The Woodbine Public Youth Library carries a variety of books - including books that have been challenged or banned. This week Sept. 24 through Oct. 1 is celebrated by the American Library Association and their members as "Banned Books Week." The week is ment to highlight the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States. Above ar four books that have been challenged including: "Snakehead," part of the Alex Rider series by British author Anthony Horowits, challenged in an elementary school Flordia because "drug and weapons smuggling and gang violence is too much for any child to have access to"; "Betrayed," book two of the House of Night series by P.C. Case and Kristin Case, challenged in an Alaska high school because "it simply causes kids to think even more of things sexual"; "Speak" by Laurie aHalse Anderson, banned dut to story plot focused around sexual assault; and "Bone," a allcolor graphic novel series from Jeff Smith, challenged due to content regarding gambling, drinking and sexual appeal. The series is rated suitable for fourth grade and up, has won several awards, and received positive reviews from national publications, including Time, which touted the series as the "best all-ages graphic novel ever published."
Woodbine Public Library celebrates "Banned Books Week"
Nikki Davis
Editor
Woodbine Public Youth Librarian Wendy Doyel doesn’t think the concept itself is all that difficult.
“Just don’t read it. How hard is that? If you don’t agree with a TV show, you don’t watch it. If you don’t like a movie, you don’t go to it. So if you don’t like a book, don’t read it. Don’t let your kids read it. It’s pretty simple to me,” Doyel said.
The American Library Association always celebrates Banned Books Week the last week of September, falling Sept. 24 through Oct. 1 for 2011. Banned Books Week is meant to highlight the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States.
And it may hit closer to home then one would think.
“Before I started working here, I was told there was a group that tried to ban the Harry Potter series from here,” Doyel said. “I don’t know how far they pushed, but I know that in the Library Bill of Rights that public libraries use, it states that, ‘Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval,’ and ‘Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.’”
Aside from that, Doyel cited attempted bannings in Waterloo as well as Kenawha and Newton. In 2007 in Newton, the classic novel, “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck was challenged due to concerns of profanity and the portrayal of Jesus Christ. In Waterloo, ”The Catcher in the Rye” by JD Salinger was contested in 1992 due to profanity, lurid passages about sex and statements defamatory to minorities, God, women and the disabled.
Other books, such as classics “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” “Gone With the Wind” and “One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest” were banned due to the use of a now used derogatory term for those of African American descent.
“But you have to put things in context. When these books were written, the context of the word was prevalent. It wasn’t written into these books to offend or upset people, it’s just the way it was. You’re going to ban a book for one word?” she asked. “Do I agree with the word myself? No. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to say, ‘Don’t read that book.’ You have to take it in context.”
Doyel also cited “Whale Talk” by Chris Crutcher as being targeted in Harrison County’s own Missouri Valley. The Missouri Valley School Board voted 3-2 in March of 2007 to allow the book to be read by 10th through 12th graders, but if it was used in the classroom, parents would be allowed to select an alternative book. Brit Liljedahl, Brenda Dooley and Dan Zaiser voted in favor of the resolution while Trish Allmon and Mark Warner opposed it.
Ironically, “Whale Talk” has been classified as carrying the primary themes of overcoming obstacles … and teaching tolerance and humanity.
A bit of background information in the past 10 years regarding THE 4,660 books that were either challenged or banned from American libraries:
• 1,536 were challenged due to “sexually explicit” material
• 1,231 were challenged due to “offensive language”
• 977 were challenged due to material deemed “unsuited to age group”
• 553 were challenged due to “violence”
• 370 were challenged due to “homosexuality”
Out of those numbers, 1,720 of the challenges were in classrooms, 1,432 were in school libraries and 1,119 were in public libraries.
And Doyel stands her ground … no books should be banned or even challenged. It’s a choice. It’s a freedom thing.
“It’s about freedom. It boils down to when people complain about the horrible things banned in other countries that do this or don’t do that. Then they come here and want the books taken out of schools and the libraries? It’s only a small thing … but you take these books out of the school and circulation, then what’s next? They tell you what clothes you can wear? What you can say? It all just spirals,” she said.
In honor of Banned Books Week, Doyel has set up a display inside the Youth Library with a list of statistical figures - including where certian books were banned and/or challenged and the reason(s) why. All of which she believes can be fixed simply.
"If you don't agree with it, don't read it. Don't let your kids read it. It's pretty simple to me," she said. "They're books. They are written for entertainment purposes." For more information on Banned Books Week, visit the Woodbine Public Library or visit the American Library Association's Website at www.ala.org.
