Censorship in American schools and libraries is on the rise as more institutions attempt to ban books tackling racial and sexual issues, as well as those written by minorities, according to the anti-censorship group Kids\u2019 Right to Read Project.<\/p>\n
In a report by the Guardian, the KRRP stated it has dealt with 49 separate cases of book bannings across 29 states this year, up more than 50 percent compared to the previous year. November alone found the group, part of the National Coalition Against Censorship, investigating three times the typical number of book bannings in the United States.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether or not patterns like this are the result of co-ordination between would-be censors across the country is impossible to say,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0said Acacia O’Connor to the Guardian.\u00a0\u201cBut there are moments, when a half-dozen or so challenges regarding race or LGBT content hit within a couple weeks, where you just have to ask \u2018what is going on out there?\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n While most of the complaints filed have been done so by parents or local school districts, there have also been cases where state and local officials have gotten involved. According to the group, some of the books targeted include \u201cInvisible Man\u201d by Ralph Ellison, \u201cThe Bluest Eye\u201d by Toni Morrison, \u201cThe Color Purple\u201d by Alice Walker, and \u201cThe House of the Spirits,\u201d by Isabel Allende.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has been a sprint since the beginning of the school year,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0O\u2019Connor added.\u00a0\u201cWe would settle one issue and wake up the next morning to find out another book was on the chopping block.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n