BarkellWH -> Banned Books Week: September 27 - October 3 (Sep. 28 2015 7:56:08)
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To those who celebrate the freedom to read and love books, this is "Banned Books Week" in the United States (September 27 - October 3). There is (and has been since time immemorial) a constant struggle in American secondary schools between those who think students should be exposed to a variety of viewpoints in the literary canon and the forces of ignorance on both the Left and the Right who would ban books they deem inappropriate, insensitive, unpatriotic, un-American, or that offend anyone in any way. This year the two most commonly banned books were old warhorses in this annual celebration of ignorance: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain, 1884 The first ban of Mark Twain’s American classic in Concord, MA in 1885 called it “trash and suitable only for the slums.” Objections to the book have evolved, but only marginally. Twain’s book is one of the most-challenged of all time and is frequently challenged even today because of its frequent use of the word “nigger.” Otherwise it is alleged the book is “racially insensitive,” “oppressive,” and “perpetuates racism.” The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Malcolm X and Alex Haley, 1965 (Grove Press) Objectors have called this seminal work a “how-to-manual” for crime and decried because of “anti-white statements” present in the book. The book presents the life story of Malcolm Little, also known as Malcolm X, who was a human rights activist and who has been called one of the most influential Americans in recent history. There are many more on the list, but three additional classics that are always banned in schools somewhere in the country are J.D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye," Joseph Heller's "Catch 22," and Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird." In fact, all five of the books mentioned, as well as most of the many others on the challenged or banned list, are worthy reads that have stood the test of time. Yet, the forces of ignorance often win out. So, this evening I'll raise my glass and toast "Banned Books Week" and all the books that have been removed from secondary schools' library shelves as being "unsuitable" for our fragile youth. Bill
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