Banned Books Week Sept.25-Oct.2
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| photo by Horia Varlan |
Banned Books Week: Banning is Happening in 2010?
Banned Books Week began in 1982 and is still occurring in 2010….because books are still being banned.
There is even a recent controversy with a book, Operation Dark Heart by Army Reserve Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer, who had 45,000 copies of his book purchased by the US Defense Department. The US Defense Department then burned all 45,000 copies. It may not be called a ‘banned book’, but it is being burned and argued over even after it was cleared by the branch of the US Army. “Apparently, Defense Intelligence Agency took exception to the way the Army cleared the book,” Shaffer commented on Fox News. (Link to this story at bottom of posting.)
I don’t want to get sidetracked here, so let’s go on with some of my favorite books that were banned at one point in our history. These facts were taken from Wikipedia..not always accurate, but an interesting read.
My Pick of 7 Banned Books
- Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Banned in the Southern United States during the Civil War due to its anti-slavery content. In 1852, Uncle Tom’s Cabin was banned in Russia under the reign of Nicholas I due to the idea of equality it presented, and for its “undermining religious ideals.”
- Not Without My Daughter by Betty Mahmoody. Banned in Iran. It is a real life story of an American citizen’s escape along with her daughter from the clutches of her husband in Iran. It created furor in Iran for showing the general conditions there in a bad light as well as for being critical of Iranian Islamic customs.
- Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman. Children’s book banned in Japan (1988–2005) to quell “political threats to boycott Japanese cultural exports”, although the pictures were not those of the original version.
- The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank. Biography banned in Lebanon for “portraying Jews, Israel or Zionism favorably”
- Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. Fiction banned by the Apartheid-based South African government from 1948 to 1994. Due to its title, white Nationalist Party leaders mistakenly thought the book was about a black African woman.
- Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Children’s Novel/Adventure banned in the province of Hunan, China, beginning in 1931 for its portrayal of anthropomorphizing animals acting on the same level of complexity as human beings.
- Banned Book for 2011 New Ghandi biography banned by state in Western India
What do you think about banning books? Put your comments on my blog for a discussion!
Link to Operation Dark Heart by Army Reserve Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer
Well, I've thought a lot about this over the years and honestly, when it comes down to it, I really can not agree with banning books on a national level. It just doesn't feel right, doesn't agree with our free right to speech and opinion.
That being said, I do believe in a parent's right to monitor what his/her daughter is reading/watching. A conscious parent knows their child better than anyone else in the world. A conscious parent will know when a child is ready for new concepts. As a parent, I feel that my children must be rooted in the fundamental basics of righteous values before they are faced with demoralizing topics and discussions. So, I will decide when my 5 yr old, 8 yr old or 12 year old is ready to read/watch material that brings up tough topics and difficult moral concepts. I want to be picky and patient in waiting for my children to have the capacity to process their understanding of different or difficult situations and scenes they may read/watch about. So… although I do not believe in banning books, I do believe that parents have a right to censor or monitor what their children read.
CK,
Very well said! I believe you speak for many involved parents when you say we have the right (and responsibility) to monitor what your child is reading/watching.
Thanks for commenting and adding your thoughts to the posting!
I agree with CK. If my DD wants to read something, I read it 1st(I home school). If I feel she can handle the info, she can read it, if she can't then we table it until she is older. Not for banning or burning books. This isn't Nazi Germany!
Sarita,
Your involvement with your child is encouraging for other parents. Thank you for leaving your well expressed comment.
Thank God, it's not Nazi Germany!