Books Most often Challenged/ Ban requested

Horseshoes · Sep 27, 2007

ALA's list
http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bbwlinks/100mostfrequently.htm

I've read less than three dozen. Gosh.

That said...I actually pulled a book off the library shelf once and was so revulsed I considered trashing it, but took it to the counter and pointed out the ridiculous bigotry (a collection of folk songs with outrageously racist old lyrics). The next time in, I looked for the book and it was gone. I checked the catalog and the library no longer had it. Gulp. I um, er, protested a book and it vanished.
Gulp.

Jamesaritchie · Sep 28, 2007

Horseshoes said:
ALA's list
http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bbwlinks/100mostfrequently.htm

I've read less than three dozen. Gosh.

That said...I actually pulled a book off the library shelf once and was so revulsed I considered trashing it, but took it to the counter and pointed out the ridiculous bigotry (a collection of folk songs with outrageously racist old lyrics). The next time in, I looked for the book and it was gone. I checked the catalog and the library no longer had it. Gulp. I um, er, protested a book and it vanished.
Gulp.

And another piece of history gets flushed down the toilet.

desertcomet · Sep 28, 2007

I can understand books being taken off the shelf at a school library. But at a public library it just doesn't seem to be right; even if it's something that would offend me.

Priene · Sep 28, 2007

I once bought a Russian-language book of jokes in Borders. It had a whole section of anti-semitic jokes. I have no doubt that if it had been in English that book would not have been on sale.

I didn't report it, but I'm still not sure that was the right decision.

scarletpeaches · Sep 28, 2007

I've read ten.

Better get swotting up before they're all banned.

Summonere · Sep 28, 2007

Flowers for Algernon is on that list? How oh how? And why?

aadams73 · Sep 28, 2007

Summonere said:
Flowers for Algernon is on that list? How oh how? And why?

I don't get that either. I think it's a must-read book.

I've read 40 of the books on this list--all of those I enjoyed a great deal.

Shame on anyone who reports a book and has it subsequently banned.

WendyNYC · Sep 28, 2007

How about How to Eat Fired Worms? It's certainly not a great piece of literature, but I don't remember anything offensive in it (unless, of course, you are a worm).

JimmyB27 · Sep 28, 2007

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Where's Waldo? by Martin Hanford

?!?

wtf?

:Jaw:

ink wench · Sep 28, 2007

I've read about 20 of them, and I can't figure out why most of them would be on that list. I echo the wtf?!

Shadow_Ferret · Sep 28, 2007

I've read 7 and have an additional 3 or so on my shelf waiting to be read.

I wonder why they didn't include Lolita, Tropic of Cancer, or Lady Chatterly's Lover? All those were banned for years.

edited to add: Wait. Where's Waldo was on there? 8. I read at least 8.

Azraelsbane · Sep 28, 2007

I've read 33 of those, but most of them being listed as most often banned... That's ridiculous. Is this banned from public libraries, or are they including schools also? I can see several of these being much more relevant if it's talking about elementary/jr. high libraries, and I don't think the Sleeping Beauty trilogy belongs in even a high school library.

But if this is only public libraries, then I think it's pretty sickening.

Horseshoes · Sep 28, 2007

For anyone still thinking Shame on Me...

Opened an old book of bluegrass tunes,
saw the lyric:
n-- and a white man playing seven-up,
n won the money but afraid to pick it up
(Sadly stuck in my brain. Just blech.)
It went on and on with racist lyrics.
I didn't have it banned. I confessed to ya I thought about trashing it. I pointed out the racism to the guy at the counter.
Similar to what Priene noted, still not happy about any of it.
I don't know JR, that it's a piece of Hx down the drain. I don't know what happened to the book. I was appalled and pointed it out. Sounds like you're either appalled that I was appalled or think I should have not even said I was appalled. Neither of those sits well with me. Nor did the book sit well with me. Nor did my bitching about it sit well. It was all ick.
Just thought about the incident, seven years past, when I read the ALA bit.
Shared my thoughts.
Cheers.

WendyNYC · Sep 28, 2007

Azraelsbane said:
I've read 33 of those, but most of them being listed as most often banned... That's ridiculous. Is this banned from public libraries, or are they including schools also? I can see several of these being much more relevant if it's talking about elementary/jr. high libraries, and I don't think the Sleeping Beauty trilogy belongs in even a high school library. But if this is only public libraries, then I think it's pretty sickening.

It's overall, from what I can tell. The website lists the stats. Most seem to be parents challenging school libraries, but there were public libraries as well.

Thump · Sep 28, 2007

I just read 7 with 2 more to go. Hmmm... I better get to reading the whole list

Ava Jarvis · Sep 28, 2007

Horseshoes said:
For anyone still thinking Shame on Me...

Opened an old book of bluegrass tunes,
saw the lyric:
n-- and a white man playing seven-up,
n won the money but afraid to pick it up
(Sadly stuck in my brain. Just blech.)
It went on and on with racist lyrics.
I didn't have it banned. I confessed to ya I thought about trashing it. I pointed out the racism to the guy at the counter.

History is history. There are people who ban Satanist works because they don't want the devil to be talked about in those terms. Apparently.

Atheism and evolution? Taboo topics. Passages about gay or lesbian love, or even mentioning that one has leanings that way? Sinful to a large part of the US.

Those are all "obviously" bad to somebody. I'm not arguing that racism or anti-semitism is NOT bad; I certainly think it is.

But the first amendment never said "Freedom of speech is allowed... except for this list of things we think are bad".

Ava Jarvis · Sep 28, 2007

Addressing the questions for why certain books got banned...

Flowers for Algernon -- explicit and distasteful love scenes.
How to Eat Fried Worms -- teaching children dangerous, risky behavior
James and the Giant Peach -- count it in the pile of Dr. Seuss books that got banned for being frightening to children
Where's Waldo -- a suggestive image hidden somewhere that only a somewhat obsessed parent could see

For any book that gets banned, no matter how ludicrous, I can usually come up with a reason that someone decided it should be banned. Just think low, like snake in the grass; or terrified, like skittish deer; or insanely over-protective, like mother bears; or touchy, like irritated vipers.

My cynicism at play.

Horseshoes · Sep 28, 2007

Goodness gracious.
I'm pretty well versed on all of the constitutional amendments, Ava.
Again, I didn't like anything about it. Didn't like my reaction, didn't like the racism being there. I didn't like not mentioning it and I didn't like mentioning it.

Do regret posting though, given the complete misunderstanding so many posters have had.

Summonere · Sep 28, 2007

Ava Jarvis said:
Addressing the questions for why certain books got banned...

Flowers for Algernon -- explicit and distasteful love scenes.

Ah. You must be referring to man/mouse love. Check dat, fo shizzle.

Ava Jarvis · Sep 28, 2007

Horseshoes said:
Goodness gracious.
I'm pretty well versed on all of the constitutional amendments, Ava.

So am I, but I have to remind myself every time, and sometimes I forget.

Again, I didn't like anything about it. Didn't like my reaction, didn't like the racism being there. I didn't like not mentioning it and I didn't like mentioning it.

I didn't think you liked any of it. Plus you didn't know complaining was actually going to result in a ban--although books can be surprisingly vulnerable, based on the library.

We have all had the reactions you have had. It is natural.

Banning is another issue.

maestrowork · Sep 28, 2007

Horseshoes said:
ALA's list
http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bbwlinks/100mostfrequently.htm

I've read less than three dozen. Gosh.

That said...I actually pulled a book off the library shelf once and was so revulsed I considered trashing it, but took it to the counter and pointed out the ridiculous bigotry (a collection of folk songs with outrageously racist old lyrics). The next time in, I looked for the book and it was gone. I checked the catalog and the library no longer had it. Gulp. I um, er, protested a book and it vanished.
Gulp.

Bridge to Terabithia?

To Kill a Mockingbird?

James and the Giant Peach?

What are they smoking when they think "oh, we should ban this"?

maestrowork · Sep 28, 2007

Ava Jarvis said:
For any book that gets banned, no matter how ludicrous, I can usually come up with a reason that someone decided it should be banned. Just think low, like snake in the grass; or terrified, like skittish deer; or insanely over-protective, like mother bears; or touchy, like irritated vipers.

My cynicism at play.

Oh my goodness. We should ban Bambi -- the horror that film put billions of children through.

C.bronco · Sep 28, 2007

Horseshoes said:
Goodness gracious.
I'm pretty well versed on all of the constitutional amendments, Ava.
Again, I didn't like anything about it. Didn't like my reaction, didn't like the racism being there. I didn't like not mentioning it and I didn't like mentioning it.

Do regret posting though, given the complete misunderstanding so many posters have had.

I know having the book pulled wasn't your intention.
If we are to understand history fully, we should have some knowledge of the prevalent mindset and beliefs of a culture. Only then will we see the pressures and motives of the principal participants.
Buck up little camper!

Ava Jarvis · Sep 28, 2007

Summonere said:
Ah. You must be referring to man/mouse love. Check dat, fo shizzle.

Nope.

People forget about beautiful (and I personally am not being sarcastic, although others might) passages like this:

"Here," I choked, "why don't you make yourself more comfortable? Rest on my shoulder." She let me put my arm around her, but she didn't look at me. She seemed too absorbed in the music to realize what I was doing. Did she want me to hold her that way, or was she merely tolerating it? As I slipped my arm down to her waist, I felt her tremble, but still she kept staring in the direction of the orchaestra. She was pretending to be concentrating on the music so that she wouldn't have to respond to me. As long as she looked away, and listened, she could pretend that my closeness, my arms around her, were without her knowledge or concent. She wanted me to make love to her body while she kept her mind on higher things. I reached over roughly and turned her chin. "Why don't you look at me? Are you pretending I don't exist?"

"No, Charlie," she whispered. "I'm pretending _I_ don't exist."

When I touched her shoulder she stiffened and trembled, but I pulled her toward me. Then it happened. It started as a hollow buzzing in my ears... an electric saw... far away. Then the cold: arms and legs prickly, and fingers numbing. Suddenly, I had the feeling I was being watched.

A sharp switch in perception. I saw, from the point in the darkness behind a tree, the two of us lying in each other's arms.

I looked up to see a boy of fifteen or sixteen, crouching nearby. "Hey!" I shouted. As he stood up, I saw his trousers were open and he was exposed.

This is a beautiful piece of writing. But the subject matter scares some parents silly.

Shadow_Ferret · Sep 28, 2007

Horseshoes said:
For anyone still thinking Shame on Me...

Opened an old book of bluegrass tunes,
saw the lyric:
n-- and a white man playing seven-up,
n won the money but afraid to pick it up
(Sadly stuck in my brain. Just blech.)
It went on and on with racist lyrics.
I didn't have it banned. I confessed to ya I thought about trashing it. I pointed out the racism to the guy at the counter.
Similar to what Priene noted, still not happy about any of it.
I don't know JR, that it's a piece of Hx down the drain. I don't know what happened to the book. I was appalled and pointed it out. Sounds like you're either appalled that I was appalled or think I should have not even said I was appalled. Neither of those sits well with me. Nor did the book sit well with me. Nor did my bitching about it sit well. It was all ick.
Just thought about the incident, seven years past, when I read the ALA bit.
Shared my thoughts.
Cheers.

History is about context. Obviously it wasn't considered racism at one time, it just was normal accepted behavior, or it wouldn't have been put into the book. Should we try to erase all evidence that we might have had different views in the past?

Reminds me of Disney self-censoring themselves by never again releasing "Song of the South." I remember it as a wonderful uplifting movie with great songs, but probably the Uncle Remus references made them think it racist. It was still a part of film history and a part of Americana. Now no child will ever grow up knowing where "Zipitydee doo da" came from.

Books Most often Challenged/ Ban requested

lisapreston.com

Out to lunch

A Work in Progress

fiddle-dee-dee

Hoopy frood

ray of motherf#%&ing sunshine

Court Jester

Agony is defeat

lisapreston.com

fiddle-dee-dee

defying grabbity

Too stupid to know fear

Too stupid to know fear

lisapreston.com

Too stupid to know fear

Fear the Death Ray

Fear the Death Ray

I have plans...

Too stupid to know fear

Court Jester