The Hunger Games makes most challenged books of the year list (again)
While millions of people around the world have read and love The Hunger Games trilogy, it seems it’s a book that constantly comes under the spotlight from parents and teachers across the U.S. who believe the books should be pulled from the shelf.
The Hunger Games was number three on this year’s list of books that have been called to be banned. The reasons given include it being anti-ethnic; anti-family; insensitivity; offensive language; occult/satanic; violence.
To highlight this situation the American Library Association holds a week long celebration called Banned Books Week. It’s an annual event to celebrate the freedom to read and the importance of having access to information.
As part of the week, a library in Texas has decided to create a series of posters around The Hunger Games in their efforts to get the Banned Books message across.
According to a report in The Hunger Games Examiner the Youth Services Supervisor at the Smith Public Library, Ofilia Barrera, says the idea to use The Hunger Games to promote Banned Books Week stared as a dream.
“I had a dream that popular teen author Libba Bray was at our library dressed up as Effie Trinket,” Barrera said. “She was greeting everyone as they came in wishing them a Happy Banned Books Week.”
Together with other library staff members, Barrera put together slogans, posters, and even a video featuring students from Wylie High School to submit to the American Library Association’s 50 State Salute.
“The Districts of Panem as depicted in The Hunger Games are an ideal example of a society that has no choice and no say. This is why it works so well with Banned Books,” Barrera said. “Everyone should be able to make their own decisions about what is right for them. We’ve had a lot of people with a very visceral reaction to the display thinking it is real — that the government has actually banned these titles. That’s exactly what we want people to feel. That means they understand the importance of having the freedom to read what you want.”
You can read the rest of the article here
So, what do you think? Do you understand why The Hunger Games continues to make the list of the books most called for to be banned? Do they have a point, or are they missing the point altogether? Let us know in the comments below.
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It’s funny. I saw none of the “reasons” they should be banned when I read them. In other news, nobody should ban books no matter what they are!
THIS IS CRAP. THE HUNGER GAMES TRILOGY ARE THE REASON I READ. WHY SHOULD THEY BE BANNED !!! there are a lot worse things in the world than the hunger games. people who think it should be banned are stupid. i live in scotland and NO ONE here ever ever says it should be banned. this is ridiculous!!!
live in germany and read the books in english then germany… and i agree…
Is this a banning for these books being provided in schools and or public libraries or from them being purchasable in stores altogether? If it’s from stores then I think books may need a rating system similar to how games and movies are rated, but a bit differently.
I see why The Hunger Games continues to make the list, but I never thought of them when reading them. It never really jumped out to me. Perhaps because the violence is never looked at as “good” and the books showed the consequences for killing with Katniss constantly bothered by it herself throughout the trilogy. I don’t think any of the books ever presented violence as morally correct. In fact it’s because of the unethical annual Hunger Games that the revolt against the Capitol happens. I think people challenging the book(s) don’t understand the book(s) and likley never read them to begin with.
The revolt wasn’t completely because of the games. I think, thinking about it now, but you get the point.
Anti-Family? last time i checked the series is basically about katniss risking her life for her family!
offensive language??????????????????? seriously???? i call it 2 sware words.
And the occult/satanic violence? Yeah, there’s violence—but it’s not occult or satanic! Sometimes I think people just like to make up things.
And it really was only ONE cuss word…
The ONLY one of the list that is really in there is violence…
Oh? Just advertisement for Banned Books?
how on earth is it anti_ethnic???
Yea it is in a country that you have no say, but I think that we might be on the road to something like this. All these things that happen in the Hunger Games could easily happen to us. She didn’t make up everything in the books.
I’m sorry, but I just don’t see how… How it could be ‘occult/satanic’?…. No, just no. There is no proof. There’s no proof for pretty much all of the reasons except for violence…
A lot of there reasons are pretty much just based on basic knowledge of the book, listing small characteristics in different parts of the books without even thinking about the development of that part or for what reasons it was used there, or if they even understood correctly.
really ths is why people are the way they are these days how do u expect people to just stay quiet The Hunger Games Trilogy is an amazing series these people must not really have a life to be going after harmless books people should be able to decide what they want to read. this is a story about a youn g girl whos willing to risk anything and everyhthing for her famil and u wanna call it anti_family okay?????????
this banning idea is wrong