Misc Literary Fun

On Sep 23, 2022, at 1:07 PM, Kristen Breck <knickeroo@comcast.net> wrote:
 

Hey Flashers,

 

Yay!  It's one of my favorite times of the year! The annual celebration of the freedom to read!

 

It’s Banned Books week (launched in 1982), an enlightened week when independent bookstores throughout the nation highlight, promote, and sell banned books! Of course, banned book are sold most everywhere throughout the year anyway, but this particular week—Sept 18-24—is a time to highlight censorship and its effects.  It always surprises people to learn how many beloved books have been “challenged” and/or “banned” over the course of history.   

 

And when I say history, I mean it.  Books have been banned for as long as humans have been writing things down, and around the world in every culture. In 1559, the Catholic Church published the Index Librorum Prohibitorum (Index of Forbidden Books), a list of books banned on the grounds that they were scandalous or contained unorthodox ideas.  Since 1571, the list has been continually updated and, as of the 20th century, contained 5,000 titles. Some reversals did occur, and then in 1966 with the Vatican 2 council, the church admitted it couldn’t keep up with contemporary literature and ended publication of the list.  The church was/is a big influence, but so are other “authoritative” bodies—from the Chinese government (duh) to local school boards.

 

An outright ban is when an authority of some sort forbids the publishing, sale or use of a book. But that’s not the only form of censorship.  Books can be made difficult to access, perhaps by being removed from schools and libraries.  Additionally, authors can self-censor when they do not write for fear of offense.  Also, authors and readers can be harassed for writing and reading banned books.

 

Books can be “challenged" by any group, though not all challenged books get banned.  Courts and local authorities have some power to decide what gets banned or not. Kids' voices can have great impact.

 

The good news is that censorship is usually counterproductive!  Restricting access to books actually serves to create best-sellers! I think you’d be stunned to know how many banned books we have all read in our lives. Here are just a few:

 

-Charlotte’s Web

-Where the Wild Things Are

-Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

-Harry Potter series

-Frankenstein

-Grimm’s Fairy Tales

-Gone with the Wind

-The Grapes of Wrath

-Ann Frank

-Dr. Zhivago

-I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

-The Catcher in the Rye

-To Kill a Mockingbird

-A Farewell to Arms

-Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret

-The Color Purple

-The Kite Runner

-The Hate U Give

-The Alchemist

-The Lord of the Flies

-1984

-The Origin of Species

-Huckleberry Finn

-The Canterbury Tales

-and even Wycliff's Bible!

 

So if you have a chance, visit an independent bookstore soon and celebrate their display of banned books (if they have one)—some of their displays are clever and fun, sometimes putting caution tape around the table or decorating with quotes and calls to action.  Ask yourself: Why? How? Who? And then continue to read to your heart’s content. 

 

“A word to the unwise.
Torch every book.
Char every page.
Burn every word to ash.
Ideas are incombustible.
And therein lies your real fear.” 
― Ellen Hopkins

 

xo K