Behind the Banning of Books

The top motives for banning books in Washington state.  Sex, inappropriate language and religion are the most common reasons parents in 185 Washington school districts challenge books in school libraries and classrooms in Washington state, according to a study conducted by AccessNorthwest at Washington State University. During the 2002-03 and 2003-04 academic years, parents and other community members challenged 34 books in 22 districts. Of those, they restricted 10 and banned six. The east and west sides of the state shared the challenges almost evenly. Though the east accounts for only 22 percent of the state population, it is responsible for half the challenges. Many of the challenged books in the state are on the American Library Association’s list of the 100 most challenged books.

Headed by Susan Dente Ross, associate professor of communication in the WSU Edward R. Murrow School of Communication, AccessNorthwest is a research organization focused on promoting citizen awareness. Ross can be contacted by e-mail at accessnw@wsu.edu. Dave Cuillier, a research assistant, can be reached at 509.335.2979 or davidc@wsu.edu. More information and the complete list of challenged books is available online at https://www.wsu.edu/~accessnw/resources/banned02-04.htm.