Banned Books Week

Celebrates Right To Read

 

By Nancy K. Crevier

To read what we want, when we want, is a liberty Americans take for granted, and were it not for the efforts of book associations around the United States that alert Americans to the growing list of literature banned for various reasons, the books Americans choose to read might be far more limited.

September 23 to 30 is Banned Books Week, a yearly event since 1982 sponsored by the American Booksellers Association, American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, American Library Association, Association of American Publishers, American Society of Journalists and Authors, and the National Association of College Stores.

Organizations and bookstores across the United States will celebrate books that have been banned or challenged throughout the years. From September 23 to September 30, displays and readings of banned books, discussion groups, and other activities will focus on banned books that range from children’s literature to classics.

“Banned Books Weeks reminds us that we must remain vigilant,” stated American Library Association president Leslie Burger in a recent press release.

Who has not encountered Ulysses by James Joyce or Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird at some point in his or her educational career? The Grapes of Wrath by John Updike, Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman, Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, and The Color Purple by Alice Walker have all landed on the banned book list at some point, as have Henry Miller’s Tropic of Cancer, D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover, and ironically, Fahrenheit 451, a fictional account of a futuristic society in which books are burned, by Ray Bradbury. Mark Twain’s look at late 19th Century life on the Mississippi, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, has found itself on and off the list of banned books for many years, as has John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men.

Books end up on the banned book list for several reasons. Religious and parental groups may file complaints concerning books that address topics they find insensitive or repugnant. From the 1930s through the 1960s, charges of obscenity were filed against several best-selling books. Books deemed objectionable due to content, sexual material, profanity, or racial slurs become the object of censorship. More recently, books believed to be anti-family or negative are targeted by social watchdog groups. Themes that deal with drugs and violence, or contain what may be considered offensive language and sexual content, mark many popular young adult books for the banned book list.

Should an author not write colloquially, even though certain language may be crude to others unfamiliar with a region? When an author writes of an era in which language today seen as “politically incorrect” is the norm, should he or she self-censor and risk losing the flavor of the piece? Violence is a part of history and violence infiltrates aspects of society that may not be palatable to those who live in a protected culture. Is it necessary for a writer to launder the truth? And ultimately, as booksellers, librarians, and bibliophiles look at Banned Books Week, the question is: who should decide what books are available to the public?

C.H. Booth Young Adult librarian Margaret Brown and library director Janet Woycik believe it is up to the individual family to decide what is best for them. “It is up to parents to be responsible for selections made by children,” said Ms Woycik. But that does not mean making a book inaccessible to others who may not agree with those particular values.

The purpose of Banned Books Week, said Ms Brown, is to remind Americans that freedom from censorship is to be valued.

“It is important to allow people freedom,” she said. “It is important to celebrate the freedom of reading what you want.”

Faculty from Western Connecticut State University will meet with members of the Booth Library Young Adult Council on Monday, September 25, to discuss censorship as it applies to books and the freedom to read, said Ms Brown. A display of banned books can be viewed on the third floor of the library in the reference department during Banned Books Week.

C.H. Booth Library uses professional reviews to select new literature for the shelves, said Ms Woycik. The New York Times, Kirkus Book Review, Publisher’s Weekly, The Library Journal and The School Library Journal are all sources considered when books are purchased. Occasionally, recommendations from residents are considered and become part of the library’s collection.

In her 25 years as library director, Ms Woycik said only two complaints have been filed by patrons unhappy with a particular piece of literature available at the library. “There is a form,” she said. “We ask that the complainant tell us what part of the book is objectionable and why the book shouldn’t be in the library. I don’t believe either of the complaints were followed through on.”

Children and Young Adult literature comes under fire frequently. The Ten Most Challenged Books of 2005, according to The American Library Association, are all books published for children or young adults. It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie H. Harris, Forever by Judy Blume, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier, Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher, Detour for Emmy by Marilyn Reynolds, What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones, Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey, Crazy Lady by Jane Leslie Conly, and It’s So Amazing by Robie H. Harris are all being ostracized for charges such as “unsuitable for age group,” “religious viewpoint,” “offensive language” and/or “sexual content.”

Many of these same authors have the doubtful honor of having also made the 2005 Most Frequently Challenged Authors list. Judy Blume, Robert Cormier, Chris Crutcher, Robie Harris, Phyllis Reynolds, Toni Morrison, J.D. Salinger, Lois Lowry, Marilyn Reynolds and Sonya Sones are popular authors whose writings were criticized for profanity, insensitivity, violence or inappropriate sexual content in the eyes of one group or another. 

But at C.H. Booth Library, librarian Marie Walker, a 20-year employee of the library, said that it is very infrequently that a parent brings up any issues with books in the children’s collection.

Nor have Newtown public schools found censorship to be an issue. The process for novel adoption in the Newtown school system includes a review by at least two teachers, a parent , and at least one student before a book is adopted for either the curriculum or addition to a school library, said Alice Jackson, vice superintendent of Newtown schools.

“This process has helped us look objectively at whether or not the book chosen is the best one to meet the goals and is appropriate in our community,” said Ms Jackson. “Novels are discussed in the Language Arts Curriculum committee, which also includes parents and students, before being taken for adoption by the Board of Education.”

According to the Board of Education Selection of Library Media Resources policy: “The principles of freedom to read and the professional judgment of the staff must be defended” when material is challenged. The board acknowledges that occasional dissatisfaction with a selection will arise, and a form for reconsideration is available. A special review committee is then put into place to consider the complaint.

“I have not received any complaints in my time here,” said Ms Jackson, who has served the Newtown school system since 2001.

Area residents can celebrate Banned Books Week at several events scheduled at Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) beginning Monday, September 25. Ed Hagan, of the WCSU English department, will talk on the trend of news stories taking on the structure of sports stories, effectively censoring information in a subtle manner, on Monday, September 25, from 1 to 2 pm, at Warner Hall.

A debate on censorship is scheduled for Tuesday, September 26, 12:30 to 2 pm, at Warner Hall; Thursday, September 28, Michael Nolan will present “Henri Alleg and the Question of Torture in France’s Algerian War,” focusing on censorship in France in the 1950s of a book due to the author’s criticism of the treatment of war prisoners. The talk will be held in Warner Hall.

Sam Tanenhaus, editor of The New York Times Book Review, will be at Warner Hall at 6:30 pm that evening, with a reception to follow. (See sidebar for details and additional information.)

Throughout the week, a readathon of banned books will take place in the Student Center from 11 am to 3 pm.

Information concerning any of the WCSU events is available by calling 837-8486.

For further information on book banning, read 100 Banned Books, Censorship Histories of World Literature by Nicholas J. Kaarollides, Margaret Bald and Dawn B. Sova, a summary of 100 books and a history of why they were censored. It provides insight into the political, sexual, religious and social grounds of why each piece of literature was suppressed or challenged.

Unlike 19th Century English author Benjamin Disraeli, who said “When I want to read a novel, I write one,” those whose talents lie outside of authorship must hope that words that ring true for them will be put to print by some novelist who is unafraid to write what the pen insists must be written.