# Read any banned books lately?



## Maria Romana (Jun 7, 2010)

Just when you thought book-banning (or burning) was all in the past...

Here's a new one. This past weekend, a Dr. Wesley Scroggins (doctor as in university professor) wrote a piece for his local newspaper in MO requesting several books be banned from the school system, including the award-winning YA novel _Speak_ by Laurie Halse Anderson and Kurt Vonnegut's _Slaughterhouse Five_. He describes the books in question as "filthy" material that doesn't belong in a publicly supported institution. In particular, he described _Speak_, which is a fictional account of a high school girl's experiences after being raped at a party, as "soft porn"!

I was appalled and dismayed by this attack, not only as a believer in free speech, but because _Speak _was inspirational to me in writing my own book, with its honesty and authenticity. While I agree that a school curriculum needs to have some limits on the material it provides, you're not going to keep teenagers from thinking about sex by limiting their access to quality literature.

Anyway, if you're interested, I ranted and raved about this topic on my blog yesterday: http://suspense-books.com/?p=1122, and you can find Dr. Scroggins' article here: http://www.news-leader.com/article/20100918/OPINIONS02/9180307/Scroggins-Filthy-books-demeaning-to-Republic-education, and Ms. Anderson's response here: http://madwomanintheforest.com/this-guy-thinks-speak-is-pornography/.

Fortunately, there's already been an enormous internet backlash against this proposed censorship in just the last 2 days, and if I make my guess, all of the books he targeted will be more popular than ever, now that they've been labelled "filth" by this fine, educated gentleman. 

--Maria


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

I wish somebody would ban my book....


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## Maria Romana (Jun 7, 2010)

Daniel Arenson said:


> I wish somebody would ban my book....


Exactly. Who was it said "no publicity is bad publicity?"


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

What did he have against "Slaughterhouse Five?" I re-read it recently and I can't think of anything filthy unless you count the fire-bombing of a city.


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## VondaZ (Apr 21, 2009)

I love it when people object to books because of what is depicted in them with complete disregard for what the message is.

I wonder what this guy would think if he found out that this summer my nine year old asked us to buy him a copy of Slaughterhouse Five and we did. I know he will not read it for a long time (if ever) and when/if he does, I will reread it myself, but I am not going to push him away from discovering a great author like Vonnegut because I am afraid of the F word. I am not afraid of the content either as it will provide an opportunity to talk about the author's message.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

I dunno. Slaughterhouse-Five also had a very crudely drawn picture of boobies. That's like, super-hardcore-controversial right there.


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## 13500 (Apr 22, 2010)

What is this Dr. Wesley Scroggins a doctor of? Moronic behavior?


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

Half-Orc said:


> I dunno. Slaughterhouse-Five also had a very crudely drawn picture of boobies. That's like, super-hardcore-controversial right there.


I forgot about the boobies. Vonnegut's drawings were nice and clear on my Kindle 2 that I no longer have.


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## Thalia the Muse (Jan 20, 2010)

Good gracious, we can't expose children to crudely drawn boobies! Heaven knows, they and their peers would never think to create such things themselves!


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

There's always someone. Back when _Schindler's List_ was shown on NBS unedited, there were complaints about the frontal nudity and how that's inappropriate for small children. Some people just have their priorities bass-ackward.

I oppose censorship in all instances but it especially offends me when the reasons are so spectacularly off-base.


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## SidneyW (Aug 6, 2010)

I read Tropic of Cancer about a year ago. I believe it's oft banned and is pretty steamy but is fascinating and an interesting snapshot of an era.


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## Maria Romana (Jun 7, 2010)

R. Reed said:


> What did he have against "Slaughterhouse Five?" I re-read it recently and I can't think of anything filthy unless you count the fire-bombing of a city.


Here is what he says about SH5. I haven't read the book myself, so I can't comment, but everything he said about _Speak _was either flat-out untrue or twisted out of context, so I'm inclined to think he's completely FOS. Maybe you can speak to what he says here:


> In English, children are also required to read a book called "Slaughterhouse Five." This is a book that contains so much profane language, it would make a sailor blush with shame. The "f word" is plastered on almost every other page. The content ranges from naked men and women in cages together so that others can watch them having sex to God telling people that they better not mess with his loser, bum of a son, named Jesus Christ.





Thalia the Muse said:


> Good gracious, we can't expose children to crudely drawn boobies! Heaven knows, they and their peers would never think to create such things themselves!


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

He's not upset about the firebombing .... on the other hand he may be on to something, I read _Slaughterhouse 5_ when I was 17 and I started coming out of the closet then too.

Don't read _Slaughterhouse 5_ - it turns you gay.


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## AnelaBelladonna (Apr 8, 2009)

Geoffrey said:


> He's not upset about the firebombing .... on the other hand he may be on to something, I read _Slaughterhouse 5_ when I was 17 and I started coming out of the closet then too.
> 
> Don't read _Slaughterhouse 5_ - it turns you gay.


You made me laugh so hard I spit on my monitor!


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> I dunno. Slaughterhouse-Five also had a very crudely drawn picture of boobies. That's like, super-hardcore-controversial right there.


Mental note: Draw boobies in next book.


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

The idiot said:

In English, children are also required to read a book called "Slaughterhouse Five." This is a book that contains so much profane language, it would make a sailor blush with shame. The "f word" is plastered on almost every other page. The content ranges from naked men and women in cages together so that others can watch them having sex to God telling people that they better not mess with his loser, bum of a son, named Jesus Christ.
__
Hmmm...I don't even remember the F word, but World War II soldiers did use it a lot, and this was based on Vonnegut's personal experience. The naked man and woman are exhibits in a zoo on the planet Tralfamadore, and the Jesus Christ comment I'm not sure about but it does sound like Vonnegut. I would definitely make it required reading at the high school level.


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## PG4003 (Patricia) (Jan 30, 2010)

I guess I didn't realize there was such a thing as "banned" books any more.  I grew up in Catholic boarding school and there were lots of books that were banned from us....just made me want to read them even more.  Catcher in the Rye was one we were not allowed to read, still haven't read it.  After I grew up and looked through it, it didn't look that interesting to me and I couldn't figure out why they didn't want us to read it.


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## mattbiernat (Aug 5, 2010)

amazing how childish are the people who are in charge of our high school system. no wonder U.S. got one of the lowest high school educations in the world, trailing behind many third world countries. they need to worry more about kids not finishing basic calculus, physics and chemistry rather than banning books. oh yeah and did i mention that in my 12 grade English class instead of reading books they made us draw pictures of sun and clouds... seriously. then they wonder why minorities don't get even accepted to colleges --- because the high schools are a failure!!!


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## tecwritr (Oct 28, 2008)

There was a story on our local news this week about a new wrist band that is making the rounds.  It's a breast cancer awareness thing and part of the sales goes to research.  The band says "I (heart) Boobies"  Heart is, of course, a drawn heart.  Some of the schools are refusing to allow the bands in school.


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## Maria Romana (Jun 7, 2010)

tecwritr said:


> There was a story on our local news this week about a new wrist band that is making the rounds. It's a breast cancer awareness thing and part of the sales goes to research. The band says "I (heart) Boobies" Heart is, of course, a drawn heart. Some of the schools are refusing to allow the bands in school.


So what you're saying is--the boobie band is being banned? 

(Ah...another serious conversation going down the tubes...)

--Maria


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## Maria Romana (Jun 7, 2010)

EEEK!  Had to add this:  As soon as I made the last post, the contextual banner ad on the bottom of the page became a bra ad for the "full-figured"...LOL!


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

The last "banned book" I read may have been The Satanic Verses. My own books, at least 2 of them, I consider discreetly banned: especially "What We All Need." But that's a long story.


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## jbh13md (Aug 1, 2010)

New Slaughterhouse Five Slogan: A Novel of Firebombs and F-bombs.


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## Carolyn J. Rose Mystery Writer (Aug 10, 2010)

I'm starting to think that writing a book with an eye toward having it banned might be a great promotional idea.


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## ak rain (Nov 15, 2008)

I don't think Dr. Wesley Scroggins read "Speak". others have banned "Where's Waldo" - boobs in there too- I think you need a magnifying glass to find them. a picture books last year was banned called "and Tango make three"  I am always amazed how fast some parents remove sexual content but allow violance.  "Speak" is important topic to talk about with teenagers I am not sure where home best but not all teenagers have that opportunity. I do think teachers need to use care on what books they are going to evaluate with students, but I would not call this banning books I call this carefull planning. 
Sylvia


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

Geoffrey above made an interesting and important point: this "doctor" objected to F-bombs and sex, but not to the firebombing. It's true that violence in our popular culture is much more accepted than sex. I remember there was an actor (I forget who and I'm paraphrasing his statement) said "They don't mind if I blow my wife's head off in a movie, but they don't want to see me have sex with her." I recommend a documentary called "This Film Is Not Yet Rated" about how movies are rated and what the ratings board does and does not allow (violence = ok, sex = bad.) Beware that they show all the content the ratings board does not want us to see, so the documentary itself is - of course - unrated because otherwise it'd be rated XXXXXXXXXXXXXX.

And don't forget some yo-yo wanted to ban "Harry Potter" from school libraries because it teaches witchcraft. There's no end to the stupidity.


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## kae (May 3, 2010)

This is Banned Books Week (September 25 - October 2, 2010). 
The American Library Association urges folks to read a banned book. Here are lists of recently banned books
Love this cool poster, too.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

I went and looked at the most recent list even though I knew I shouldn't. Some of the 'rationales' for banning books always offends me. For example, regarding _The Diary of Anne Frank_: "the book includes sexual material and homosexual themes." Excuse me? The book is offensive because of what? We're ignoring the atrocities of the Holocaust because of which of your hangups?

Sorry. I'm better now that I got that out.


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

In honor of banned book week I present:

 $0.99 containing 14 banned books in one collection, with table of contents:

The Jungle, Upton Sinclair
The Call of the Wild, Jack London
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain
Women in Love, D. H. Lawrence
Moll Flanders, Daniel Defoe
The Age of Reason, Thomas Paine
Memoirs Of Fanny Hill, John Cleland
The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx
On the Duty of Civil Disobedience, Henry David Thoreau
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert
The Rights of Man, Thomas Paine
Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe

and

 $1.00, containing Kindle collection of over ten frequently banned books with an active table of contents.

Sons and Lovers
The Jungle
The Call of the Wild
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Women in Love
Moll Flanders
The Age of Reason
Fanny Hill
The Rainbow
The Communist Manifesto
On the Duty of Civil Disobedience


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## Thalia the Muse (Jan 20, 2010)

Oh, what a great idea those omnibus Kindle editions of banned books are.  Wow, Alice in Wonderland ...


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## Debra Purdy Kong (Apr 1, 2009)

meromana said:


> Just when you thought book-banning (or burning) was all in the past...
> 
> Fortunately, there's already been an enormous internet backlash against this proposed censorship in just the last 2 days, and if I make my guess, all of the books he targeted will be more popular than ever, now that they've been labelled "filth" by this fine, educated gentleman.
> 
> --Maria


I also wrote a blog about book banning, which people can find on my page. It's mortifying to realize that it's still happening today. Did you know that Charlotte's Web was also challenged as unsuitable reading? It makes me shake my head. Everyone, buy or borrow a banned book to read from your library. The American Library Association has a comprehensive list of banned or challenged books over the years.

Debra


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## Thalia the Muse (Jan 20, 2010)

Fortunately, just about anything worth reading ahs been banned or challenged by SOMEBODY, so "go read a banned book" is shockingly easy.


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## Joel Arnold (May 3, 2010)

Growing up, when I heard a book was banned, it just drew my attention to it and made me want to read it! I was fortunate that both my parents were librarians and were very strong supporters of free speech. Some of the complaints they told me about from 'concerned parents' would be funny if they weren't so downright frustrating.


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## Melonhead (Jan 1, 2010)

Just this week we have a local mom trying to get _Catcher in the Rye_ banned from the entire district's school curriculum. It just keeps coming back, doesn't it?  Almost makes me want to read it, but I have a healthy TBR list.


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## Maria Romana (Jun 7, 2010)

As I'm reading everyone's replies, it's just making me crazier and crazier. At least the guy in the original post (Scroggins) had some sort of reasonable idea behind what he was doing, namely, protecting children. He's totally wrong, IMHO, but at least he had some facsimile of a basis for his insanity. What about all these other books? _Charlotte's Web_? For heaven's sake! If some individual doesn't like the ideas in a book, he calls for a ban, so no one else can see/hear/think about them. The robot graphic is so appropriate; as I said in my blog post--shades of _Fahrenheit 451_.

I'm off to read me a banned book or two...

--Maria


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

_*Huckleberry Finn*_ by Mark Twain although it's no longer on most banned lists except in some regional library.

Edward C. Patterson


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## AJB (Jul 9, 2010)

The 1898 minutes of our Public Library Board touch on the problem of inappropriate books. Their solution was just to dispose of any books that might be unsuitable for 'various individuals' (bear in mind that you had to be over 12 to be a member of the library in those days). They decided to 'expunge these books entirely'. One of the books was _Tess of the d'Urbervilles_ (I have to admit I hadn't heard of the others).

In these days of instant availability of books over the Internet, it seems odd to still be talking about banning them. But maybe those who advocate such measures are unaware that the world has moved on...

Amanda


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