Read a Banned Book Lately?
By Jimmie Epling
Director
Darlington County Library System
There’s a lot to recognize and celebrate in September! During the month, we can celebrate in addition to Labor Day, honey, the piano, Little League, fall hats, Hispanic Heritage, subliminal marketing, popsicles, kids’ good manners, “Be Late for Something,” and one of my favorites as a boss, “Fight Procrastination.” At the Darlington County Public Library, we focus on what has become known as “Banned Books Week.”
“Banned Books Week,” September 25th – October 1st, draws attention to censorship, in particular the written word. Over the millennia, there have been those who have readily put the torch to the writings of those with whom they disagree. While it is now rare anyone burns books in our country, there are those who want to remove the words of others with whom they disagree from the shelves of book store, libraries, and elementary schools to universities.
The reasons given to justify banning you or someone you know from reading a particular story or viewpoint varies. The objections include offensive language, sexually explicit content, violence, nudity, inaccuracy, political/religious viewpoint, “poorly written,” “anti-family,” and unsuitability for an age group.
When we look at a list of challenged books at the Library, we find the familiar, the obscure, the trendy, and the new. You may have heard of some of these books, from 2000 to 2009, the censors wanted banned:
• Harry Potter (series) by J.K. Rowling
• Alice series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
• The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
• And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell
• Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
• Captain Underpants (series) by Dav Pilkey
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
• The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
• Forever by Judy Blume
• The Color Purple by Alice Walker
• Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• The Joy of Gay Sex by Dr. Charles Silverstein
• Arming America by Michael Bellasiles
• The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby (series) by Dav Pilkey
• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
• A Time to Kill by John Grisham
My personal favorite on the list is Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Censoring a story about censoring stories and burning books makes you just want to ask, “Why?” There is a certain irony in this case.
The goal of the Library’s staff is to provide the community with something for everyone and something to offend everyone. Did you find something on the list above that you deem offensive or you believe will offend someone you know? The truth is all four of our locations, Darlington, Hartsville, Lamar, and Society Hill, are guaranteed to have something in them that will offend you or someone else. Should you be concerned about this? Absolutely not! A great public library gives all the members of its community the opportunity and freedom to read or watch anything of his or her own choice. The Library is about giving you choices.
From time to time, libraries receive requests to remove books and other materials from the shelves because an individual or group objects to its content. That is why in recognition of those challenges; we join other libraries across the nation in highlighting those books and other materials that are on library shelves that have been challenged or banned in the past year.
Let’s take the case of “Fifty Shades of Grey” into consideration. First let me say, I personally have no interest in reading this book or its sequels. It is not due to its sexually explicit nature, which is not for everyone. I simply have no interest in the story, just like I have no interest in reading its inspiration, the “Twilight” series (I just can’t get past vampires sparkling in sunlight. If they sparkle at all, it is in the process of being reduced to a pile of ash). However, it became a national bestseller many want to read. The Library bought it for the collection due to its popularity. We have it for anyone who chooses to read it. Across Darlington County, this book was checked out 229 times.
A number of years ago, we received a challenge on the children’s book “And Tango Makes Three” by Justin Richardson. The parent was concerned about the message sent to young readers as the story concerns two male penguins raising a baby penguin the book. The story is based on an actual event. The parent’s concern was addressed using the Library’s review process. It met all the criteria necessary to remain on the shelf. As with the inclusion of “Fifty Shades of Grey,” the Library’s staff selects stories and information resources without regard to “literary value”, interests, or viewpoint in an effort to provide the community with a diverse and balanced collection.
So if you are looking to read a banned or challenged book in observance of Banned Book Week, let us recommend you borrow from the Darlington County Library one of the books listed above or one of these from the 2015 list of challenged books…the “Bible,” “Looking for Alaska,” “I Am Jazz,” or “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.”