20 Banned Books of 2010: “Before jumping into this, it’s important to note that a ‘banned’ book is often just a challenged book. In library lingo, this means a parent (usually) or a concerned citizen has filled out a request to have a particular book reviewed and then pulled from the shelves. Most often, a library or book store has a criteria used for selecting works and when a book is challenged, the librarian checks to see if the book in question meets that criteria. If the book is justified, it stays in the library. If it’s not, it’s usually up for the principal and then school board to be banned and then removed.
This process has been developed to keep school boards and principals from removing works without any due process. Of course, even the best laid plans fail – as evidenced in the list below. These twenty titles are among the most amusing ‘banned’ books from 2010 according to various library resources in the US and the UK. As you look at the list of the top twenty banned (or controversial) books, you’ll notice that most are more tame than the song you just heard on the radio – but one person’s obscene is another’s Mark Twain it would seem.”