Freed between the lines
Musings on National Banned Books Week
Book banning is not new. History records books banned as early as 259-210 B.C. in China. The Emperor Shih Huang Ti thought that history should begin with him and so had 460 Confucian books burned.
Banning books is on a perilous rise. “The unparalleled number of unique titles targeted in 2023 marked a 65 percent increase from 2022. During the two decades prior to 2021, the average number of unique titles targeted per year was 273. “ (American Library Association).
Book bans have ranged from the Bible, Shakespeare, “To Kill A Mocking Bird” and many classic literature books all the way to objections in “Charlotte’s Web” and Dr. Seuss books.
First banning
The first national ban in the United States was Uncle Tom’s Cabin, barred by the Confederacy for its pro-abolitionist agenda, but also because it aroused heated debates about slavery.
In Mother Theodore’s time, she witnessed men, women and children being sold as slaves. They were not allowed to learn how to read.
If a slave were caught reading, they and anyone who was teaching them were severely punished. To learn how to read was to threaten the power system that kept them enslaved.
Not much has changed
Today, that same injustice has taken different forms to keep in place a power system that is perceived beneficial, even essential to some.
One of those forms is censorship of what people can read. It especially affects those who are most vulnerable in our society: People of color, a diversity of faith traditions and persons who identify as LGBTQIA+.
In 2012 in our country, people demanded the removal of Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” from public library shelves. Currently, her book “The Bluest Eye,” is banned in Indiana.
On May 4, 2023, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb signed House Bill 1447. This allows parents and community members to request books be banned from school libraries that they deem “obscene” or “harmful to minors.”
Information is crucial
The information that school and public libraries provide is crucial to our democracy. It provides a way to learning about persons whose life experience is different from ourselves, to healing what divides us. Vigo County Public Libraries are displaying banned books this week to educate us about the issue.
Shaleena Barker, the public relations manager for the Vigo County Public Library said Banned Books Week is an important time of year.
“One of the library’s core beliefs is that everyone has the right to be informed and retain access to information,” Shaleena said. “Intellectual Freedom is to everyone’s benefit, so when certain rights are threatened at the state and national level, we should all sit up and pay attention.
“Banned Books Week really helps to shine a light on this issue.”
Shaleena said the Vigo County Public Library doesn’t receive a lot of challenges to books in its collection, but there is a review process in place if it happens.
What you can do
Write letters to the editor. Oppose legislation in your state that would censor materials, programs or curriculum. Get involved with organizations like the Freedom to Read Foundation.
Become an organizational partner with Unite Against Book Bans to work together to defeat censorship. Visit the American Library Association website which has a wealth of information and suggestions.
Take the opportunity to visit one of your school or public libraries this week. Have a conversation about how censorship may be affecting their work. Recognize and thank them for the important work they do.
Learn how you can be an effective advocate.
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Thank you, Donna. One often banned book was required reading during g my Catholic high school days, Catcher in the Rye. Don’t think Salinger made much of a lasting imprint but a branch of the public library was across the street from the bus stop I often got off at coming home. I vividly remember stopping there regularly and most times I removed Caryl Chessman’s memoir from the shelf and read another section. I’m sure that book which would probably be banned today had a lot to do with my self determined anti capital punishment stance.
Thank you for keeping this in front of our eyes, Donna!
So important to have freedom to read!
I saw a list recently of banned books in Indiana and other places. Most of them were books I was assigned to read in high school. We need to keep librarians in our thoughts because they’ve been taking some hits recently in this ‘banned book’ era. Thank you for this, Donna.
Sister Donna.
Your article about banning books by any state or legislative body who takes this step to shape the society they want reflects a rather limited world we live in. I taught high school English literature for 42 years — all in Catholic high schools — and occasionally ran into parents who questioned the reading assignments we made, including assignments that were already printed in our anthologies. Our English departments, and their leaders, thank God, always encouraged reading — including encouraging students (and their parents) to read those books they wanted banned. I had always thought those books they wanted banned were not that widely read by those who banned them. Sometimes their move to ban books were only their “joining” others who pushed for banning. I would encourage students to try reading, and come to me with the passage or passages they thought made the banning necessary. In most every case, students read the book, and found nothing to encourage banning. This might indicate that the banning crowd was a small but vocal group who wanted the book removed on their thought alone. My idea was always “let’s try reading first, then come to me and show me the part you question. Then we can talk about the book.”
Thanks for your article. It was a good reading. In all my years as a grade school student in an SP school, and in a CSC high school, no one ever told me “you may not read this book.”