Chris Crutcher's book, Athletic Shorts, is one of the many books that appears on the list of banned or challenged books submitted to library's across the nation for the American Library Association's, National Banned Books Week. The books on this list are deemed as offensive in some way that young adolescents should not be allowed to read them. Crutcher's book contains some words and topics that people believe young adolescents should not be subjected to in literature. What is the big deal about situations that these readers must face today and are exposed to all over the news world on a daily basis? The ALA defines a challenge to a book as an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based up the objections of a person or group. Records of book challenging have been kept since about 1990 by the ALA. Once a book is challenged it does not necessarily mean it will be removed from curriculum or a library. When it is officially removed it is now known as a banned book.
             The author of Athletic Shorts, Chris Crutcher obtained his education from Eastern Washington State University. There he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and sociology. After taking a year off he then went back to school to get a teaching certificate. For ten years, he was the Director of a K-12 alternative school in Oakland. Following his work in Oakland, he then moved to Spokane, Washington and is now working there as a child and family therapist in a mental health center, focusing on child abuse. Over the years Crutcher has been in a great deal of contact with disturbed children. He has made this his basis for writing. "Chris Crutcher's novels are a reflection of real life as he sees it. As in real life, his novels combine humor with difficult and serious situations. He draws heavily on his own experiences and on elements that have surrounded his life" ("Chris Crutcher"). Crutcher has won numerous ...