Banned Book Week
We are coming to the end of “Banned Book Week.” This year’s theme is “Books unite us. Censorship Divides Us.” Libraries love this week, not because they are glad that books are banned but because they like to advertise the books that are banned. There is nothing like promoting a banned product. Why? — people (especially children) ask themselves. Then they read the book to find out!!
Books are banned for a number of reasons. Racial issues, sexual situations, witchcraft, profane language and violence are among the main ones. There is another vague category having to do with community standards. Of course public schools are not encouraged to promote banned books. Many school systems have an established protocol for a parent to challenge a book. Some books that were challenged thirty years ago are barely noticed now, and new ones have taken their place.
Quite a few books that we consider to be classics have from time to time been challenged, such as:
The Great Gatsby The Catcher in the Rye The Grapes of Wrath To Kill a Mockingbird The Color Purple
The top ten books challenged in 2020 include: To Kill a Mockingbird, The Hate U Give , Of Mice and Men and The Bluest Eyes. I have never heard of others on the list, some of which I have posted images of the jackets below. These new books tend to deal with sensitive topics that would not have been explored ten year ago. How do you feel about banning books? How do I feel? I personally think that having a book on a library shelf and having a book as a novel study in a school setting are two different considerations. There are no easy answers.
