You didn't think I would let this one go by, did you? I keep a list of the 100 most frequently challenged books in the USA for 1990-1999 (I guess that's the most recent one that the American Library Association has compiled) so that whenever I feel I haven't checked out enough interesting books, I can go online and reserve a "banned" book.
But isn't book banning a thing of the past? you ask. Well, according to the American Library Association:
"If you think book bannings don't happen in America anymore, think again. In 2006 alone, 546 books were challenged or banned in U.S. public libraries and schools - and those are just the ones that are reported to ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF). We estimate that only 20-25% of all challenges are reported to the ALA or reported in the media."There's little organized bans on books above the local level but there is a great deal of individual action. Books that are deemed offensive are "borrowed" from libraries or schools and then never returned. Of course many people file formal complaints with the governing authorities who will unilaterally remove the offending book from circulation or strike it from a school reading list. But Americans in general react strongly to acts of censorship and such actions are usually reversed when publicized enough.
So take a look at a banned books list and decide to read at least one book on the list in the coming week. And enjoy your freedom to read!
While I’m not sure of the literary merits of Howard Stern or Madonna (given I have not read either, so maybe I am unqualified to criticize), it warms the heart to see so many books that are on a normal high school curriculum (at least from what I can remember).
ReplyDeleteFrom Twain to Salinger and Huxley to Lee, all books that I have read (or more truthfully was supposed to read), I just like to see the books being read in high school can still ruffle feathers.
I was a little surprised by Shel Siverstein and Roald Dahl being on there, but I guess I can see people being upset by a peach so large that it offends God. And poetry often offends me, but that’s just on principle.
Now who should be on there is Dickens, just for being too damn long and boring.
I assume that most people are concerned about their children reading offensive books rather than being concerned for their fellow adults, and I find it amusing that people think their children's upbringing is so fragile that it can be damaged or destroyed by reading Harry Potter or Julie of the Wolves. Perhaps if it can, that should say more about the values of the upbringing than the content of the books.
ReplyDeleteWell!! I'm certainly glad someone is taking a stand against that Waldo character. (I'm all but certain he's a Qaeda sympathizer.)
ReplyDeleteActually, I thought it was interesting the variety of things being challenged. For example, "Little Black Sambo" (which is filled with racist stereotypes) would be challenged by a completely different political demographic than "Are You there God, it's Me Margaret" ( a story about female coming of age surrounding mensturation). I'm glad to see that Librarians are standing for the general right to read and not just one viewpoint.