While reading about Banned Books Week, I’ve just been looking a the list of books that have either been banned, or challenged in the American Libraries Association “Banned or Challenged Books” list. It makes pretty astounding reading
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Catcher in the Rye by J.
D. Salinger
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Ulysses by James Joyce
Beloved by Toni Morrison
The Lord of the Flies by William Golding
1984 by George Orwell
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
I’m wondering why on earth any of the books were either banned or challenged either in years gone by, or currently. It’s utter madness the role call is effectively ten of the greatest books written in the last centuryall of them revered classics.
Perhaps an exulted place in literary history is cemented by controversy.
I guess my main objection to “banned books” is based in the reasons for it happening in the first placea third party attempting to dictate what others should, or should not have access to. The internet has levered open pandoras box in terms of censorship; allowing anybody and everybody to make their own mind up about anything. This is a good thing.
It’s a double edged sworthto quote a certain comic book, “with great power comes great responsibility”. In order to enjoy the freedoms many of us take for granted, we need to trust each other. Just because I can read about the science of nuclear bombs on the internet doesn’t mean I’m going to be the next Radioactive Boy Scout. Just because I’ve read Tropic of Cancer doesn’t mean I want to spend time with sex workers in Paris.
Apparently huge (vocal) sections of society like to dictate to others what they should be doing. I’m not going to point any fingers (cough all the churches cough). Why do they do that? What makes them think they know best? They’re only shouting what they’ve told to shoutcloaked in what they’ve been told to believe.
Head over to Wikipedia to read more about Banned Books Week.