Dangerous Reading?
The 25th annual Banned Books Week is Sept. 23-30. The American Library Association says each book below has been pulled from some libraries or schools:The Adventures of Captain Underpants—causes unruly behavior
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn—racist language
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl—sexually explicit
The Catcher in the Rye—offensive language
Garfield: His Nine Lives—banned from kids’ section of library only: offensive language
The Handmaid’s Tale—sexually explicit
Harry Potter (entire series)—occult
Little Red Riding Hood—bottle of wine in basket for Grandma
Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary—offensive language
To Kill a Mockingbird—racist language
A number of other books have been removed because of provocative pictures, racist or explicit language, or controversial ideas. Sometimes the books are “challenged”—that is, individuals request to have them removed—but the challenge is overruled, and the books remain.
There have been more than 8,700 reported book challenges since 1990. Among those challenged: Mother Goose, Freakonomics, The Bible and Fahrenheit 451.
“The reason more books aren’t banned is because community residents—with librarians, teachers and journalists —speak out for their freedom to read,” said ALA President Leslie Burger.
To learn more, and for details about Banned Books Week (September 23-30), visit www.ala.org/bbooks. The American Library Association says this week is a great time to read a classic book.
posted by Sabine Reljic @ 7:29 PM
1 Comments:
I have a Masters in English with an emphasis on American Literature. Can you imagine how horrified I was looking at that list (ok, I did not study the Adventures of Captain Underpants, but I have a nephew who learned the love of books thanks to these funny stories)? Not only did I study Huckleberry Finn, the Catcher in the Rye, Anne Frank, and a few others supposedly banned, I taught them too...as any thorough and consciencious Literature instructor is expected to.
Finally, I have to admit that seeing a colleagiate dictionary on the banned list is definitely showing some extreme paranoical tendencies in the banning agency.
Post a Comment
<< Home