Arr! Avast Ye Burning, Fireman Montag

[tablesaw]

Coming fast on the heels of International Talk Like a Pirate Day comes the American Library Association Banned Books Week. It does not seem coincidence that the two dovetail together so closely; both are noble causes dedicated to the freedom of expression.

Fortunately, there were no books of a piratical nature on the list of the ALA's list of the 100 most frequently challenged books of 1990–2000 or of the 10 most frequently challenged books of 2001. There are some old favorites like Huckleberry Finn and Catcher in the Rye, along with the new darling of the book banners, J.K. "I-Am-Making-Your-Child-Worship-Satan" Rowling. Also note number 88 on the Top 100 list: Where's Waldo? by Martin Hanford. Um, sure.

There's not a whole lot to say about banned books that hasn't already been said, so I shall end now, asking you to consider, for the week, the Librarians' Motto:

Information wants to be free. And it also wants to be returned on time in the same condition in which it was borrowed. Ye mateys.

Comments

Banned books.

[westernactor.livejournal.com]

My mother, who is a now-retired educator for elementary school in areas having a lot to do with books and reading made an interesting point once when I asked her about the banning of books. Librarians make choices about which books should be in their libraries in the first place, so how is that dealt with? Obviously, libraries (especially school libraries) can't contain every book ever written, so the line has to be drawn somewhere. But where?
Personally, I feel if something is demonstrably vital, important literature, it should be included, hence something like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. I can understand, however, why something like Of Mice And Men might not be appropriate for elementary school kids, but I'd sure expect to see that book in any high school library. The same with The Catcher in the Rye. I think the whole issue is very thorny, and not one that can easily be seen in black and white terms. I'm absolutely in favor of artistic and literary expression, and I think that kids should be exposed to all sorts of different ideas, but I think it's up to the librarians and other people in positions of authority to make those choices, and there's just no way to please everyone, sadly.
But should books ever be banned or not allowed for particular reading assignments? I don't think so. If a kid is willing to pick up a book that might be a stretch, and he or she has parents and teachers who are willing to allow it and be there to answer questions about what the book might contain, I'm all for that. Kids have to grow and learn, and reading the great thoughts of great authors through history is still the best way to do that.

Re: Banned books.

[tablesaw]

You may be interested in this essay.

As for the rest, I believe that it is the librarian's job to please everyone, in that the library should hold a large variety of books that any person might want. A librarian's job cannot, however, be to avoid displeasing anyone.