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Sep
28
I like banned books, and I cannot lie!
2009 at 9am Posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky
BANNED BOOKS WEEK: SEPTEMBER 26-OCTOBER 3, 2009
Banned books were not something I gave a whole lot of thought to until I started working in a bookstore. Sure, I knew that Americans had a long history of attempting to ban books that challenged their personal values and beliefs, and I even saw my high school lose a wonderful teacher because a parent disagreed with one of his selections. But now that I have spent more than two years surrounded by books, I’ve heard a surprising number of parents complaint about the availability of certain titles in their schools, and I’ve watched friends who are librarians and teachers fight long, hard battles to keep those books on their shelves.
One of those teachers just happens to work at a school where parents wanted to ban books by Julia Alvarez, who traveled here to Richmond to speak with the parents who were challenging her titles. When I saw Alvarez at the National Book Festival this weekend, she discussed her response to having her books challenged (whenever possible, she travels to the school to answer parents’ questions and engage them in what will hopefully be a productive dialogue), and she stated that one parent complained that her books had too many “gray areas,” that children today needed things to be clear, to see the world in black and white. Alvarez responded that if the woman wanted her children to see things in black and white, they should not be reading literature at all, because literature lives in the gray areas.
I could not agree more. I don’t know about you, but my world is full of gray areas, and reading makes me better at understanding them and navigating my way through them.
I read to learn. I read to be challenged. I read to see the world from someone else’s perspective.
I read banned books because I want to know what it is that is so powerful about them, what is so challenging and frightening that people want to keep others from reading them.
The freedom to read is something I think about every day. If you think it doesn’t affect you or the schools and libraries in your area, think again, and check out this map of book challenges and bans.
Last year, I was really on top of things and prepared spotlight features for each day of Banned Books Week. Find those here:
View a list of frequently challenged and banned books here.
I’ll leave you with a quote from Fahrenheit 451, which is one of my all-time favorite books and, ironically, is a frequently banned book about the problems associated with banning books.
There must be something in books, things we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don’t stay for nothing.
Which banned books do you love? Have you had any personal experiences with books being challenged or banned?
No related posts.
This is an excellent post. I love the way you made it personal. I am drafting up some more personal banned books week posts.
I enjoyed reading about Julia Alvarez-even thought I was slightly jealous that you have met her!!!
I read Go Tell It on the Mountain this month for the Banned Books Challenge and adored it.
I’m also a big fan of Toni Morrison, who seems to be on banned lists quite a bit.
Great post as always, Rebecca! The freedom to read is a beautiful thing indeed.
If it makes you feel any better, I just heard her talk…didn’t get to meet her, though that would have been awesome.
I listened to the Giver and now I am listening to the Harry Potter books on my commute. I’m also reading Brave New World. Banned Books Rock!!!
A few months ago I was leading a mother and her daughter around the children’s department. in a vain attempt to locate something that she didn’t consider “satanic”, “occultish” or just vaguely “inappropriate”. At one point she noticed the Warriors books, cast her gaze to the heavens and declared, “Having animals talk just isn’t right!” before going on to wish there where more wholesome books out there like the Chronicles of Narnia.
Before my brain clambered out of my skull to seek a more remote hiding place, I finally gave her a copy of A Mango-Shaped Space (because it’s awesome). She asked me what it was about, scanned the back cover and peered at random pages before finally decided it was suitable enough for her daughter.
Just as I thought my work was done, she dropped the following: “You know, this country would be in a much better state if we burned all the satanic stuff our children are reading these days!”
If I’d bitten my tongue any harder, I’d have had an early lunch.
Many of my fave books have been banned at one time or another. I’ve read (and enjoyed) many of the ones you showcased last year. They rock!
Your post title cracks me up! You know, it is quite poignant that this is banned books week, since I’ve been wallowing in this issue. My kids go to a Catholic school, and they are always bowing to the loud parents that want everything pulled from the shelves. (Luckily, they have not gotten their claws on The Giver). We just finished the book fair, where, before it opened, the Principal came over and yanked a whole bunch of titles based ON THE COVER! I wanted to rip my hair out. Our librarian went ape when they pulled an Avi book, so she went home and read it, and the next day campaigned to have it reinstated. It is a constant struggle against the unread, the uninformed and the repressed.
This is an excellent post!! I work in a middle school library and before I moved to that school, a group of TEACHERS!!! had 60 books removed from the shelves!!! Quietly, I have been adding them back to the shelves. Now I use a permission slip for these so-called controversial books and have not experienced any type of problem.
I have read a lot of banned books, but it is mostly just the way things work out. I don’t read them on purpose, but I should read something this week…
I’m still chuckling over your choice of a title for this post. Although the song seems to be stuck in my head.
I’m currently reading Dracula…I didn’t plan on reading it for Banned Books Week, but rather for Halloween, and then I realized how appropriate it is this week. It’s also surprisingly good.
I’ve just reread The Bluest Eye but didn’t know it was Banned Books Week until after. Perfect timing!
I admit that I don’t read books specifically if they are banned. I base my reading on emotion…which is another topic of discussion.
The only experience that I’ve had with books is that there are several people that I know whose church “suggested” that they not watch or read The Golden Compass. I found this extremely disappointing because The Golden Compass could be an excellent catalyst for a discussion on faith. I always wonder what is in a book that people are so afraid of?
I had to laugh when I read Mark’s comment. The Narnia books are full of talking animals! I’ve never had any personal experience with people trying to ban books, but when I saw the lists of banned books online, I was surprised to find I’ve read a lot, and own about forty. I guess I like banned books!
I think easily any Morrison’s title would make the banned book list. And tango Makes Three is sooo cute! I heard parents have requested to have the book removed from libraries.
It has been eye-opening to read everyone’s banned book posts. It just gets me crazy when parents try to pawn off their parenting responsiblities on authors … like authors should try to write the way that the parents think or else! ARGH! And don’t they know that banning or challenging something is the best way to get everyone to read it!?
One of the ironies this week was reading some of these great posts about Banned Books Week alongside discussions about whether it was acceptable for an author to write about characters that were a different race or gender than themselves.
What impoverishment of the mind and spirit are caused by these attitudes! Freedom of thought is the most precious gift that writers and readers have. No banned books, no censorship.