In honor of Banned Books Week, here are the 10 most challenged titles of 2013

Subersive, offensive, otherwise inappropriate, or none of the above?

Did you know that Sept. 21 - 27, 2014 is Banned Books Week?

Indeed, we are in the midst of an annual celebration of titles deemed too subversive, offensive or otherwise inappropriate to be stocked across America's educational institutions, including libraries and schools.

(Image Source: Kean University)

What exactly is Banned Books Week, and why did it originate? According to the event's website:

Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community –- librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types –- in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.
Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. More than 11,300 books have been challenged since 1982 according to the American Library Association. There were 307 challenges reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom in 2013, and many more go unreported.

The event is intended to draw "national attention to the harms of censorship" by "focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books," consisting of virtual and in-person activities across the country.

This year, as reported in Reason, the focus of the celebration is on comic books.

Given that we are in the midst of Banned Books Week, we thought it apropos to pass along the 10 most challenged titles from 2013 across libraries and schools, including the reasons cited for such challenges, according to the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom.

Note that these rankings are based on data gleaned from newspapers and reports submitted by individuals (more on how the data is compiled here), and that the printing of this list does not represent an endorsement of said titles.