Buy banned books
By Jenn Hubbs
“Something will be offensive to someone in every book, so you’ve got to fight it.” ― Judy Blume
February is strange. Although it has the fewest days of any month, it can feel like the longest after a winter already filled with storms, snow and cold snaps.
We celebrate all kinds of love with Valentine’s Day and Family Day, ongoing strength and perseverance with Black History Month, but also censorship and dissent with “Freedom to Read Week,” which runs from February 23 to March 1.
Great works of literature – and some not-so-great – have encountered challenges and censorship throughout history. “Freedom to Read Week” is an annual event that encourages Canadians to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom, which is guaranteed them under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. During this time, we invite readers to explore some historically challenged works and examine why they might have caused offense.
Sometimes the challenges are due to the time period in which the books are released. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee have both been under scrutiny by numerous school boards over the past 20 years.
The books, classics of North American literature that are set in the Deep South, contain language and racial descriptions that are no longer considered acceptable in today’s society. As a result, school boards must consider if the books are accurate portrayals of a specific period in time, and therefore where they are best suited in the curriculum.
Similarly, Margaret Lawrence’s A Jest of God was challenged and considered for removal in the 1970s because the teacher carries on an unmarried relationship while still teaching – grounds for dismissal in some conservative school districts.
Famed horse story, Black Beauty, was challenged and removed from schools in South Africa during the Apartheid era because the government at the time felt that the title expressed inappropriate sentiments about non-white people of Africa – that is, that “black” could be “beautiful.” It would have been difficult to find a copy of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in China in the 1930s, as the government there banned the book because of “unnaturally talking animals,” and because humans and animals were portrayed on the same level of understanding and intellect.
Other book challenges can be more personal. J.K. Rowling herself has been under fire from no less than at least 19 U.S. states and Canadian provinces, where parents were concerned that Harry Potter was engaged in wizardry, witchcraft and magic – all inappropriate for young readers from devout religious backgrounds.
The Lord of the Rings was removed and burned by schools in New Mexico in the early 2000s because of its so-called “satanic” nature – a fact that is a little ironic when you consider that Tolkien was a committed Christian, and that much is made about the Christian symbolism within his work.
Children’s books are often a popular target for challenge and removal, but sometimes the reasons can be a little difficult to understand. Beatrix Potter’s famous Tale of Peter Rabbit was briefly removed from London City Council schools in the U.K. in the 1980s because it was felt that the rabbits were too “middle class.” Maurice Sendak’s In the Night Kitchen continues to be challenged across the U.S., simply because the main character goes through the story naked. (Sendak explained that Mickey just didn’t want to get his clothes dirty.)
Everyone has the right to make personal decisions about what we choose to read or not read in our lives. It’s important to remember that this decision is a part of our Charter of Rights and Freedoms and that it is a right that many in the world do not have at this time.
Show your support for your personal “freedom to read,” by stopping by the bookstore and your local library to find your favourite “banned” books.
Jenn Hubbs is pictured on the home page with Joanne McLachlan holding their favourite “banned books,” Roald Dahl’s The Witches and Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov, respectively.
