Asher and Alexie books among most objected to in 2017
NEW YORK — Before allegations of sexual harassment, Jay Asher and Sherman Alexie were facing criticisms of a different kind.
Asher’s “Thirteen Reasons Why” and Alexie’s “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” top the American Library Association’s list of “challenged” books from 2017, those most objected to by parents and other community members. The list also includes Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” and one of last year’s top-selling young adult novels, Angie Thomas’ “The Hate U Give.”
Complaints about books range from the theme of suicide in “Thirteen Reasons Why” to profanity and sexual content in Alexie’s book. James LaRue, who runs the library association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, said that future challenges could well be based on the authors themselves. Last year, Bill Cosby’s “Little Bill Books” were on the ALA list because of multiple accusations of sexual assault against the actor-comedian.
“I personally believe the book is distinct from the author,” LaRue said. “But when a librarian faces that kind of challenge, my advice is to treat it like any other kind of challenge. You look at the nature of the challenge, consider the context and make the decision based on the needs of the local community.”