A Postscript on Reading

My family had grocery and dry goods stores in the small east Georgia town where I grew up. The store had a magazine and paperback book section and at some point I discovered that when new shipments came in the covers of the older ones would be ripped off and the books discarded. Oh that was a treasure trove for me when I was between the ages of 12 to 14 or so. I would sneak and peek through the discarded books and hustle home with them. I think I had a drawer in my bedroom where I stashed these treasures. Luckily for me my mother never went through my things.



Most of the books (well all of them) were written for adults, but I read & read. The first racy novel I read was Peyton Place written by Grace Metalious in 1956 and yes it was risque especially for a sheltered child as myself. Gracious me, my mother would have been furious if she had known. Not only was it a national bestseller, but also the center of controversy in many states.

"Canada declared it indecent and made the importation of the book illegal.Parts of Rhode Island, Indiana, and Nebraska followed suit arguing that the book would corrupt young minds. Wealthy communities banished Peyton Place. To read Peyton Place was to read it in secret and were sometimes discussed only among the closest of friends. Everyone was reading it college and high school students... " FreeEssays

I also read Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier. Written in 1942, it is a historical novel set in Cornwall during the time of Charles II and is the love story of Lady Dona and the French pirate she meets who has been using the creek on her husband's estate as a hide-away. Although there is no explicit sex in the book it was nevertheless a scandalous tale of a woman who has "everything" and would consider giving it up for love. I thought it was terribly romantic!




Another book read in high school in the early 1960s was Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank and is "the classic apocalyptic novel that stunned the nation with its vivid portrayal of a small town's survival after nuclear holocaust devastates the country." It was not a banned nor challenged book but it did stand out for me as a dire warning of the dangers of the world into which I was about to enter.





Happy reading!

Children's Banned Books (Part 2)

Banned Books Week

September 25 ~ October 2, 2010

Children's books that have been
banned or challenged as listed in a blog article by Britney Wilkins in 50 Banned Books That Everyone Should Read. Please visit the site. This was published in 2009 and a great deal of work went into this blog article including links to articles that discuss why the books are challenged or banned.

Most books are challenged by parents for age-appropriateness and some have been banned from schools & school libraries. I think it is appropriate for parents to have a say in what their own children read, but not what is available for all. This I have stated at the end of this blog, but moved it up because I want to make sure it is noticed.

Protect the Children

These books have all been at the heart of controversy over their appropriateness for children and youth to read. Britney Wilkins has done a fine job of explaining why each is in conflict. Please go to her article to see the 50 Banned Books That Everyone Should Read when you go to this list click on each title to read the reasons for challenging or banning that particular book.

1. Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger.

   Frequently a target of censorship, this classic coming-of-age story of a teenage boy in New York is often banned due to the language and sexuality–particularly a scene with a prostitute.

2. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.

   Offensive language, in particular, one very racially-charged word, is the usual reason given for banning this book, which has been controversial since it was published in 1884. Twain’s famous story highlights the friendship between a white boy and a black man in a book that attempted to challenge the racism Twain saw around him.

3. Forever by Judy Blume.

   Blume is frequently the target of censorship as many of her books deal with teen issues revolving around becoming a sexual being. Forever documents a high school girl’s loss of virginity and delves into the emotional aspects of her choice.

4. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman.

   This fantasy novel says much about friendship and loyalty, but it also says plenty about not following a religion blindly. Many have seen the book as anti-religion and have banned the book.

5. Lord of the Flies by William Golding.

   Most who oppose this book claim the violence, language, and the implication that man is little more than an animal as the reasons. The book depicts a microcosm of society played out on an island populated by young boys stranded there and trying to survive. The struggle between good and evil and the exploration of human nature can force readers to examine themselves in ways that may not feel comfortable.

6. The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling.

   Some parents object to the magic and wizardry that is at the heart of the Harry Potter books. Because of their objections, many schools and libraries have banned these books.

   I can't say that I am surprised at this especially with the challenging of the L'Engle book A Wrinkle in Time, but I certainly don't agree with it. Most of the fairy tales I read or that were read to me as a small child would be banned under this code. Oddly enough, I read where Little Red Riding Hood was banned or challenged in some area because she was had wine in the basket she was taking to her grandmother.
7. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson.

   A powerful book that explores friendship, life, and death, this book is often banned due to what some feel is offensive language and scenes of witchcraft which some believe promotes disobeying authority as well as anti-religious sentiments. Oddly, the theme of death, which is a major element in the novel, is also used as a reason to ban this book.

   Why this book is of concern truly baffles me. The book is very well written and the movie made from it touching.
   
8. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl.

   This book depicts a child who lives under the oppression of mean caretakers and relies on his creativity and an alternate world in order to survive. Those opposed to the book dislike the violence, language, and disobedience towards adults.

   Regularly this book was checked out of our library & read to classes by teachers.
   
9. And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson.

   This children’s story tells of two male penguins at a zoo who care for an egg together. Despite the reality that male penguins bond together to care for their eggs in nature and that the two characters in the book are based on actual penguins from the Central Park Zoo, the idea of two males creating a family has forced many to ban the book due to reasons of homosexuality and anti-family issues.

10. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. T

    he bonds of family and friendship are at the heart of this novel, but it also highlights the battle of good and evil and brings in supernatural spirits, therefore making it a target for those worried about the religious implications they feel the novel makes.

    There are three other titles in the series A Wind in the Door, Many Waters, and A Swiftly Tilting Planet all featuring the Murry family. I routinely recommended the reading of these as I did with the Chronicles of Narnia series by CS Lewis even though this series could be challenged as a breach of separation of church and state with its "Christian" theme. It is a story of a fantasy world with magic occurring in it... hmmm.
    
11. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier.

    Selling chocolates as a fundraiser at school not only sets off fictional turmoil in this book, but it also prompts parents to challenge the book. Reasons given include language, violence, resisting authority, and sexuality.

12. The Giver by Lois Lowery.

    The award-winning book that depicts a society driven to maintain an amazing amount of control over its members, including euthanasia and suicide. Some parents have reacted strongly to these themes in the book and have taken the book as an endorsement for killing.

    Some of the more mature 5th grade students read this book but I did advise that they discuss it with me or their teacher because I was sure there would be questions to arise.

I have not read all of these books, but the ones I have read do not concern me in their witchcraft, problems of teen years, death, etc. Some should be discussed within a class or with parents to take away the "sting" of reality or to answer questions that surely will arise. Parents should and do have the right to request that their child not be exposed to a particular book, but they should not have the right to dictate what is available for others to read.

Celebrate the Freedom to Read (Part 1)

The American Library Association's annual Banned Books Week is September 25 - October 2. Today in the Parade section of the Sunday newspaper a few of the banned books were highlighted. I was appalled at some of the titles that are banned. Reasons for the banned books are:

Too Political ~ All Quiet on the Western Front (Erich Maria Remarque), 1928; A Farewell to Arms (Ernest Hemmingway), 1940; For Whom the Bell Tolls (Hemmingway), 1940; The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck), 1939; Dr. Zhivago (Boris Pasternak), 1957; In the Spirit of Crazy Horse (Peter Matthiessen), 1983.

Too Much Sex ~ Madame Bovary (Gustave Flaubert), 1856; The Sun Also Rises (Hemmingway), 1926; Jaws (Peter Benchley), 1974; Forever (Judy Blume), 1975; I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou), 1969; How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents (Julia Alvarez), 1991.

Irreligious ~ On the Origin of Species (Charles Darwin); 1859; The Lord of the Rings trilogy (J.R.R. Tolkien), 1954; Bless Me, Ultima (Budolfo Anaya), 1972; Harry Potter series (J.K. Rowling), 1997-2007; The Last Temptation of Christ (Nikos Kazantzakis), 1960.

Socially Offensive ~ The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (Franklin), 1791; The Scarlet Letter (Nathaniel Hawthorne), 1850; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain), 1884; As I Lay Dying ( William Faulkner), 1930; Gone with the Wind (Margaret Mitchell), 1936; Ann Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl (Ann Frank), 1947; To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee), 1960; The Color Purple (Alice Walker), 1982.

These are just a few of books that are banned. It is incredible to me that some of these (if not all) titles are banned. How are people supposed to formulate their own ideals and version of right and wrong if never exposed to various viewpoints. Many of these stories I have read and feel that my life was made better by the reading of them; that I was exposed to more in life than what encompassed my immediate surroundings; and that held differing viewpoints from the people around me. These books expanded my knowledge base. Granted some books are a bit risque but it does not mean that one should avoid reading.

For me to have missed out on reading Hemmingway or Steinbeck would have been a travesty... and to have not been able to read Harper Lee's magnificent book on the South would be incomprehensible. I need to go back and read many of these again to see exactly what the "controversy" is. This is as good a reason as any for reading or rereading many of the classic books that have been written over the years; many of which had a deep impact on my thinking.