The above picture represents something that is in need of attention. Censorship, and book banning, is a very important issue that needs more notoriety. Schools are banning books and have been banning books for a long time, causing children of all ages to not be able to learn about certain things because the book is ‘banned’ and not suitable for them to read. This needs to be stopped so all books can be read and enjoyed because that is why they are written.
What is a Banned Book?
- A banned book is a book that is not permitted free access, or, the book may or may not be available for the public to view and enjoy.
Why is a Book Banned?
- Books are banned for a number of reasons. There are three main categories that these reasons are based in:
- Political Views
- Religious Views/Beliefs
- Moral Beliefs
- All three categories can be used when citing why a book was banned.
- One big reason why books are banned can be brought down to one simple word: Fear.
- Another reason why books are banned is Censorship. Book banning is a part of censorship and the word censoring is used because when you ban a book, you are prohibiting people from reading it, therefore, censoring them from an abomination.
Who is In Charge of Banning Books?
- The Government of a country plays a huge role in banning books.
- Other people and organizations can be responsible for banning books as well:
- Schools
- Libraries
- Churches
- Entire Towns/Communities
Why Should You Be Worried about This?
- Book banning is a very urgent issue, but it is not well known. People need to learn more about it, so it can be prevented.
- If a book is banned in a school setting, it can be stunting the intellectual growth of a child.
What Books Are Banned?
- Thousands of books are banned, but here is just a small list of books that have been banned, what country they were banned in, and why:
Title of Book | Country/ City | Reason for Banning |
The depiction of animals on the same complexity level as humans. | ||
Brave New World | Banned in 1932 due to alleged sexual promiscuity. | |
The Diary of Anne Frank | Protrayed Jews, | |
Howl | Obscenity (after trial, the charges were dismissed) | |
Mein Kampf | The rights are claimed by the | |
Nineteen Eighty-Four | Soviet Union (1950), | Stalin banned is because it was a satire based on him and during the Cuban Missile Crisis. |
Tropic of Cancer | Sexually explicit content and vulgarity. | |
Uncle Tom’s Cabin | Anti-slavery content. |
What Can You Do to Help?
- There are many ways in which a person can help make banned books and censorship of books a thing of the past.
- Supporting Banned Books day/week/month or whatever your community calls it.
- Helping the American Libraries Association stop book banning by supporting them.
- Getting a community involved and spreading the word that book banning and censorship of books is not the wisest thing to do.
Work Cited
1. Kelly, Melissa. "Censorship and Book Banning in America." about.com. about.com, 2000. Web. 14 Feb 2011. <http://712educators.about.com/cs/bannedbooks/a/bookbanning_2.htm>.
2. "List of most-commonly challenged books in the United States." wikipedia.org. wikipedia.org, 29 sept 2010. Web. 14 Feb 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most-commonly_challenged_books_in_the_United_States>.
3. "List of books banned by governments." wikipedia.org. wikipedia.org, 11 feb 2011. Web. 14 Feb 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_banning>.
4. "Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read." American Libraries Association. ala.org, 0ct 2010. Web. 14 Feb 2011. <http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/index.cfm>.
