Five for Friday, October 2: Banned Books Edition

As I mentioned in my last post, this is Banned Books Week. That would seem to make this the right time to offer up a Five for Friday dedicated to the topic of censorship.

You may be wondering: how does censorship have anything to do with the idea of living a fearless life? I think the two are intrinsically connected. For one thing, censorship is almost always based in fear of something: fear that children will be “corrupted” by learning about a particular idea or seeing certain words in print (as if they haven’t already heard those words at school), fear that the ideas in a particular book will “spread” if the book is allowed to circulate. The list of fears goes on, but you get the idea. Books are scary to many people.

I’m a member of the Lutheran church, so the idea that a book should be available to all–in this particular case, that individuals should be able to read the Bible on their own, rather than relying on someone else to tell them what it says–is central to the history of my faith. That, plus the fact that I’m a professor of English, makes censorship a crucial issue for me. And as a woman of a certain age, I hope I’ve earned the respect of those around me. With that respect comes a responsibility to pass on what I’ve learned from living this life.

One thing I’ve learned is that living in fear does no one any good. So, with that in mind: here are five links about banned books and the role they’ve played (and are playing) in our lives.

1. Censorship is not a new idea, as this list demonstrates: Banned Books that Shaped America

2. Perhaps you read a banned book in high school without even knowing it: Banned and Challenged Classics

3. Do you think challenges to books tend to align with a particular political affiliation or geographic location? Think again: Censorship in Libraries and Classrooms: Myths and Realities

4. Spoiler alert: the answer is yes.   Is Book Banning Increasing in American School and Public Libraries? 

5. Seriously. Not from The Onion.  Parents Call Cops to Stop Kids from Handing Out Banned Book