<p>The Diary of Anne Frank has been on banned book lists for years. Sometimes I think that what bothers these book banners is not necessarily sex and violence as much as the suggestion that Authority is sometimes wrong, even if Authority is Nazism.</p>
<p>I can’t believe some of the books on that ‘100 most challenged list’ - I actually thought it was a joke when I read it (someone please tell me that it is…). </p>
<p>‘The Handmaid’s Tale’?? ‘Brave New World’?? How can you possibly study (much less understand) the concept of dystopian worlds without reading these books???</p>
<p>And what’s with challenging the reading of ‘The Witches’ and ‘James and the Giant Peach’?? Both of those books were written to teach children the virtues of courage and tenacity in difficult situations. Last time I checked, those were good things…</p>
<p>I can see why some of the books on the list were challenged (‘American Psycho’ springs to mind - it contains incredibly graphic violence relating to sexual assault), but surely the answer is not to ban these books, but simply not make them required reading?</p>
<p>And why anyone would want to ban Judy Blume books is totally beyond me.</p>
<p>"‘The Handmaid’s Tale’?? ‘Brave New World’?? " Banning those two proves my point–the banners hate when authority and the status quo are questioned, no matter how inherently loathsome they are.</p>
<p>Some book banners have a problem with The Witches & Harry Potter because they think they glorify magic, which is associated with Satanic stuff. It’s not that in Harry Potter people can meet gory ends, it is that in Harry Potter, kids are encouraged to be Wizards.</p>
<p>I fear this country is entering a new “McCarthyistic” era…sad…very sad…and scary.</p>
<p>I agree Shardartist. (BTW welcome to CC.)</p>
<p>And I think it is going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better.</p>
<p>If you search a little, you’ll find that many people have interpreted the Handmaid’s Tale as an attack on the Church of Latter-Day Saints (because it tells the story of a junior wife in a polygamist society–like that of the 19th century LDS), which is one reason it’s banned in some areas.</p>
<p>banning books = ultimate evil IMHO</p>
<p>Ive read the Handmaids tale and I never made the connection but that is an interesting thought.
I am disturbed however at church practices which strive to control and restrict their members reading material to “church approved” materials.
I am quite fascinated with the Mormons, my sister joined the church when she was 16, and it is quite a different environment than what our parents believed
<a href=“http://www.religioustolerance.org/lds_intr.htm[/url]”>http://www.religioustolerance.org/lds_intr.htm</a></p>
<p>I agree that fundamental religions do appear to be getting more vocal, but I don’t believe that they are a majority of the population.</p>
<p>( of course if they keep having lots of kids they won’t be a minority for long!)</p>
<p>What is bad about Bridge to Terabithia? I read it many, many, many years ago and only remember one of them smashing their head into a rock at the end. What was bad about it other than that?</p>
<p>That’s what’s bad.</p>
<p>Hhhmm…( although I’m not a parent, I stumbled upon this board -_-),as a high school student I have to say that I sincerely enjoyed some of the certain books on this “banned” list. For instance, I don’t see the harm in reading THE AWAKENING or SONG OF SOLOMON. I thought the novels were actually insightful and eyeopeners. </p>
<p>Also, when a school book has either obscenities or explicit sexual content, isn’t it there because it serves a purpose in the context of the novel?</p>
<p>Just my opinion of course.</p>
<p>Song of Solomon was required reading for us (senior year). While I did not like it, I appreciate it being on our required list and available.</p>
<p>The Awakening was one I read on my own. It was racy for the nineteeth century - but hello! We’ve progressed beyond that. </p>
<p>We also read Wide Sargasso Sea (paired with Jane Eyre) - so I guess I’m lucky that prudes weren’t making the book choices at my h.s. </p>
<p>In some ways, while we did have to read books with more explicit content (Song of Solomon being one of them), they were introduced to us later in high school - which I think is one good way to go about it. Also, not to be entirely cynical, but Shakespeare has plenty of sexual innuendos. What’s next - banning the Bard? After a while, mature students can certainly separate what they read from what they should do, and they can discuss it intellectually without condoning what is in the book. </p>
<p>I think this is a very different issue than, say, asking if “The Clan of the Cave Bear” should be required reading or in the library. You’re also not asking about a harlequin bodice-ripper: the books on the above list are truly “literature,” not just novels. I might be weird in this, but I do think that, ultimately, literature helps the reader to understand her own life. Most all of my female friends struggle with sexuality, given that the virgin/slut dichotomy is still alive and well. Many (former) female friends view sex as something for a man’s pleasure, not to bring the couple closer together. So let me add in the third category: martyr. Notice how most books banned for sexual content deal with female, not male, sexuality!</p>
<p>…never mind that HP actually has very strong moral themes - the stark good/evil dichotomy being one of them.</p>
<p>I’ve read a lot fo so called banned books. I just get them at the bookstore. What’s the big deal?</p>
<p>The big deal, mensa160, is that–in some places–libraries won’t get those books and bookstores refuse to sell them. And students have been suspended from schools for giving copies to other students.</p>
<p>There are plenty of books Id like to see banned, but its because of the writing not the content. (Just kidding, I really, really hate censorship of any kind.) </p>
<p>I agree that childrens books (or books that children love), going back centuries, have a disproportionate amount of bad things happening to good people. When my son was in grade school we had a family joke when we suggested a book. Is one parent dead? Sounds promising. Two? Well, then its sure to be good. Think about Oliver Twist, Treasure Island, Jane Eyre.</p>
<p>actually, the bible has about no violent or sexual imagery (or at least the new testament) part of the problem with the passion was that mel gibson turned about one verse of the bible into a feature length film. </p>
<p>Huh? Do you know the story of how John the Baptist lost his head? The very violent events leading up to the crucifixion may be skimpy in word count, but they are indisputably central to the story.</p>
<p>If Anne Frank is on the list,. I wonder if Night is on the list…</p>
<p>Censorship for teens is an anacronism left over from when kids did not have access to the stream of materials they do today. Kids think its a joke, something for parents to talk about while they read the books on the banned book list.</p>
<p>Educated, informed kids make good decisions.</p>
<p>In my opinion, grammer school is a different story. Every parent should have an opportunity to present moral, ethical and religious issues to their children without the schoolboard’s and the teacher’s imput.</p>
<p>I hate book banning although it does result in the opposite–more attention and more sales.</p>
<p>Radar–I agree about elementary school. I have to admit two books I really dislike are Walter the Farting Dog and The Day My Butt Went Psycho. Young children seem to love them, but I would not purchase them for my kids.</p>