City Lit Fights for 1st Amendment With Reading of 'Captain Underpants'

LINCOLN SQUARE — What do "Fifty Shades of Grey" and "Captain Underpants" have in common?

They're among the 10 most challenged in books in America, targeted, for various reasons, for removal from or for restrictions in libraries and schools.

Excerpts from both titles, along with their fellow Top 10 list-ers, were read Monday night during City Lit Theater's "Books on the Chopping Block" performance at Budlong Woods branch library, part of Chicago Public Library's slate of Banned Books Week events now under way.

Patty Wetli says that while the number of formal "banned book" requests is going down, the organization feels the issue is still important:

Started in 1982, Banned Books Week, sponsored by the American Library Association, celebrates the "freedom to read."

"It serves to remind us how important the First Amendment is to a democratic society and how crippled we would be without it," said Tom Stark, branch manager at Budlong Woods, 5630 N. Lincoln Ave.

"What a terrible world it would be if we allowed a single faction to decide that certain books were not allowed on the shelf or certain ideas were not allowed on the shelves," he said.

The library association's Office of Intellectual Freedom keeps track of all formal complaints lodged against books, tallying 307 reported requests for books to be removed from America’s libraries in 2013.

The vast majority of challenges, according to association statistics, are initiated by parents who object to books housed in a school's library or included on a student reading list. The most frequently cited concerns are offensive language, sexually explicit content and "unsuited for age group."

The "Captain Underpants" series, which revolves around the adventures of a pair of fourth-grade boys and a comic book underwear-wearing superhero come to life, topped the charts in part for "encouraging children to disobey authority."

Stark, himself the father of a 12-year-old daughter, said, "Not everyone has the same point of view about what's appropriate. Part of what we encourage is for parents to be involved with their children and their reading and to talk through issues together."

Edgewater-based City Lit specializes in adaptations of literary works and has partnered with the association on "Books on the Chopping Block" since 2006.

Katy Nielsen, City Lit's education director, receives the list of most challenged books in April and then spends her summer reading the titles, combing the texts for material to excerpt and adapt.

"It's what I do at the Laundromat," said Nielsen, who was joined during Monday's reading by actors Jim Morley, Ilana Gordon and Gordy Andina.

Rather than look for the most salacious or controversial passages to excerpt, she said her primary aim is to show that "actually this is a really good book."

"If you just go for shock value, you've proved [the challenger's] point," Nielsen said.

Some books make her job easier than others.

Her selection from "Captain Underpants" included the quote, "It's easier for adults to stomp out someone else's fun."

When she came across that sentence, Nielsen knew she had struck thematic gold.

"Oh my god, they're just handing it to me," she said.

Additional performances of "Books on the Chopping Block" are scheduled at the following libraries:

• 6 p.m. Tuesday, Harold Washington Library, 400 S. State St.
• 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Austin-Irving Library, 6100 W. Irving Park Road
• 2 p.m. Friday, Dunning Library, 7455 W. Cornelia Ave.
• 3 p.m.  Saturday, Bezazian Library, 1226 W. Ainslie St.
• 6:30 p.m. Sept. 30, Lincoln Belmont Library, 1659 W. Melrose St.

The Top 10 most challenged books of 2013:

1. "Captain Underpants" series, by Dav Pilkey. Challenged for offensive language, violence and being unsuited to its intended age group.
2. "The Bluest Eye," by Toni Morrison. Challenged for offensive language, violence, being sexually explicit and being unsuited to its intended age group.
3. "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," by Sherman Alexie. Challenged for drugs/alcohol/smoking, offensive language, racism and being unsuited to its intended age group.
4. "Fifty Shades of Grey," by E.L. James. Challenged for nudity, offensive language, religious viewpoint, being sexually explicit and being unsuited to age group.
5. "The Hunger Games," by Suzanne Collins. Challenged for having a religious viewpoint and being unsuited to its intended age group.
6. "A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl," by Tanya Lee Stone. Challenged for drugs/alcohol/smoking, nudity, offensive language and being sexually explicit.
7. "Looking for Alaska," by John Green. Challenged for drugs/alcohol/smoking, being sexually explicit and unsuited to age group.
8. "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," by Stephen Chbosky. Challenged for drugs/alcohol/smoking, homosexuality, being sexually explicit and unsuited to age group.
9. "Bless Me Ultima," by Rudolfo Anaya. Challenged for occult/satanism, offensive language, religious viewpoint and being sexually explicit.
10. "Bone" series, by Jeff Smith. Challenged for having a political viewpoint, racism and violence.

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