Banned Books Week is Sept.21-27 Buy or borrow a Banned/Challenged Book.....Read it with someone you love....click here for a list of banned and challenged books and some good links to more information. +++++++++++ 09-20-03, 11:49 AM Sherasi Geez, I read "Julie of the Wolves" when I was in Junior High School! That was a GREAT book! I also read "[Huck] Finn "at that time too!
Terrific reads!
09-20-03, 11:52 AM shelster Wow, Shana...
Thats a great idea! Most of those books I wouldn't read with my 10 yrs old, but wouldn't have any problem with her reading them in a few years. That just makes me shake my head that Tom Sawyer is a banned book.
She already reads the Harry Potter series, and if they are going to ban that because of the magic and stuff, they might as well ban The Wizard of Oz!
Shelly
09-20-03, 11:58 AM Sherasi Shel, are you following me? Wink
09-20-03, 12:09 PM shelster following? Or stalking.....?
Just kidding....I am posting..then cleaning..then posting...the folding laundry...posting...practicing piano...posting...cleaning....
btw, the crazy people beeping at you in the mall parking lotlast night was me and hubby
09-20-03, 12:43 PM MrsS Shelster, you might have meant to be kidding but you were not...in the mid 80s, the OZ books were banned in several school districts in the "Bible Belt"....not just because of the "supernatural" subject matter, but also because (in The Wizard of Oz) the books challenge the idea of foreordination by concluding that we have the power within ourselves to change our lives...(When Dorothy discovers that she could have gone home anytime)
09-20-03, 12:58 PM shelster Nope, wasn't kidding, just ignorant....
Smile
I had no idea the Oz books were banned. What a shame
How are kids ever supposed to be encouraged to use their imaginations. I suppose all the violent video games and cartoons are better for them than these books....
09-20-03, 02:59 PM jusork
quote:Originally posted by shelster: How are kids ever supposed to be encouraged to use their imaginations. I suppose all the violent video games and cartoons are better for them than these books....
There are actually a lot of non-violent, strategical-type games that have become very popular, too. (Although the violent ones aren't really that bloody in the first place). Just thought I'd make sure you knew how diverse games can be.
09-20-03, 05:31 PM shelster Oh..don't get me wrong...I am not anti video game...
I have a husband and a 6 yr old son who are computer freaks. My son loves godzilla games and all that stuff.
I just think its wild that they ban all these great classic books....
I was just trying to show how ridiculous that is.
Sorry
09-20-03, 06:41 PM Katanya2000 Oh my god...this has been the best post all year for me. This is so wonderful. I finally FOUND IT!!!
I think I am going to cry.
A book...Bridge to Terabithia was read to me in school years ago. I don't even remember how old I was, only that I was young. I loved the book SO MUCH and I thought of it for years after it was read, but I could NOT remember the title so I could never find it to read it again.
When I read that list I recognized it immediatly. I can't wait to buy this book and read the story again. I can't believe it was banned. It enriched my life so much when I was a child.
Wow
Thank you very much for this post.
09-20-03, 06:52 PM MrsS Katanya...I am so very glad! Your post absolutely made my week....and made me cry a little...I am so happy that this post helped you find your book...almost like I helped reunite you with an old friend...thank you for telling me, it really means a lot to me.
09-21-03, 01:24 AM stampeding turtles MrsS, I read your post about the banning of Wizard of Oz in the "bible belt" for the reasons given concerning Dorothy having the ability to change her fate and predestination.
Really? Wow! I had no idea.
I guess I have never lived where religion has quite that much power over peoples' minds. People don't go "off the deep end" for the most part. Commonsense prevails. Why, they would have to ban a lot of fairy tales from the past if they are going to take it to that extreme! And who gave them the right to decide for everybody anyway?
Another thing that occurs to me is that banning is often misguided, as it has just the opposite effect from what is intended. It tends to make things wildly popular and sought after once banned. Forbidden fruit is the sweetest! Smile
09-21-03, 12:38 PM jusork Oh no that's ok, Shel. I was just making sure. You were fine.
Stamp, I think they think it's enough of a book that leads kids down the wrong path that they take it upon themselves to "purify". I don't think it's so much apart of the "Bible belt" in recent times.
09-21-03, 03:19 PM gizmogram I don't care if Harry Potter books are on the banned list - those books are what got my daughter to read for crying out loud! And she didn't stop there.
She was tested last week, and is reading at college level. Not bad, since she's only been reading avidly for about 3 years!
Amazing what some people see, and don't want others to see based on their opinion.
09-22-03, 11:34 PM DorianGreyed A list of some banned books, the reasons, and the banning city/school/library:
THE CRUCIBLE by Arthur Miller Considered dangerous because it contains "sick words from the mouths of demon-possessed people." (Note: !!- DG) Challenged by Cumberland Valley High School, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 1982. DEATH OF A SALESMAN by Arthur Miller Cited for profanity. Banned by Spring Valley Community High School, French Lick, Indiana, 1981; THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL by Anne Frank Objections to sexually offensive passages. Challenged by Wise County, Virginia, 1982; Alabama State Book Committee, 1983. HARRIET THE SPY by Louise Fitzhugh Considered "dangerous" because it "teaches children to lie, spy, back-talk and curse." (Ashcroft may require this one if it really teaches children to spy on their parents. - DG) Challenged by Xenia, Ohio, school libraries, 1983. HUCKLEBERRY FINN by Mark Twain Considered "dangerous" because of objectionable language and "racist" terms and content. Challenged by Winnetka, Illinois, 1976; Warrington, Pennsylvania, 1981; Davenport, Iowa, 1981; Fairfax County, Virginia, 1982; Houston, Texas, 1982; State College, Pennsylvania, area school district 1983; Springfield, Illinois, 1983 Waukegan, Illinois, 1984 THE LIVING BIBLE by William C Bower Considered "dangerous" because it is "a perverted commentary on the King James Version." Burned in Gastonia, North Carolina, 1986 THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES by Ray Bradbury Profanity and the use of God's name in vain sparked opposition to this novel. Challenged by Haines City (Florida) High School, 1982 THE MERCHANT OF VENICE by William Shakespeare Objections to purported anti-Semitism. Banned by Midland, Michigan, classrooms, 1980 NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR by George Orwell Objections to pro- Communist material and explicit sexual matter. Challenged by Jackson County, Florida, 1981 OF MICE AND MEN by John Steinbeck Considered "dangerous" because of its profanity and "vulgar language." Banned in Syracuse, Indiana, 1974; Oil City, Pennsylvania, 1977; Grand Blanc, Michigan, 1979; Continental, Ohio, 1980l Skyline High School, Scottsboro, Alabama, 1983. Challenged by Greenville, South Carolina, 1977; Vernon-Verona- Sherill, New York, School District, 1980; St. David, Arizona, 1981; Telly City, Indiana, 1982; Knoxville, Tennessee, School Board, 1984 (Note: Oil City said " .. it takes a retarded person and makes a big deal out of it." - DG) THE RED PONY by John Steinbeck Called a "filthy, trashy sex novel." Challenged by Vernon-Verona-Sherill, New York, School District, 1980. A SEPARATE PEACE by John Knowles Detractors cite offensive language and sex as dangerous elements in this novel. Challenged by Vernon-Verona-Sherill, New York, School District, 1980; Fannett-Metal High School, Shippensburg, Pa, 1985. SILAS MARNER by George Eliot Banned by Union High School, Anaheim, California, 1978. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee Considered "dangerous" because of profanity and undermining of race relations. Challenged (temporaily banned) in Eden Valley, Minnesota, 1977; Vernon-Verona-Sherill, New York, School District, 1980; Warren, Indiana, township schools, 1981; Waukegan, Illinois, School District, 1984; Kansas City, Missouri, junior high schools, 1985; Park Hill (Missouri) Junior High School, 1985. Protested by black parents and NAACP in Casa Grande (Arizona) Elementary School District, 1985
Banned or censored books of the 1990s.
Impressions Edited by Jack Booth et al. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson Scary Stories in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz More Scary Stories in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz The Witches by Roald Dahl Daddy's Roommate by Michael Willhoite Curses, Hexes, and Spells by Daniel Cohen A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell Blubber by Judy Blume Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Peck Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman Christine by Stephen King I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou Fallen Angels by Walter Myers The New Teenage Body Book by Kathy McCoy and Charles Wibbelsman Little Red Riding Hood by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Snyder Night Chills by Dean Koontz Lord of the Flies by William Golding A Separate Peace by John Knowles Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut The Color Purple by Alice Walker James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl The Learning Tree by Gordon Parks The Witches of Worm by Zilpha Snyder My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck Cujo by Stephen King The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson The Figure in the Shadows by John Bellairs On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak Grendel by John Champlin Gardner I Have to Go by Robert Munsch Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain The Pigman by Paul Zindel My House by Nikki Giovanni Then Again, Maybe I Won't by Judy Blume The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood Witches, Pumpkins, and Grinning Ghosts: The Story of the Halloween Symbols by Edna Barth One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (If they banned this because students were falling asleep or worse because they had to read it, I agree. - DG) Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones by Alvin Schwartz
09-26-03, 07:50 PM Nadca2 I can't believe the books that are on these list. I too remember reading a few of these in grade school like judy blume and many others in high school. Such a shame.. N2
09-27-03, 11:01 PM Texan-In-Exile And how the times change!
Two of the banned books (from the 80's?) were required reading for my daughter's Honors English class this past summer: To Kill A Mockingbird and The Crucible.
I suppose the lists change with the times - what a pity for the ones that are banned!
A little extra food for thought: I have a book - The Black Arts by Richard Cavendish - which discusses, well, the black arts! And includes all sorts of info on the occult! I doubt you could find it (Or the equivalent - it's probably been out of print for 30 years!) in a school library now - but that's exactly where I first found it in the '60's - in my high school (and local public) library!
09-28-03, 04:32 PM cyberlaol It does make me wonder what other books in the future will be banned?-i saved this on my favourites-need to see this in more detail later when I go to a 2nd hand bookstore
10-01-03, 10:10 PM billmasters Everyone knows that it takes a small mind to want to ban a book, and when it actually happens it's government corruption, religion is usually involved.
Why ban a book? What does it prove other than the fact that the people who want to ban this stuff are fascist.
10-29-03, 01:03 PM doñadiana
quote:Originally posted by billmasters: Everyone knows that it takes a small mind to want to ban a book, and when it actually happens it's government corruption, religion is usually involved.
Why ban a book? What does it prove other than the fact that the people who want to ban this stuff are fascist.
I think that you are over-reacting. A number of the books on the list were banned because of racial overtones, filthy language, or too sexually explicit. Many parents like to have some control over their children in their formative years. Not all books teach values that we want our children to have imprinted on their gullible little minds. This doesn't mean that these books are completely banned from our society. We can still buy them in book stores for ourselves or our children if we want them to have access to them. Probably most of the books mentioned have only been banned from school libraries (and the list isn't really that long considering the size of the U.S.) rather than public libraries.
DD
10-30-03, 02:32 AM DorianGreyed I read banned books! DD, I disagree. Consider these, which were posted in my thread above:
THE CRUCIBLE by Arthur Miller Considered dangerous because it contains "sick words from the mouths of demon-possessed people." (Note: !!- DG) Challenged by Cumberland Valley High School, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 1982. DEATH OF A SALESMAN by Arthur Miller, 1949 Pulitzer Cited for profanity. Banned by Spring Valley Community High School, French Lick, Indiana, 1981; THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL by Anne Frank Objections to sexually offensive passages. Challenged by Wise County, Virginia, 1982; Alabama State Book Committee, 1983. THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES by Ray Bradbury Profanity and the use of God's name in vain sparked opposition to this novel. Challenged by Haines City (Florida) High School, 1982 THE MERCHANT OF VENICE by William Shakespeare Objections to purported anti-Semitism. Banned by Midland, Michigan, classrooms, 1980 NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR by George Orwell Objections to pro- Communist material and explicit sexual matter. Challenged by Jackson County, Florida, 1981 SILAS MARNER by George Eliot Banned by Union High School, Anaheim, California, 1978.
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez won the 1982 Nobel Prize for literature, yet has been banned and/or challenged in California, South Carolina and Virginia.
These were taken out of the education system in those communities. Please note the authors. We are not talking about Stephen King or Dean Koontz here. Arthur Miller, Henry Miller, Anne Frank (How bad can this one be?), Ray Bradbury, George Orwell, Gabriel Garcia-Marquez, George Eliot, and, whatisname, ...oh yeah, William Shakespeare.
10-30-03, 08:11 AM doñadiana The point I was making is that it only involves a handful of schools in which the parents of the students involved were for the most part probably in agreement. Also the dates were in the early 80's, over 20 years ago. Who knows if these bans are still in effect today.
In another forum, a poster who also posts on AP asked a question about teaching ethics: How can we teach children not to kill each other? I got the impression that she had in mind through the school system.
Well, one way would be by having a little more control over the TV programs they watch and the literature they read. It is our duty as parents to see that our children reach adulthood as wholesomely as possible. Once their moral and ethical structure is firmly in place, they can watch and read anything they want.
DD
10-30-03, 12:39 PM DorianGreyed DD, the only reason my posts contained older listings is that I couldn't find specifics on the banned books of the 90s, or ones in the last 3 years. By specifics, I mean the banning organization. But judging from the older list, I feel it is safe to assume that schools still play a prominent role in banning books. Your statement that it is only a handful of schools involved seems to imply that it is OK that some students get an inadquate education, as long as not too many do. The other two paragraphs in your last post do not really relate to the issue of banned books.
Further, more recent information about schools banning books, all from the same source:
November 1999 that a teacher at the Windsor Forest High School required seniors to obtain permission slips before they could read Hamlet, Macbeth, or King Lear. The teacher's school board had pulled the books from class reading lists, citing "adult language" and references to sex and violence.
An illustrated edition of "Little Red Riding Hood" was banned in two California school districts in 1989. (Granny was getting wine!)
Below from The Forbidden Library
Canterbury Tales. Geoffrey Chaucer It was removed from a senior college preparatory literature course at the Eureka, Ill. High School (1995) for sexual content. I believe Chaucer would be amused.
Fahrenheit 451. Ray Bradbury. Ballentine. Ironically, students at the Venado Middle School in Irvine, Calif. received copies of the book with scores of words--mostly "hells" and "damns"--blacked out. The novel is about book burning and censorship. Thankfully, after receiving complaints from parents and being contacted by reporters, school officials said the censored copies would no longer be used (1992).
GrendelJohn C. Gardner. Knopf. This book has been challenged quite a lot, which may explain why the Grendel books my 11th grade English teacher ordered never arrived...Most recently challenged, but retained, on high school reading lists in Douglas, Colo. (1997). Parents, who have obviously never read Beowulf, compained that the novel was too obscene and violent for high school students.
James and the Giant Peach. Roald Dahl. ABC-Clio; Knopf. Challenged at the Deep Creek Elementary School in Charlotte Harbor, Fla. (1991) because it is "not appropriate reading material for young children." Challenged at the Pederson Elementary School in Altoona, Wis. (1991) and at the Morton Elementary School library in Brooksville, Fla. (1992) because the book contains the word "ass" and "promotes" the use of drugs (tobacco, snuff) and whiskey. Removed from classrooms in Stafford County, Va. Schools (1995) and placed in restricted access in the library because the story contains crude language and encourages children to disobey their parents and other adults.
Le Morte D'Arthur. Sir Thomas Malory. Scribner; Collier; Penguin. Challenged as required reading at the Pulaski County High School in Somerset, Ky. (1997) because it is "junk."
The Life and Times of Renoir. Janice Anderson. Shooting Star Pr. Restricted at the Pulaski, Pa. Elementary School Library (1997) because of nude paintings in the book. ( I have to wonder if they know who Renoir was.)
Little House in the Big Woods. Laura Ingalls Wilder. Buccaneer; harper; Transaction. Removed from the classrooms, but later reinstated, for third-graders at the Lincoln Unified School District in Stockton, Calif. (1996). Complainants also want the book removed from the library because it "promotes racial epithets and is fueling the fire of racism."
Little House on the Prairie. Laura Ingalls Wilder. Buccaneer; Harper; Transaction. Challenged at the Lafourche Parish elementary school libraries in Thibodaux, La. (1993) because the book is "offensive to Indians." Banned in the Sturgis, S. Dak. elementary school classrooms (1993) due to statements considered derogatory to Native Americans.
The Lorax Dr. Seuss. Random. Challenged in the Laytonville, Calif. Unified School District (1989) because it "criminalizes the foresting industry." Isn't that the de-foresting industry?
My Friend Flicka. Mary O'Hara. Harper; Lippincott. Removed from fifth and sixth grade optional reading lists in Clay County, Fla. schools (1990) because the book uses the word "bitch" to refer to a female dog, as well as the word "damn."
Twelfth Night William Shakespeare. Airmont; Cambridge Univ. Pr.; Methuen; NAL; Penguin; Pocket Bks.; Washington Square. Removed from a Merrimack, N.H. high school English class (1996) because of a policy that bans instruction which has "the effect of encouraging or supporting homosexuality as a positive lifestyle alternative."
And one I had to include, even though it is from the 80s: Where's Waldo? Martin Handford. Little. Challenged at the Public Libraries of Saginaw, Mich. (1989), Removed from the Springs Public School library in East Hampton, N.Y. (1993) because there is a tiny drawing of a woman lying on the beach wearing a bikini bottom but no top. Yes, but did they find Waldo?
10-30-03, 03:26 PM doñadiana Obviously some of these decisions border on the absurd. It reminds me of a letter to the editor that was published in ARIZONA HIGHWAYS Magazine.
quote:Please see that your magazine stops using immodest pictures, such as the one of a sculpture of a woman on page 5 of your January 2003 issue. We cannot subscribe to a dirty magazine!
The editor's reply (tongue-in-cheek I presume):
quote: We take great pride in publishing a wholesome magazine, one the entire family can read. I'm sorry you found this statue offensive. We will be even more careful in our editing.
The picture referred to was the side view of a sculpture of a woman holding a baby on her hip. The baby blocked the view of anything that could be considered offensive.
DD
10-31-03, 08:52 PM DorianGreyed That story reminds me of a similar one concerning, of all people, Julie Andrews. The magazine was Life, and it was in the 1960s (I think). She was photographed on a boat while on vacation. She was seated, legs to one side, wearing, apparently, a two piece swim suit. I say apparently because a very large straw hat (sombrero-sized) obscured her from waist almost to knees. The next issue had several readers writing in, complaining about the "almost nude" picture; a few demanded to know what she was wearing behind the hat. If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then so must ugliness be as well. It really does seem that some will see what they want to see, regardless of reality.
By the way, the magazine confirmed that she was wearing both pieces of the suit.
11-01-03, 04:17 AM Pace~Ace Does anybody know if the book: Flowers In The Attic by V.C. Andrews that came out in the 80's was banned?
11-01-03, 07:49 AM shelster If it wasn't, I would be surprised...but I always thought banned books were books banned from the school system...and V.C.Andrews wasn't exactly school reading
11-01-03, 09:31 AM Pace~Ace I heard something on TV about this book. In the 80's teens were buying the book "Flowers In The Attic" at book stores & other places & some people were trying to get it banned. The they made a movie of it & made a lot of people mad but I heard that the movie did good when it was released.
I have never read this book or seen the movie. Was the book really that bad that it could of been banned?
11-01-03, 09:52 AM shelster um it wasn't that it was bad, except that the brother and sister ended up in love...
ewwwww
11-06-03, 01:07 PM Elexina I have a pin on my bag that says "I read banned books." Smile I have a list of them and am trying to work through them one by one. Heh heh heh. And I make sure to purchase them with a credit card so the FBI knows exactly what I am up to. Big Grin
As to "Flowers in the Attic," it's actually kind of horrifying. There are lots of incestuous overtones, child abuse, death, neglect... I thought it was a good book, in that horrible sort of way and, while I do not agree, I can see why some might ban it.
11-08-03, 03:48 PM FredPuli What a great thread this has been ! Brilliant!
I love the idea that '1984' promotes communist ideas; it requires a subtle mind , educated in all aspects of communism, to 'see' that this condemnation of Stalinism must have been condemning it only as a corrupted communist ideal ergo it must be promoting Trotsky or pure marxist-leninist theorists! Now that's something we'd missed over here in Orwell's homeland !
As for 'Catcher in the Rye' being not suited to age group they are quite right. The age group is circa 50 years, of course Smile. At 14 I thought it was the greatest book I'd ever read. It still would be, I expect.
British writers and illustrators have problems with the conservatism of the American market. My favourite story is of an illustrator being asked to paint out the unnecessary nakedness in a children's book, for the American edition. After much hunting he found that, with a lens,you could just make out a picture of the back of a nude in the background of an artist's studio.The book , with this unsuitable and scandalous detail, was already in its second edition here.
[This message was edited by FredPuli on 11-08-03 at 03:56 PM.]
10-01-04, 10:53 PM DorianGreyed We almost missed it !!!
Celebrate Your Freedom to Read / Banned Books Week - September 25-October 2, 2004
Top 10 Banned books in 2004
(I have to admit that I have let our side down. I have only read 4 of the 10. I promise to do better - DG)
10-02-04, 12:29 AM coldfuse and please, people, if at all possible...
Shop at an independent bookseller! The difference in service and their ability to contribute to your reading pleasure are well worth a small price difference.
10-02-04, 12:32 AM MommyTimesTwo I have only read three of those books. We're going to town tomorrow--I think I am going to stop at the independent bookseller and get some of those! My brain is atrophying, might as well swell it back up with controversy! Smile
10-02-04, 12:48 AM DorianGreyed Good for you, Mx2, and excellent point, Fuse. Not only does shopping at an independent bookseller help keep an important part of our national literary network active, but shopping at any small, locally owned store helps keep a part of Americana alive, as well as keeping the money in your own area. (There is no one named Borders, Walden, or B. Dalton in my hometown, and the only guy I know named Barnes can't read, so...)
10-04-04, 10:05 PM coldfuse The Mrs. has read seven of the banned titles and now plans on reading the other three. I love being married to a woman on the edge.
10-07-04, 07:29 PM mystery250 Little house in the prairie banned in an elementary school? Now that's crazy.
The following books were the most frequently challenged in 2005:
* “It's Perfectly Normal” for homosexuality, nudity, sex education, religious viewpoint, abortion and being unsuited to age group;
* “Forever” by Judy Blume for sexual content and offensive language;
* “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger for sexual content, offensive language and being unsuited to age group;
* “The Chocolate War” by Robert Cormier for sexual content and offensive language;
* “Whale Talk” by Chris Crutcher for racism and offensive language;
* “Detour for Emmy” by Marilyn Reynolds for sexual content;
* “What My Mother Doesn't Know” by Sonya Sones for sexual content and being unsuited to age group;
* Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey for anti-family content, being unsuited to age group and violence;
* “Crazy Lady!” by Jane Leslie Conly for offensive language; and
* “It's So Amazing! A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families” by Robie H. Harris for sex education and sexual content. ---- 2005 Most Frequently Challenged Authors
* Judy Blume, author of Blubber, Forever, and Deenie * Robert Cormier, author of The Chocolate War and We All Fall Down * Chris Crutcher, author of Whale Talk and The Sledding Hill * Robie Harris, author of It's Perfectly Normal and It's So Amazing! * Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, author of the Alice series * Toni Morrison, author of The Bluest Eye, Beloved and Song of Solomon * J. D. Sallinger, author of The Catcher in the Rye * Lois Lowry, author of The Giver * Marilyn Reynolds, author of Detour for Emmy * Sonya Sones, author of What My Mother Doesn’t Know -------- What You Can Do to Fight Censorship and Keep Books Available in Your Libraries AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION 50 E. Huron Chicago, IL 60611 Call Us Toll Free 1-800-545-2433
09-27-06, 11:16 AM aminator2002 What could be deemed offensive about Lois Lowry and "The Giver"?
*** Forget it... I've read the whole post now and there is no sense to book bannings so I withdraw my question. I thought this was a new post.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: aminator2002, 09-27-06 12:34 PM
09-27-06, 12:50 PM DorianGreyed It is a new post.
From Wikipedia -
The suitability of The Giver for middle school students in the United States is periodically challenged. The American Library Association lists it as the United States's eleventh most challenged book for the period 1990–1999, and the fourteenth most challenged from 1990 to 2000.[18] The novel's depiction of suicide, euthanasia, and infanticide are typically cited as concerns.[19]
On January 6, 2005, the Associated Press wire service reported that parents in Blue Springs, Missouri wished to remove The Giver from the eighth-grade reading list, almost eight years after it was placed there. Parents referred to the book as "violent" and "sexually explicit". The case reached Kansas City in March 2005, where hearings were held to determine the book's status. Kansas City newspapers quoted parents as saying, "The lady writes well, but when it comes to the ideas in that book, they have no place in my kid's head", and the more general, "Everything presented to kids should be positive and uplifting". The school board eventually voted, unanimously, to return the book to schools.[20] A school board member was quoted saying, "What really has us concerned is not only the attack on The Giver, but what other actions might be taken by those who seek to wrest control of our kids' education from the direction of professional educators".[21] -------- The topics in Lois Lowry's The Giver have created controversy in libraries and classrooms across the country since it was first published in 1993. Parent opposition to the book's treatment of suicide and euthanasia helped it reach No. 11 on the American Library Association's list of most challenged books of the 1990s. -------- "The Giver" remains on the Books Most Often Banned list for 2005-2006. -------- Wikipedia's partial list of books which have been banned by some organization at some place and time.
A few titles on the list -
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Adventures of Tom Sawyer The Age of Reason Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Animal Farm Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Call of the Wild The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau The Da Vinci Code The Descent of Man by Charles Darwin Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems by Galileo Galilei Fahrenheit 451 Flowers for Algernon Frankenstein Go Ask Alice Gone with the Wind The Grapes of Wrath Goosebumps (series) Gramatica româna sau macedo-româna ("The Romanian or Macedo-Romanian grammar") {I had to put this one in. Of course, it was banned by a Greek.) The Gulag Archipelago Hamlet The Harry Potter series James and the Giant Peach The Jungle King Lear The Lorax Lysistrata Macbeth The Merchant of Venice Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary My Friend Flicka Nineteen Eighty-Four Ninety-Five Theses by Martin Luther Oliver Twist Origin of Species by Charles Darwin The Outsiders Peter Pan The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli The Rights of Man by Thomas Paine The Scarlet Letter The Social History of East Pakistan Steal This Book by Abbie Hoffman (Big Grin) The Talmud To Kill a Mockingbird Twelfth Night United States Vietnam Relations, 1945-1967 U.S. Department of Defense aka the Pentagon Papers (Big GrinBig Grin) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum --- That looks like a pretty good reading list to me. I think one could get an excellent education with those books as a start.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: DorianGreyed,
Posts: 2254 | Location: Western United States | Registered: 06-03-02
I guess I have never lived where religion has quite that much power over peoples' minds. People don't go "off the deep end" for the most part. Commonsense prevails. Why, they would have to ban a lot of fairy tales from the past if they are going to take it to that extreme! And who gave them the right to decide for everybody anyway?
Revisiting all the posts made me see this again, and wonder why I really didn't respond to it before.
Who gives them the right to decide for everybody? We do, by default. If those of us that see the inherent evil of encroaching censorship do not fight it each time we see it, it will grow. Like so many things, it really comes down to this. Someone is going to run things, and if you don't get involved, I assure you that those who want to push their agenda down everyone's throat will get involved. There are few instances in the electoral process in which a single vote has as much voice as it does in school board and library board elections. Read your local paper, find out what each candidate really stands for. Then vote. If you don't, you are one of the ones who give Them the authority to decide.
Posts: 17549 | Location: Lincoln Place, Granite City, IL, USA | Registered: 06-03-02
I own about half of these. I have urged Victoria to read most of the other ones, but "you can lead a horse to water (but you aren't supposed to drown them in it!)
Posts: 1197 | Location: Connecticut, USA | Registered: 06-04-02
!!- DG)
