banned!
(September 25-October 2 is the American Library Association Banned Books Week)
it is hard to believe that in this day and age,
there could possibly be censorship of books!
Book-banning now
Despite the lessons of the past, incidents of book-banning have continued to the present. Many of the most recent incidents occur at a local level, in public schools and libraries.
Despite the lessons of the past, incidents of book-banning have continued to the present. Many of the most recent incidents occur at a local level, in public schools and libraries.
Henry Reichman, in Censorship and Selection: Issues and Answers for Schools, defines censorship as: “[T]he removal, suppression, or restricted circulation of literary, artistic or educational material — of images, ideas and information — on the grounds that these are morally or otherwise objectionable in light of standards applied by the censor.”
People trying to ban books from libraries do not usually regard their efforts as censorship. A member of the community, school board member or parent objects to, or “challenges,” a book, requesting its removal or sequestration so that students may not have free access to it. Most frequently, books are challenged because they contain profanity or violence, sex or sex education, homosexuality, witchcraft and the occult, “secular humanism” or “new age” philosophies, portrayals of rebellious children, or “politically incorrect,” racist or sexist language. The American Library Association has documented more than 6,000 such challenges in the United States between 1990 and 2000.
some of the classics include:
Uncle Tom's Cabin (too political)
Jaws (too much sex)
The Last Temptation of Christ (irreligious)
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (socially offensive)
hard to believe, eh? so be a rebel and go check these out at your local library (if they still have them!!)
