly, more often mostly by rifle shot, assassinations, comas, life played out as a sitcom, a blank canvas that reconfigures itself into a soap opera. It’s an isolation ward that serves only to expose my own severely impaired capacity to feel. I am at its center, out of season, and no one ever asks me for any identification. I suddenly imagine Evelyn’s skeleton, twisted and crumbling, and this fills me with glee. It takes a long time to answer her question-Where are you going?-but after a sip of the port, then the dry beer, rousing myself, I tell her, at the same time wondering: If I were an actual automaton what difference would there really be?
“Libya,” and then, after a significant pause, “Pago Pago. I meant to say Pago Pago,” and then I add, “Because of your outburst I’m not paying for this meal.

Okay… this might a be hoax letter from Durham University or maybe the students of the Durham University might have Photoshopped the letter, but I couldn’t resist myself sharing it with readers of BannedStuff.net. When I first read the letter I almost fell off my chair LOL!
Any student from Durham University (UK) reading this please confirm it with us

The reason for the ban? For painting Islam in a bad light. The French magazine in question is L’Express International, and its cover story this week is titled “The Jesus-Muhammad Shock.” And that (plus its contents) offended the Muslim officials of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. L’Express said on its website that the series of articles comparing Christianity and Islam was inspired by a meeting this week in Rome between Christian and Muslim scholars, which aims to “help the dialogue between Islam and Christianity.” The magazine said it did not understand the ban on its international edition in North African countries, particularly because of the pains it took to adhere to Islamic norms.

Algerian officials said some of the L’Express articles comparing Christianity to Islam were considered “pro-Bible.” They also pointed out that pictures inside the magazine did represent Muhammad’s face — which is not allowed in Islam. A Tunisian government official, meanwhile, said that the magazine contents could be considered to be “offensive to Islam and faith or convictions of Mulsims.” Morocco’s Information Minister Khalid Naciri said only this week’s issue of L’Express International was banned but told The Associated Press he would not hesitate to do so “every time the media offends religion.”

“Go Ask Alice” is a book that deals realistically with young people’s dealings with drugs–and so naturally, it has come under fire, and is often the target of book banning.

The 1971 book is about drug abuse and considered a classic of youth literature. The novel (autobiography?) claims to be the journal of an anonymous teenage girl who died of a drug overdose in the late 1960s. It’s therefore presented as a testimony against drug use. Alice is not the author / main character’s name; the book never gives her name. A woman named Alice, who is a fellow addict, is mentioned briefly in the book. The author meets Alice on the street.

The book caused a stir when published and remains in print as of 2007. Revelations about the book’s origin have caused much doubt as to its authenticity and factual accounts, and the publishers have listed it as a work of fiction since the 1980s. Today, most critics consider it to be the work of its editor, Beatrice Sparks. It makes for compelling reading, and rather than banning it, it should be encouraged as reading material for teens.

Although they didn’t make a big fanfare over it, Google has taken a stand in favor of free reading rights, and against censorship and book-banning. They’ve done so by launching their “Celebrate Your Freedom to Read” page, at http://books.google.com/googlebooks/banned/.

The page contains a list of what the editors consider the best books that were ever challenged in the 20th century; highlighted books that have been challenged this year; and a link to the American Library Association’s “Banned Books Week” resource page.

The page editors comment, “It’s hard to imagine a world without these extraordinary literary classics, but every year there are hundreds of attempts to remove great books from libraries and schools. In fact, according to the American Library Association, 42 of 100 books recognized by the Radcliffe Publishing Course as the best novels of the 20th century have been challenged or burned. [It's our] effort to expand the universe of books you can discover, and we’re proud to join libraries and bookstores across the country in celebrating Banned Books Week – a nationwide initiative to help people learn about and explore banned books.”