Book banning reaching fever pitch.

• Position: Libraries

Is the freedom to read in jeopardy in the U.S.? This year alone, individuals in more than 26 states were forced to fight for their right to choose reading materials for themselves and their families, as attempts were made to ban books--including the incredibly popular Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer--public and school libraries.

Each year, the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom, Chicago, Ill., receives hundreds of reports on book challenges, which are formal written requests to remove a book from a library or classroom because of an objection to the book's content. There were 346 recorded attempts to remove materials from libraries in 2010, and more than 11,000 attempts recorded since OIF began compiling information on book challenges in 1990.

"The removal of one book is the equivalent of stripping away the rights of thousands to choose books for themselves," stresses ALA Pres. Molly Raphael. "Too often, the voices of a few have restricted the rights of many."

For instance, the Republic (Mo.) High School banned Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five due to a complaint that the book "teaches principles contrary to Biblical morality and truth," and more than 150 students and their families lost access to this American classic.

In many...