BANNED - A Rant

Recently, there has been a plethora of articles in the Local News in this little backwards town I live in.  Books being challenged and out-right banned from Schools and local libraries.  This week’s target:

“And Tango Makes Three” by Justin Richardson. 

Let us see what Amazon says:

“This tale based on a true story about a charming penguin family living in New York City’s Central Park Zoo will capture the hearts of penguin lovers everywhere. Roy and Silo, two male penguins, are “a little bit different.” They cuddle and share a nest like the other penguin couples, and when all the others start hatching eggs, they want to be parents, too. Determined and hopeful, they bring an egg-shaped rock back to their nest and proceed to start caring for it. They have little luck, until a watchful zookeeper decides they deserve a chance at having their own family and gives them an egg in need of nurturing. The dedicated and enthusiastic fathers do a great job of hatching their funny and adorable daughter, and the three can still be seen at the zoo today. Done in soft watercolors, the illustrations set the tone for this uplifting story, and readers will find it hard to resist the penguins’ comical expressions. The well-designed pages perfectly marry words and pictures, allowing readers to savor each illustration. An author’s note provides more information about Roy, Silo, Tango, and other chinstrap penguins. This joyful story about the meaning of family is a must for any library.”

Well, not O U R Libraries….  Sadly, many Provinces and States are following.  Why? Because of ‘gay’ co-parenting penguins in a New York zoo.

This pushed me over the edge.  We are protecting our children from Penguins.  We are trying to control our children’s thoughts and keep them from considering a gay Penguin lifestyle.  Now, unless there is a zoo out there that has a male penguin sashaying with a tiara or a female penguin teaching gym, I think our kids are safe. Thanks parents, for looking out for their priorities.

Sure, I got a kick out of the Harry Potter Ban “Wizardry, Witchcraft, and Magic-making” OH MY…  Then “The Golden Compass - Philip Pullman” is ripped off many of the Catholic School boards shelves for depicting that the Catholic Church is an evil organization and that God and Christianity are a fraud.

Help me out here for a minute, so the Catholics are challenging a Fantasy Novel for depicting the Truth? Well, that’s understandable then… When it comes back take note and put it in the non-fiction section next to a cornucopia of goodness like this.

Hell it’s not like the author said that Santa Claus wasn’t real.

So, I started wondering, what other works are being removed from our emotionally fortressed children’s schools?  I typed in my magical Yahoo toolbar and found this:
The top 10 banned books in order of most challenges:
· Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.
· The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier.
· Alice series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.
· Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.
· I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.
· Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers.
· It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris.
· Scary Stories series by Alvin Schwartz.
· Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey.
· Forever by Judy Blume.
Did I read that Right?  “Of Mice and Men” WHAT?  I had to read that book 3 times!  3-fucking times.  More frantic Google Queenery… “Of Mice and Men” was banned for Offensive language, Steinbeck’s frequent use of “God,” “God-damned,” and “Jesus” in profane and blasphemous ways. Offended Christians stated that this novel couldn’t possibly have any educational benefit.    

Having read the book, as I said 3 times, I must agree, BUT (hear me out) the story itself was sheer literature brilliance.  Might I hazard to say, that if this was the first Classic Novel I read, it would have inspired me to seek out other classic stories?? Like this one (also banned) ‘The Outsiders’ by S.E. Hinton. A CLASSIC Middle School Curriculum book.  I enjoyed that story thoroughly.

“Mark Twain’s: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” Banned - For Racism in characterization and language. There’s the dreaded N-word (we buried it remember?) Keep in mind, this is a ‘word’ commonly used by both blacks and whites in Mississippi during those times.  And yes, “Adventures Of Tom Sawyer” got the boot too. 

Remember cuddling up with either your parents/grandparents/self reading “Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm” by Johnny Gruelle” apparently it was exposing us to - Excessive violence, negative portrayals of female characters, and anti-Semitic references.”

I was floored to see Robert Munsch’s ‘Giant or waiting for the Thursday Boat’ has been banned by some Ontario school boards - a TEACHER felt the book was ‘inappropriate’. I remember many a time sitting in the library of my elementary school with the Great “Mr Robert Munsch” listening to him read ‘The Paper bag Princess” “Murmel, Murmel, Murmel” “Mortimer” “I have to go!” “Mud Puddle” Yes, I am showing my age…….

A Wrinkle in Time by: Madeline L’Engle - This book was banned because it “challenges religious beliefs”.

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson “anti-religious, language, and discussion of death.”

My FAVORITE author/book of ALL times: James and the Giant Peach by: Ronald Dahl “it promotes the use of drugs, tobacco, and whiskey.”

It kind of explains a lot about my teenage/adult years, but that is beside the point…. At the time, all I thought about when I read it was how wonderful it was when the Giant Peach flattens his evil aunts J and what was going to happen to James on his rolling peach next!

That was enough to get my blood boiling.  What are the parents of today doing?  Getting back in some way for having to endure book reports and reading assignments?  Are we trying to raise children to be dependant fully on TV/Computers and Video Games?

How can we get ahead, when we just keep going backwards? Whether it is Fiction/Non Fiction, Historical, Biographical or Autobiographical; Literature is human history, and will hopefully remain as such as long as those Liberal / Christian / Left & Right Radicals get there heads out of their asses long enough to see that. It’s bad enough that we have groups infiltrating Ontario that believe that “Evolution and Global Warming” are a fiction of someone’s imagination. Even if they were, they should be nonetheless treated as theories, like relativity. Oh wait they don’t believe in “theory” either. How convenient, they believe in creationism and an invisible man that sees/hears/knows all. 

That fits right in with another book I found listed in the Banned books history:

The Bible
The holy book of Christianity. It was banned in Minnesota briefly as it was considered “lewd, indecent and violent contents are hardly suitable for young students.”

Too bad they retaliated and banned “Origin of Species by Charles Darwin” Guess they wanted to avoid the ‘thinning of their herds’

So what else is banned?

Lord of the Flies by: William Golding - The novel was seen to contain racial slurs. And was completely Banned in Nebraska after a reader claimed that this book was “demoralizing inasmuch that it implies that man is little more than an animal.” 

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou - This autobiographical work has been banned because of descriptions of a childhood rape.

The Diviners – by Margaret Laurence - From 1976 to 1994, the book was challenged repeatedly and removed from senior high school reading lists across Canada. In at least two provinces it does not appear on the curriculum.
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger - This novel has been consistently challenged in Canadian schools for at least 15 years. Cause of objection—“Foul language.”
The Color Purple by Alice Walker - description of a rape, foul language & racism.
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous - Sexual Content
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

I have left the most Ironic for last:

Fahrenheit 451
by: Ray Bradbury
Banned for being  “dangerous”
This book is set in the future; when all books are banned and people called ‘firemen’ enforce the laws against them.

Sound Familiar?

Everyone in life, regardless of age, should be encouraged to read. Reading allows you to escape the turmoil’s of everyday life.  Get a break from the hustle and bustle of day-to-day drivel. Even trashy novels of the week provide essential stimulus to keep the brain active. We should be encouraging people to make up their own minds about books. Parents, share them with your children. Talk about the issues that children will face, let them choose their own way.  It didn’t harm us.  I thank my parents for allowing me to read what I wanted. 

Let me share a little tidbit of my childhood.  As a youngster, I was encouraged at a very young age to read.  I was given the freedom to pick up any book I wanted, and I read like the dickens.  In Grade 5, we were given a “free read” book assignment.  I choose “Thinner” by Stephen King.  This was my first Stephen King Novel, but not my first adult novel, I had been reading Agatha Christies for sometime as that was what my grandmother had laying around her house on visits.  I was always reading, and this one peaked my interest.  I read it, and wrote, what I thought was the best 1 page essay EVER!  I was so excited when it was my turn to read my report to the class. 

To my dismay, I was taken aside and told that I could not continue to read my report to the rest of the class.  I was promptly sent to the Principles Office and my Mother was called.  My Teacher told my mother what I was reading and proceeded to list why it was inappropriate to read that type of novel and that it was not welcomed in her class. I was encouraged to read grade appropriate books like “Nancy Drew” “The Babysitters Club” and “Sweet Valley Twins” that I shouldn’t be reading outside my age bracket. 

My mother politely listened and took my hand; she looked my teacher in the eye and said, “at least she is reading, what difference does it make if she reads this or something that you deem a grade 5 level. Don’t discourage my child from reading” With that, we were on our way home.  I was reprimanded for thinking that was fit for a report but I was told that if I wanted to read “other” novels, that was ok with her. 

I am not saying that giving a child a Stephen King Novel is appropriate by any means. I had taken that from the bookshelf on my own, but we should never discourage the love of reading.

I will leave you with the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-1999.  Do yourself a favor; go out and buy these books, share them with others, discuss them with your children, donate them to a library.  Take a stand on literature banning.  If the words die, history dies with it.
1. Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
2. Daddy’s Roommate by Michael Willhoite
3. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
4. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
7. Forever by Judy Blume
8. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
9. Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
10. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
11. The Giver by Lois Lowry
12. My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
13. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
14. Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
15. Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine
16. A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
17. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
18. Sex by Madonna
19. Earth’s Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel
20. The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
21. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
22. The Witches by Roald Dahl
23. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
24. The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein
25. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
26. The Goats by Brock Cole
27. The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard
28. Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry
29. Final Exit by Derek Humphry
30. Blubber by Judy Blume
31. Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam
32. Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
33. Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
34. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
35. What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters by Lynda Madaras
36. Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
37. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
38. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
39. The Pigman by Paul Zindel
40. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
41. We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
42. Deenie by Judy Blume
43. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
44. Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden
45. Beloved by Toni Morrison
46. The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar
47. Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat by Alvin Schwartz
48. Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
49. Cujo by Stephen King
50. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
51. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
52. Ordinary People by Judith Guest
53. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
54. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
55. Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
56. Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard
57. Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole
58. What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons by Lynda Madaras
59. The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell
60. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
61. Boys and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
62. Crazy Lady by Jane Conly
63. Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher
64. Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan
65. Fade by Robert Cormier
66. Guess What? by Mem Fox
67. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
68. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
69. Native Son by Richard Wright
70. Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies by Nancy Friday
71. Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen
72. On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
73. The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
74. Jack by A.M. Homes
75. Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge
76. Family Secrets by Norma Klein
77. Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole
78. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya
79. Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle
80. The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney
81. Carrie by Stephen King
82. The Dead Zone by Stephen King
83. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
84. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
85. Always Running by Luis Rodriguez
86. Private Parts by Howard Stern
87. Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford
88. Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
89. Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
90. Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman
91. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
92. Running Loose by Chris Crutcher
93. Sex Education by Jenny Davis
94. Jumper by Steven Gould
95. Christine by Stephen King
96. The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene
97. That Was Then, This is Now by S.E. Hinton
98. Girls and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
99. The Wish Giver by Bill Brittain
100. Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
* Out of 5,718 challenges reported to or recorded by the Office for Intellectual Freedom, as compiled by the Office for Intellectual Freedom, American Library Association. The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom does not claim comprehensiveness in recording challenges. Research suggests that for each challenge reported there are as many as four or five which go unreported.