How books get banned.

To wrap things up here for Fantasy Casting's Banned Books Week posts, I want to talk about how a book gets banned and what you can do in your community.

It's important to know that books become targets for being banned when they become popular. It should come as no surprise that the most commonly banned books are the most popular books. Part of it is simple statistics; the more copies of a book there are, the more likely they are to be picked up by a fundamentalist. But part of it is the "wildfire" concept; when a housewife in the Midwest calls for Harry Potter- the best selling book series of all time with 400 million units sold- to be pulled from school shelves, she creates a lot of shockwaves. Every student is in an uproar, their parents are upset and people start talking. The media catches on and covers her case, giving her more fuel for her fire. If she were to call for The Chronicles of Fairy: The Book of Dreams (currently #808,858 on amazon.com) to be pulled, nobody would care. Most banned books are best sellers. Harry Potter, collectively, is the most banned set of books for the last decade.

Thankfully, many books that show up on this list are not actually "banned," though the process leading up to an official ban is just as scary. Here's how it goes:

Step 1: A "concerned party" files a challenge. They can challenge a book in a number of places. Most commonly, they go through the schools, though sometimes they poke at public libraries and bookstores as well. A challenge says "I don't like this book because I find all or some of it offensive in some way."

Step 2: This varies depending on who files and receives the challenge, but in essence a board or committee of some kind listens to the complainant as well as those who want the book to remain on the shelves/curriculum/reading list. Much yelling occurs. On both sides, I'm sure.

Step 3: This is where things can go in several different directions. Option 1- the book gets pulled and is officially a "banned book". Lawsuits are filed and there is much consternation. Option 2- the book gets restricted. It's pulled from required reading lists, or put in a restricted section of the library where you have to prove that you are over a certain age or have parental permission to read it. Option 3- nothing really happens. The books stays on the shelves/curriculum/reading list. Often, teachers will allow "alternate" assignments for students who do not want to read the book.

I'll tell you right now, I'm firmly in the "Option 3" camp. If you don't want your daughter to read Romeo and Juliet because it depicts an unhealthy romantic relationship, fine. She can read "The Organic Squirrel gets a Bike Helmet" or whatever it is you think is appropriate for her. Let my kids read Romeo and Juliet. I'll be the boss of me and my house, you can be the boss of you and your house. Savvy?

Step 4: Sales go through the roof. Kids will read it anyway, and in droves. (insert evil laugh here)

I want to be absolutely clear: There are books out there that no child should be reading. There are books out there that only mature, intelligent, responsible children should be reading.

Parents can and should be involved in what their children are reading. I like this blog: Books Your Mother Would Approve Of. The blogger reviews books and lets you know if there's objectionable material in them. Here's the best part: She's totally sane. She knows the difference between fantasy and real life, and understands that fantasy and magic and romance don't always have to be down-to-earth to be reasonable.

Read user reviews on Amazon.com, top sellers especially will have a lot of reviews and a lot of information about the content of a particular book.

Talk to other parents, talk to your child's teacher. Ask questions if you are concerned, they would love to have a reasonable conversation with you about the books they are asking your child to read. Be respectful of their opinions and make your decision based on what's best for you and your family.

Here's my warning though: Don't fall into the trap of thinking your child is a child forever. 

They have to be ready for the big, bad world at some point. And allowing them to be exposed to new ideas- however different from yours they may be- is a big, important step in getting them ready for that world. Is reading about racism and sexual assault in the deep south pleasant? Or the terror of waiting for the Nazis to discover your hiding place? Or the battle between life and death against tyranny? Of course not! But are there lessons to be learned? Absolutely. When we recognize that education is sometimes uncomfortable, we allow ourselves to find new ideas and really analyze the truth for ourselves.

Isn't it ironic

Ladies and gentlemen, I present for your reading pleasure today, the most ironic books to ever be banned:

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury: A story set in the not-too-distant future where books are illegal and firemen do nothing but burn books all day long. The society is hedonistic and anti-intellectual. Violence and immorality abound. This book has been challenged, banned and removed from school reading lists because of it's portrayal of immoral behavior and political undertones.

aroundthebend213.wordpress.com

Animal Farm by George Orwell: The author wrote a preface denouncing the British for their self-imposed censorship. The government didn't need to intercede, the public was so averse to "unpleasantries" that they simply wouldn't be printed. This preface in almost never printed.

In addition, the preface was written during a period of frustration when Orwell could not find a publisher. Why couldn't he find a publisher, you might ask? Well, you see, this book appears to be anti-communism, and as such denounces the government of the U.S.S.R. The U.S.S.R was an ally of Britain in defeating the Nazis, and it was considered dangerous to speak ill of them during the WWII and post-WWII era.

ahafilm.info

1984 by George Orwell: One of the major themes of this book is censorship. The Ministry of Truth doctors everything before the public see it and controls all the information given to the public. The book is often challenged and removed from reading lists on the grounds that it contains dangerous political themes.

apfn.org

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess:The novel, while being violent and sexually charged, deals with themes of government intrusion and manipulation. It comes as no surprise that most challenges to this novel are based on the violent and sexual nature of the novel. The irony is this: the novel originally had a happy ending. The main character saw the error of his ways, parted with the gang of criminals he hung around with and moved on with his life. American publishers fought to cut that chapter, leaving the character slumped on a very bleak and depressing ending.

Now, I want to be clear. I have not read A Clockwork Orange, nor have I seen the film. Such strong violence and sexual content is not really what I'm after in movies or literature. But, WHY would a publisher cut out the redemptive chapter? The part where the character learns his lesson and repents? If you're for free speech, then you are for free speech, am I right? (The movie was based on the American version of the novel- sans the last chapter)

fandomania.com

 For more information about challenged and banned books, please visit the American Library Association. For more information about Banned Books Week, please visit BannedBooksWeek.org. 

Think for yourself and let others do the same- ALA

Please share this post, or write your own post about banned books.

What are we protecting them from?

Most book challenges come from one source: parents.

Parents want to protect their children from the big, bad, scary world, and limiting their access to offensive reading materials is near the top of the to-do list in this quest. And, in their never-ending quest to rid the world of any and all dangers ever to be posed to their children, they are sometimes a little... overzealous.

For instance:


The Diary of Anne Frank has been a perennial favorite for book banners ever since it was printed.The reason? The sexual discussions, of course. This was the diary of a young, teenage girl and she wrote her feelings and her experiences. If you have teenagers, I dare you to get a hold of their diary/ journal and read what's in their head. Even if they aren't doing something immoral, you can bet your bottom dollar that they are thinking, wondering and maybe even hoping.

premiumhollywood.com

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott was pulled from school shelves, without any reason given to the public. Speculation abounds that the reason is that the story is anti-feminist. I'm sorry, but the era in which this story is set was anti-feminist. Sheltering our children from the truth of history robs us of the opportunity to teach them the difference between "then" and "now."

I can certainly appreciate parents wanting to teach their little girls that they can grow up to be more than a way-too-young trophy wife to a boring old guy that they aren't in love with. But, what better way to teach than by example? And, really, would our young women even understand how far we've come if they don't know where we started at? All kinds of lessons to be learned.

autostraddle.com

 Judy Blume is one of the most consistently banned authors in the States. I can honestly say that I know I read all of her books, but I remember Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret. best. I remember reading her books around the age that most girls do, 10, 11, 12 years old, something like that. I also remember very distinctly the feeling of normalcy her books brought to mind. If this book was about a girl my age buying a bra, getting her period, wanting to kiss a boy and wondering about God's relationship with her and other people in her life, that meant I wasn't all that weird. I saw myself in this character, and it was amazing.

Parents want this book removed from school shelves for exactly the reasons I listed above; it deals with "mature" issues such as puberty. Puberty. Listen, mommies and daddies of the world: Your little girl will grow up. She will go through puberty, the inexorable march of time will see to that. WHY do you want to keep the details a secret? Information is power, and the more she knows, the more comfortable she will be with it.

Side note: when I googled this book to find a picture to put here, I got the most random selection of pictures ever. A lot of covers, obviously, but stills from Scrubs, Full House, Daria , Transformers and Twilight all popped up. Along with some really, really random shots. Including this:

The reader who best comes up with a reason as to why this was in the images section for this title wins... well, some laughs, some respect and some link love.

Along the same lines, in 2005, one of the most banned books of the year was It's So Amazing! A Book About Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies and Families. The reason? It is sexually explicit. Call me crazy, but a sex education book needs to be sexually explicit, no? The whole point is that is explains how it all works. There's an old Paula Poundstone joke about printing sex education books without being sexually explicit: Just show a picture of a fully clothed man, not touching a fully clothed woman with a caption that says "And then they... you know."

OK, so this particular sex education book is a little irreverent. It's drawn in a comic-book style, and I guess that makes people uncomfortable. Like it's normalizing sex... wait a minute...


A Wrinkle in Time is one of those books that most kids love. It also is one of the most banned books of the 1990s. The reason? It depicts a battle between good and evil that exposes children to a religious idea. The same argument has been made about the Harry Potter series, The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings.

I cannot for the life of me understand how a parent would want to shelter their child from the idea of good versus evil, and that fighting for good is worthwhile. None of these stories, save three of the seven Chronicles of Narnia, is overtly religious. In each story, the characters find strength in their goodness. Isn't that the core of what you're trying to teach your kids?

Baffling. Utterly baffling.

CelebrityWonder.com

And, last but not least, my favorite:
In 1978, the Eldon, Missouri library banned the dictionary. THE DICTIONARY. Their reason? Well, that should be obvious. It contained definitions of sexually explicit, profane and derogatory words. They weren't the only ones either. It happened again in California in January of this year.


THE DICTIONARY. We wouldn't want children learning the meanings of words. THAT would be terrible. Just terrible.


Don't get me wrong, I have children, and I am scared of what they will encounter and when they will encounter it. But the reality is that my job as a parent is to prepare these innocent little people to be adults someday. Thinking, reasoning adults who can handle the situations- both good and bad- that life throws at them.

I want to ask again: what are we protecting them from? Growing up? Learning how the world works?

 For more information about challenged and banned books, please visit the American Library Association. For more information about Banned Books Week, please visit BannedBooksWeek.org. 

Think for yourself and let others do the same - ALA

Please share this post, or write your own post about banned books.

I don't think you really read that...

Have you ever really looked at the reasons some books have been banned or challenged? Aside from being entirely subjective and ridiculously conservative (and THAT is really saying something, coming from a Mormon housewife who was raised in a red state) some of them are simply not true. 

I simply cannot believe that people who actually read these books got such a different message than I (and most of the world) did. For example:

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien was burned in Alamagordo, NM (2001) outside Christ Community Church along with other Tolkien novels as satanic. Satanic? I've read these books, I don't know, four or five times all the way through. I've read the Hobbit at least that many times. I've seen the movies twice that many times. Do you remember how many times I remember mention of Satan? Zero.

In fairness, Tolkien was a devout Catholic (and was primarily responsible for introducing C.S. Lewis to Christianity- though Lewis joined a different sect) and his religious viewpoints certainly color his writings. If you look close enough, you can see metaphors for creationism, the Atonement, resurrection and prophecy. And yes, there are shadows of Satan's adversarialism in the story as well. But guess what? In order for there to be a Satan-type character, there must also be a Christ-type character. And there is.

Not that our friends at Christ Community Church in New Mexico would know, though, as I'm quite certain that anyone who thought the main theme of this story was "satanism" did not read this series. Pity. They are considered to be the first great epic fantasy novels of the modern era, and Tolkien himself is often referred to as the grandfather of modern fantasy.

Not to mention they turned into some kick-butt movies.

wallpaperbase.com

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

This is great. Twilight has been banned in different places for different reasons. In 2009, and Australian public school system banned the entire Twilight series. All four books. They even went so far as to prohibit students from bringing their own copies or discussing them while on school property. Their reason? It's too racy.

Now, let's skip over to various school districts and libraries in the U.S., where Meyer's series has been challenged because it is religious propaganda. They claim that Meyer's chaste and virginal characters choosing to reserve sex for marriage was a strictly conservative Christian- and more specifically, Mormon- notion and that these books were being used to brainwash teenagers into not having premarital sex.

Which is it, book banners? Too sexy or too chaste? It can't be both. I happen to think it's neither. Again, these are books that I've read probably a half dozen times, cover to cover. These characters (who are either legally adults or immortal for 3 of the 4 books) are in love, but they do refrain from premarital sex entirely. As with Tolkien, Meyer's religious viewpoints color her writing. If you want, you can see Mormon doctrines of eternal life, eternal marriage and bodily health in several forms. But you have to really, really be wanting to see it.

The bottom line is, however, that the camp who thinks the books are too racy obviously has not read them. The sex between consenting, married adults is all "off screen". The camp who thinks the books are propaganda could not have read them either... there simply isn't enough "message" to find these to be brainwashing in any way.

The movies were a little less kick-butt. Maybe, kick-knee. Or kick-ankle.

movies.msn.com

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

A parent in Georgia challenged the entire Harry Potter series based on the fact that the books "promote the Wiccan religion."

OK, so I guess this one could be categorized as either "I don't think you really read that" or "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." Although, I think it's both.

Wicca is a religion (which, last I checked, we all have the right to practice however we choose) that bears about as much resemblance to Harry Potter as a kiwi does to a watermelon. Sure, you could find a few points of unimportant similarity, but in reality, nobody would ever confuse one for the other.

These books are also listed as some of the most banned books of the last two decades, with "satanism and occultism" listed as the main reason for the challenges. Satan? Other than the mention of Christmas and Easter, and a graveyard next to a church, there is no religion of any kind in these books. I should know. I've read all three thousand or so pages probably 10 times. The movies are in heavy, heavy rotation in our house, thanks to my son's obsession. He recently told me "I love Harry Potter movies, but I also love Harry Potter books." Me too, kid. Me too.

As for the movies, they alternate between kick-butt and kick-knee. Seriously, who else is totally and completely dying to see Deathly Hallows?




Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

This book about how statistics can be distorted and misused (basically) was challenged and nearly banned in 2006 in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The book does talk about some of the less-than-savory aspects of life, but it's presented in a watered-down documentary form, and I cannot think for the life of me why this would be so offensive as to have a school board try to have it removed.

I do KNOW for a fact that the woman who tried to have this book banned did not read it. She said so. She read a few excerpts on the internet and decided to crusade to have it removed from all public school shelves.

Lovely.


The best example I can find, though, is this: In 2005, the Wilsona school district in California presented a list of books they "recommended" to the elementary school children in their district. The parent-teacher committee requested that 23 of the books be removed. For some, they listed (weak) reasons for removal. Others were requested for removal because "they were books the members of the committee were unfamiliar with and didn't know whether they promoted good character or conflicted with textbooks."

Yup. The school district requested to remove books from the recommended list (not the required list, even) because they, personally, were not familiar with them. "We haven't read these, and we just don't trust the teachers, parents, former students, book store workers, book store owners, authors and critics who say these are good books."

I mean, honestly, isn't THIS the goal here, people:

guardian.co.uk

 For more information about challenged and banned books, please visit the American Library Association. For more information about Banned Books Week, please visit BannedBooksWeek.org. 


Please share this post, or write your own post about banned books.

Think for yourself and let others to do the same. - ALA

Banned Book Week

This week is banned book week. 

"We believe attempts to censor ideas to which we have access--whether in books, magazines, plays, works of art, television, movies or song--are not simply isolated instances of harassment by diverse special-interest groups. Rather they are part of a growing pattern of increasing intolerance which is changing the fabric of America. . .
"Censorship cannot eliminate evil. It can only kill freedom. We believe Americans have the right to buy, stores have the right to sell, authors have the right to write and publishers have the right to publish Constitutionally-protected material. Period."
Excerpt from a letter to 28 newspapers, signed by Ed Morrow, president, American Booksellers Assn. and Harry Hoffman, president, Walden Book Co., Inc. (1990).

Now, as a parent, I believe that it is my job to protect my children from obscene material, or material that somehow undermines the teachings of our home and our faith. Please read that sentence carefully; I believe it is MY JOB to protect my children. Parents can and should be reading what their children read, ask questions and hold meaningful discussions about what they are reading and learning about. 


It is not within the rights of a school, religious group or any other special interest group to step in and attempt to parent the entire community. 


This week on Fantasy Casting, all my posts will be about banned books in one way or another. Please, share these posts. There is a gadget at the bottom of each post that allows you to share via a multitude of social networking sites. We need to keep our eyes and our minds on this topic. Pulling books from shelves is an unacceptable practice. If parents do not want their children reading something- that's their business. Not mine. Not yours. Not the schools'.