Posted by bclibbooks
on Oct 1st, 2012
Did you know?
- George Orwell’s Animal Farm was banned in the USSR for being anti-communist, but banned in the US for having communist text in the introduction.
- The Grapes of Wrath was banned for obscenity. However, there is evidence that shows the censorship was led by wealthy landowners who did not want their treatment of their workers to become highlighted by the very realistic accounts in Stienbeck’s novel.
- The epic series Lord of the Rings was banned for being irreligious as recently as 2001.
- The Diary of Anne Frank was banned for being too depressing.
- The Lorax by Dr. Suess was challenged because it is a metaphor for people’s impact on the environment, a topic that was touchy when the book was published.
- The Merriam Webster’s Dictionary was removed from a California school in 2010 because it contains “naughty” words.
This is the 30th year of the ALA’s Banned Book Week. Come celebrate it with us!
What is Banned Book Week? According to Wikipedia “Banned Books Week is an annual awareness campaign that celebrates the freedom to read, draws attention to banned and challenged books, and highlights persecuted individuals.”
We’re highlighting some of the “banned” books in our collection. Take a look at the displays at the front of the library and in the fiction section. Come find out why some of your favorite classics have been banned. Children’s books too!