Once a year the American Library Association (ALA) holds an event celebrating the freedom to read, a freedom given to us in the First Amendment of the Constitution. This year's event will be held September 30 - October 6, 2012 and will highlight the benefits of free and open access to information, while at the same time highlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States in an effort to educate people about the harms of censorship.
According to the ALA website, they define intellectual freedom as the freedom to access information and express ideas, even if the information and ideas might be considered unorthodox or unpopular. This definition provides the foundation for the Banned Books Week. The ALA uses this week to stress the importance of availability of unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints for all who wish to read and access them.
The ALA publishes a list of books that have been challenged or banned each year. These are the books highlighted during Banned Books Week. The list of challenged books are not just books that people merely express a negative point of view of. The books on the list have received requests to be removed from schools and libraries, thus restricting others right to access these titles. Even when the outcome to these requests results in the book staying on the shelves, and even when the person is a lone protester, the censorship attempt is real. Someone has tried to restrict another person's access to information and ability to choose for themselves. Attempts to censor can lead to voluntary restriction of expression by those who seek to avoid controversy. The books provided on the list are the books that have been documented as being challenged or banned. This is not a comprehensive list. According to ALA surveys, approximately 85 percent of the challenges to library materials receive no media attention and remain unreported. The list is also limited to books and does not include challenges to magazines, newspapers, films, broadcasts, plays, performances, electronic publications, or exhibits.
Here is the link to the list: Books Challenged or Banned in 2010-2011.
The list of books starts on page four.
Are there any books listed that surprised you? Which ones and why?
Do you agree with the banning of some of these books? Which ones and why?
Do you agree with ALA sponsoring an annual banned books week? Why or why not?
The fact that a lot of these books are challenged by people who don't even read them makes me particularly frustrated. You find a lot of instances where they saw a word or phrase they don't like, or just don't like the topic of the book. It is shameful to try restricting access to something that you don't have all the facts about yourself.
ReplyDeleteI don't think any books should be banned - although, I would agree that Snow Falling on Cedars could be banned if for nothing else than being extremely boring. Just kidding, obviously, but you get the point.
ReplyDeleteA library is an archive of information. It's no one's job or right to decide what information people can access. It's also not the library's job to parent other people's children on what they can and cannot read - that's the parents' job. If a parent doesn't want their child to read a certain title, that's their right. BUT they can't limit what someone else's child can read.
It is so important that you brought up the accountability of parents. The library is not a parent or a babysitter. It is a parent's obligation to monitor their children and what they read, but only for their own children (or the children they are responsible for).
DeleteThat list is far too long, as it is every year. Also, far too many examples of a booked being banned because "a parent thought...". Really? That's all it takes now? One person gets to decide what is available to the public?
ReplyDeleteEven if I oversimplify the process, it's still more obscene than any content in any of those books.
Jeff Smith's BONE?? It's a comic book. A great one at that.
Another one on the list was young adult vampire fiction. Am I to assume that Twilight is banned as well? Or is that too popular?
I don't think parents give there kids enough credit sometimes for being able to read something and make there own decisions about what they learn. I know I am guilty as a parent for doing this sometimes.
DeleteBut I get very disheartened when I see parents forcing their views on others. I try very hard to let questions that come up from reading what some deem inappropriate as a tool for disussing why such beliefs are out there.
I believe it is important for books to be available for people to read. When I was younger and first learned there was a Banned Book List, I was mortified. I didn't think it was right for an individual to impose their beliefs on to someone else.
ReplyDeleteNow that I am a little older, I believe and understand more clearly, why it should be the responsibility of the parent or guardian to teach their children right from wrong, and, therefore, appropriate or inappropriate. However, clearly, many parents do not know how to decipher this themselves and, consequently, are unable to assist their children.
Presently, I utilize this list as a way to educate students about Banned Books. It seems far more useful as a tool or guideline to decipher whether a book may be appropriate to read or not. In addition, it has been useful as a view of the history of reading, writing and politics and how they intertwine.
But how do you decide what is appropriate for children to read? I understand if you are choosing a book for your class as a whole and you want to avoid controversy. But sharing a list with children and implying that books on that list may not be appropriate seems a little irresponsible. Unless you are discussing each book in detail. Even then, families don't have the same views on what is appropriate or inappropriate. Children have different maturity levels and different capacities to make judgements.
DeleteDid you know that books like The Diary of Anne Frank and A Light in the Attic have been on that list?
The ALA does not compile this list every year to use as a way to decipher the appropriateness of books. They put it out to create awareness of an issue that goes against their mission:censorship.
A lot of these books are on the list because people are not looking into all sides of issues. That is why libraries have free access, so we can make informed decisions for ourselves and our children.
When, as adults, do we begin to allow children to form their own opinions and make judgments on what they want to read. If anything, while I was teaching, this list became quite a source of conversation among students. They were determined to find out what the book contained that drew such fire. Were there inappropriate words, explicit interaction between characters? What was the criteria used for the banning? Who in the library made the decision? Were all books on the list automatically censored or just certain ones, and why? Through discussion the advisability of such a list was discussed. Never underestimate the knowledge and values students bring to such a discussion. Allow them to make their decisions. They will stumble, but it will be their decisions, not that of a "well-meaning" adult or group.
ReplyDeleteLetting the students discuss the books in this setting makes sense. We should empower kids to make decisions based on all the information.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious, did you ever get any backlash from parents that were upset that you introduced them to these banned books? If so, how did you handle such conflicts?