beef Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 I did a quick search and i could not find a similar thread sorry if i missed it. I came accross a site listing all books that have been banned/challenged on the digg front page (http://digg.com) and thought here would be a great place to talk about these books and our opinions on banned and challenged books. the site it: http://title.forbiddenlibrary.com/ I have had a quick read through and to me the most surprising one is this: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Roald Dahl. Bantam; Knopf; Penguin. Removed from a locked reference collection at the Boulder, Colo. Public Library (1988), where it had been placed because the librarian thought the book espoused a poor philosophy of life. Who exactly does a librarian think they are to tell anyone what THEY should think about life? no one is in that position! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maureen Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 A few books in there I've read and enjoyed, and I am quite astonished to find them on any banned list! The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. C.S. Lewis. Macmillan. Challenged in the Howard County, Md. school system (1990) because it depicts "graphic violence, mysticism, and gore." I'm sure the school system would rather have its children reading something which adheres to "good Christian values." I cannot recommend the works of C.S. Lewis highly enough. The Narnia books, in particular, are great for readers of all ages .Lol at this! I had it at school! Canterbury Tales. Geoffrey Chaucer. Bantam; Bobbs-Merrill; Doubleday; Penguin; Raintree Pubs.; NAL; Univ. of Okla. Pr. People have long been squeamish with this one...It was subjected to revisions as 1928, and editions today tend to avoid four letter words. 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrathofkublakhan Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 Very interesting - sniffing at the issues and motives for any form of censorship is at least entertaining. At my age, I refuse to be outraged. I liked the Forbidden Library link, it was a trip. I think I could've done without the smug sarcasm and commentary though. I found myself surprised that certain books were actually burned in Amerika in the 70's! While I know the phrase is loaded, I'm not so bothered by a book being withheld if it "conflicts with the values of the community." Put it on the back shelf then, sometimes even the presence of an item can enrage a person - books do not have to be in your face either. My guess would be that there are many more books than on that list - perhaps pornography or how to make a bomb or 10 ways to grow your own weed. I dunno. What exactly bothers us about banned books ~ because it's classic literature or that I'm not bothered by a book's language set in the time it was written (the N-word seemed to be a common motive) or because it goes counter to my belief system. How about books that are printed that you simply think the facts are wrong? If you don't believe in evolution, a text book teaching just that would seem almost hurtful. Like I said, it's a trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyB Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 Interesting list which says more about the people who banned them than the books themselves. Was amazed to see Little House on the Prairie books on there - always thought they were pretty innocuous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beef Posted August 13, 2007 Author Share Posted August 13, 2007 I think i found this so interesting because people actually went to physical effort of withholding books, im very much a "if you dont like it no one is forcing you to use/buy/read it" mind set, i dont agree with a lot of things but i would not stop someone having an opinion. And people who do generally have a deeper motive that is often quite scary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 I don't know if this happened overseas (I see no record of it on this list) but Enid Blytons books were removed from public and school libraries for a time in New Zealand. Her Noddy books were supposed to portray homosexuality (Big Ears and Noddy shared a bed sometimes) and they were supposed to be racist because of the Golliwogs. Her other books 'Famous Five' and 'Secret Seven' were said to show bad role models for children as the characters showed little respect for their elders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrathofkublakhan Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 <snip> And people who do generally have a deeper motive that is often quite scary.</snip> What kind of deeper motives, do you think? I see you are reading The Illuminatus ~ no conspiracy motives please! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beef Posted August 13, 2007 Author Share Posted August 13, 2007 What kind of deeper motives, do you think? I see you are reading The Illuminatus ~ no conspiracy motives please! I have not actually started the illiminatus (yet) i got distracted by "the timewasters letters" but motives such as removing education on tech, im sure the nazis would have removed any pro-jewish books, that sort of stuff. /me stirs up conspiracy from afar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 they were supposed to be racist because of the Golliwogs. I always thought golliwogs were racist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beef Posted August 13, 2007 Author Share Posted August 13, 2007 I don't know if this happened overseas (I see no record of it on this list) but Enid Blytons books were removed from public and school libraries for a time in New Zealand. Her Noddy books were supposed to portray homosexuality (Big Ears and Noddy shared a bed sometimes) and they were supposed to be racist because of the Golliwogs. Her other books 'Famous Five' and 'Secret Seven' were said to show bad role models for children as the characters showed little respect for their elders. ..the..the crime solving children who were smart enough to catch crime and stop it were bad role models..some people are beyond saving. *edit* update to earlier post- the great firewall of china, where banning of access to learning material and access to world news is being used to opress people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echo Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 I was surprised by the number of banned books that I was actually required to read in school. I think some of the objections were silly, especially about older books that portray their own time, even if certain views are considered offensive. But I can never support banning a book because one (or even 100) people think it should be--then they're making that decision for everyone. People need personal choice. I also subscribe to the "if you don't like it, don't read it" philosophy. Don't decide what others can read. Edit: I also thought the commentary was needlessly smug and sarcastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beef Posted August 14, 2007 Author Share Posted August 14, 2007 The list is rather big, there are unfortunately always people who think they know whats best for everyone else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 I always thought golliwogs were racist You're probably right and Enid Blyton was quite possibly a racist. But I think it's a pretty big leap to assume children are going to think that all coloured people are bad just because the golliwogs were naughty. Did you think that as a child or were you older? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Her Noddy books were supposed to portray homosexuality (Big Ears and Noddy shared a bed sometimes) and they were supposed to be racist because of the Golliwogs. I used to have a lot of Noddy books and loved them. I don't even remember them sleeping in the same bed! We used to have biscuits here called Golliwogs. They were sold like that for many years until they were pulled from the shelves for obvious reasons. They eventually came out again, looking exactly the same but, needless to say, they're not called Golliwogs anymore! (They're called Scalliwags.) I'm actually surprised there aren't many more books on the list - I know the Harry Potter books have caused quite a controversy, for one thing. And Of Mice and Men is also missing. You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them. -Ray Bradbury Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beef Posted August 14, 2007 Author Share Posted August 14, 2007 Im not sure its a fully up to date list. Here is another list: http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bbwlinks/100mostfrequently.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Ah, yes, there they are: #6 Of Mice and Men #7 Harry Potter series I haven't heard of most of the books on that list. I hate to see To Kill A Mockingbird being banned/challenged. I think this is such an important book because of the way it portrays the injustices suffered at the time. Maybe it was banned because it was too sympathetic towards them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beef Posted August 14, 2007 Author Share Posted August 14, 2007 Ah, yes, there they are: #6 Of Mice and Men #7 Harry Potter series I haven't heard of most of the books on that list. I hate to see To Kill A Mockingbird being banned/challenged. I think this is such an important book because of the way it portrays the injustices suffered at the time. Maybe it was banned because it was too sympathetic towards them. I would bet the people to challenge that probably never even read the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oblomov Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Her Noddy books were supposed to portray homosexuality (Big Ears and Noddy shared a bed sometimes) and they were supposed to be racist because of the Golliwogs. Funny that you should mention it because I was always under the impression that the depicted relationship between Noddy & Big Ears was more than a bit odd. I not only recall them sleeping in the same bed, but also kissing on the lips on a few occasions. I recall those images from my childhood very clearly and have discussed the (possible homosexual) implications with my wife, but she is less certain (but admits that her childhood reading memories are not as vivid as my own). I have never felt comfortable with Noddy books and on my request, my sis-in-law banned them from her house for her daughter - who is also our godchild. Although "coloured" myself, I never felt uncomfortable with Golliwogs, which frequently appeared in various stories. But in many of them, they were just part of the 'gang' and not singled out as being particularly naughty. I recall that we used to have books called "Brighter Grammar" in Primary School in India; in these, Grammar was taught through a series of animated pictures that included the Golliwog as a matter of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Well, out of the fist list you posted, I'm pleased to say I've read 19, have a further 3 on my shelf, waiting to be read and another 11 on my wish list! I'm amazed at one of my favourite folk Tales (Vasilissa Most Lovely/Beautiful) is on that list - I've always loved that story and used to frequent a shop named after the wicked witch in the tale - Baba yaga! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oblomov Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 I've always loved that story and used to frequent a shop named after the wicked witch in the tale - Baba yaga! Baba Yaga - the "witch with a switch" - is an old friend. When I was growing up in India in the 60s, we used to get a lot of subsidised Russian fairy tales translated into English like Ivan the Fool, Chestnut Grey and so on. Many of those featured Baba Yaga - apparently is a common occurence in Russian Folklore. In fact, my nickname for the aforementioned sis-in-law - a rather fiesty character - is Baba Yaga!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icecream Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 I used to love Enid Blyton's books, Noddy, Famous Five, Secret Seven, The Faraway Tree, and always the thing I loved was a sense of adventure. I was just about to say that thats was all, that I never though of the Famous Five as dierespectful, but I remember now admiring George's rebellion agains their guradians, however, I never really thought much of my parents anyway, as they did not act in ways which brought respect form their children. I think that the reason a lot of children these days are disrespectful is because society has gone that way. The various governments (mainly socialist) have made society move towards family breakdown. I don't think this has anything to do with reading books at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beef Posted August 14, 2007 Author Share Posted August 14, 2007 Anyone who says a book makes children disrespectful has to remember- respect is earned not simply given/taken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emelee Posted August 29, 2010 Share Posted August 29, 2010 Some very famous books have been banned that today seems awfully strange to know has been banned!!! One just has to remember that time changes. A lot sometimes......... I was quite surprised when I found out that "Grapes of wrath" has been banned, as well as "Huckleberry Finn" etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladymacbeth Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 Oh yes I had forgotten about the controversy around Harry Potter which existed mostly in Christian circles. Some of my friends refused to let their children read it because if was about witchcraft (sarcastic gasp!) Of course none of the people who complained so vociferously had actually read the books. I thought the books were a wonderful illustration of good values eg staying true to a cause, sticking up for your friends, self sacrifice and good versus evil. Also, I just feel children are smart enough to work out what is real and what is false. Clearly Hogwarts is a fictional school and while it is fun to play pretend witches and wizards I think most kids know that HP is not representative of real life. Anyway, I will hop off my high horse now. I suppose it's easy for me to criticise when I am not a parent but I hope when I have kids that if they bring home something that conflicts with my values that I will actually be able to have a discussion about it rather than outright banning something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 I'll be actively encouraging Xan to read the likes of Harry Potter when he's a little older. In fact, I may even read them to him! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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