“You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them”
- Ray Bradbury
- Ray Bradbury
This week is the National Banned Books week. A few weeks ago my mom received a list in the mail of 50 banned books. As I was reading over the list, I was surprised at the amount of books on there were ones I had read. And enjoyed. I remember in high school reading Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, I don’t remember all of the details but I do remember one: the government was taking specific books and destroying them so no one could read them. I do not know if today people go to the extremes of burning books that are banned due to content, but they go far enough to have them removed from school systems and libraries. I don’t think it is fair or right to have other people deciding what is right or wrong for me to be reading. If I wish to censor myself, then I will. There are books that I have been waiting to read until I think that I can handle them. For example, I have put off reading Lolita but I know someday I do want to read it. Even before I was an English major, I have always loved reading. I don’t want someone to blacklist one of my favorite books because they deem it “inappropriate.” Some books that have been banned have important messages that need to be told.
Are those images of banned books? Cuz um, "Where the Sidewalk Ends"? What's up with that?
ReplyDeleteyeah they are. they aren't banned everywhere but certain school districts have removed these (and many more) "Where the Sidewalk Ends Has been banned from some school libraries for rebellious nature of some of its poems" (http://www.mahalo.com/where-the-sidewalk-ends)
ReplyDeleteIt's crazy what some people deem as inappropriate.