tntgoodwin Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 How do you feel about the Banned Books Week that libraries do? What are some of your favorite banned books? Do you allow your children to read the banned books? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Are there any banned books these days? Just locally. I have read James Joyce's Ulysses which was banned in the US by the US Supreme Court (when it first came out). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wy_kid_wrangler04 Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Absolutely! One of my kids favorite books is James and the Giant Peach! I guess I would have to go on a book by book basis but yes, we allow banned books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquinas Academy Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 I like Banned Books Week; it's led to some great discussions with my kids. I also let my children read banned books, there might be a few that I wouldn't allow, but on the whole, I have no problem with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 (edited) I dislike Banned Books Week. It strikes me as propaganda to promote the idea that reading is an end in itself, not a means to an end (in other words, the "as long as they are reading something" philosophy without regard to the quality or values of what they are reading.) In the first place, most of them seem to end up on reading lists, so they are hardly banned. In the second place, many of them have no other claim to fame and are of such little interest or merit they would never have been read widely in the first place. A book really has to have something more for me to read or assign it than just having been banned somewhere. Edited May 30, 2011 by In The Great White North Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 We support banned/challenged books week. When my eldest was 5 we chose Eloise in Paris from the banned/challenged books list (it has some line drawings of the Venus de Milo and other works of art with nudity). We still do this, the books have changed. My eldest dd's favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird. I've also done discussions for homeschooled teens that included banned books such as Heart of Darkness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LidiyaDawn Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Are there any banned books these days? I was wondering the same thing.. ? (aside from maybe in certain countries where it's actually illegal to own specific books?) I guess libraries or book stores could choose what they will or will not carry… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 I dislike Banned Books Week. It's merely propaganda to promote the idea that reading is an end in itself, not a means to an end (in other words, the "as long as they are reading something" philosophy without regard to the quality or values of what they are reading.) In the first place, most of them seem to end up on reading lists, so they are hardly banned. In the second place, many of them have no other claim to fame and are of such little interest or merit they would never have been read widely in the first place. A book really has to have something more for me to read or assign it than just having been banned somewhere. The top ten most frequently challenged list for 2009 includes To Kill a Mockingbird at number four. Forty-six of these "top 100" books have been banned or challenged. They are on a lot of reading lists, which is why they end up challenged a lot. We've had a few moms here who challenged the books their kids were reading as assigned reading in public school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 The top ten most frequently challenged list for 2009 includes To Kill a Mockingbird at number four. Forty-six of these "top 100" books have been banned or challenged. They are on a lot of reading lists, which is why they end up challenged a lot. We've had a few moms here who challenged the books their kids were reading as assigned reading in public school. Are they really "banned" or was the objection more based on the age group it was assigned to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 I think it's a great spark for discussion. I allow some, don't allow others, just like any other book list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Are they really "banned" or was the objection more based on the age group it was assigned to? A percentage of the objections are people objecting to the age group. However, it's worth pointing out that one person's objection doesn't mean that it is actually inappropriate for the age group. There was a giant kerfuffle on the high school board recently because TWTM suggests books such as Gilgamesh for ninth graders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Here is an interesting map that shows locations of book bans & challenges from 2007 to 2010. Wow! Howard Zinn?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 A percentage of the objections are people objecting to the age group. However, it's worth pointing out that one person's objection doesn't mean that it is actually inappropriate for the age group. Given that the charts show six times as many objections from parents as anyone else, I tend to think that the top four reasons (sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, violence, and offensive language) could all have been lumped together under "unsuited to age group." There was a giant kerfuffle on the high school board recently because TWTM suggests books such as Gilgamesh for ninth graders. Not surprising, since we do have a bunch of kids doing grades way above their age. I could see the parents of 11-12 year olds having a problem with Gilgamesh. What they're calling banned books really often comes down to a parent's right to judge what is appropriate for their child, not the schools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 I had no idea there is a whole week set aside for banned books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amey311 Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 I have a printed copy of the most challenged/banned books and I pick books from it pretty regularly. I get the picture books out of hte library for my kids and they've read some of the chapter books. I think "challenged" is a better term now than "banned" in the US. Usually the list details books that have been challenged. I'm slightly more tolerant of the challenges to school reading lists/libraries than I am to the challenges to public libraries. I have almost no patience for challenges to books being placed in public libraries. I've previously seen a list that details where each book on the top 100 list was challenged. The classics list here: http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedclassics/reasonsbanned/index.cfm does detail it for those books, and most of them are challenges from parents on school reading lists/assignments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meet me in paris Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 What they're calling banned books really often comes down to a parent's right to judge what is appropriate for their child, not the schools. I disagree. Parents who request their child read a different book for a school assignment do NOT show up on this list. It only shows up if the book's removal from the library or from a reading list is called for formally. Most schools *and* libraries are very receptive to parents requesting their child not read a book... that's very different from asking for it's removal altogether (thus taking those same rights away from other families). <librarian steps off soap box> :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Wow! Howard Zinn?! Yep... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 What they're calling banned books really often comes down to a parent's right to judge what is appropriate for their child, not the schools. From the ALA website: Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others. So, no, we're not talking about a parent telling his or her child not to read a book. We're talking about books that parents and others have tried to have removed from libraries so that no one can read them. It's not the same thing. And, yes, my kids have absolutely read a number of the books on the lists for recent years. In fact, I've assigned a good handful of them. To Kill a Mockingbird? Really? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristinaBreece Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Given that the charts show six times as many objections from parents as anyone else, I tend to think that the top four reasons (sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, violence, and offensive language) could all have been lumped together under "unsuited to age group." Not surprising, since we do have a bunch of kids doing grades way above their age. I could see the parents of 11-12 year olds having a problem with Gilgamesh. What they're calling banned books really often comes down to a parent's right to judge what is appropriate for their child, not the schools. A parent following TWTM wouldn't have their (early to middle) logic stage child doing beginning rhetoric level work. I disagree. Parents who request their child read a different book for a school assignment do NOT show up on this list. It only shows up if the book's removal from the library or from a reading list is called for formally. Most schools *and* libraries are very receptive to parents requesting their child not read a book... that's very different from asking for it's removal altogether (thus taking those same rights away from other families). <librarian steps off soap box> :) :iagree: Yeah, what she said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristinaBreece Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 How do you feel about the Banned Books Week that libraries do? What are some of your favorite banned books? Do you allow your children to read the banned books? I would be interested to hear how you answer this. Sometimes I find myself in total agreement with you, and sometimes I find myself at the polar opposite of the spectrum... but your responses are always thoughtful--and thought-provoking. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tntgoodwin Posted May 30, 2011 Author Share Posted May 30, 2011 Wow! Howard Zinn?! Honestly, this forum is the only place I have ever seen people speak positively of Howard Zinn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tntgoodwin Posted May 30, 2011 Author Share Posted May 30, 2011 I would be interested to hear how you answer this. Sometimes I find myself in total agreement with you, and sometimes I find myself at the polar opposite of the spectrum... but your responses are always thoughtful--and thought-provoking. :001_smile: Aww thanks! I am glad to provoke your thoughts. I think this quote sums it up best for me: Censorship, like charity, should begin at home, but unlike charity, it should end there. I actually saw it on a Banned Books poster at the library. As far as my own children, I lean toward less censorship, assuming they are old enough. Right now they are too young for the Banned Books. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Not surprising, since we do have a bunch of kids doing grades way above their age. I could see the parents of 11-12 year olds having a problem with Gilgamesh. My eldest read far above her reading level. I didn't just hand her books off of the rhetoric list as a result. That would have been silly. What they're calling banned books really often comes down to a parent's right to judge what is appropriate for their child, not the schools. Then they should homeschool, not insist on removing a book from the library. A parent following TWTM wouldn't have their (early to middle) logic stage child doing beginning rhetoric level work. :iagree: Honestly, this forum is the only place I have ever seen people speak positively of Howard Zinn. Where are you from originally? Just curious. Right now they are too young for the Banned Books. :) They are the perfect age for Eloise in Paris. It has been challenged and removed from more than one library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Well, we already read Lord of the Rings, and my DD will be reading 2 of the books on the banned classics list next year. I think it is up to each individual or their parent to choose what is appropriate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tntgoodwin Posted May 30, 2011 Author Share Posted May 30, 2011 My eldest read far above her reading level. I didn't just hand her books off of the rhetoric list as a result. That would have been silly. Then they should homeschool, not insist on removing a book from the library. :iagree: Where are you from originally? Just curious. They are the perfect age for Eloise in Paris. It has been challenged and removed from more than one library. Oh cool, I will have to look into that! My dad is a Marine, so we moved every 3 years or so. But I was born in Maine, and lived in Maine, North Carolina, Okinawa, and Texas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meet me in paris Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Honestly, this forum is the only place I have ever seen people speak positively of Howard Zinn. :confused: Even if you're not a fan, I find that... perplexing. He has sold *millions* of books. And his activism shook American politics and culture. Surely some people like him. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizabeth Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 From the American Library Association (ALA) website: "Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States." We totally support banned/challenged books week & celebrate our freedom to read. Yes, both my dc & I have read various books that have appeard on banned/challenged lists. We discuss the importance of the First Amendment & talk about the impact of banning books/censorship. Here is an interesting map that shows locations of book bans & challenges from 2007 to 2010. This. In fact there are a few subject matter items I prefer not to have dd read about. Incest, infanticide, genocide and torture of innocents. Any guess what book I have decided is not appropriate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquinas Academy Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 My eldest read far above her reading level. I didn't just hand her books off of the rhetoric list as a result. That would have been silly. :iagree:Sure, DD 14 could have read Gilgamesh (or other rhetoric level books) when she was 10 or 11, but I certainly didn't let her. She did read Gilgamesh this year and it was quite appropriate, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tntgoodwin Posted May 30, 2011 Author Share Posted May 30, 2011 This. In fact there are a few subject matter items I prefer not to have dd read about. Incest, infanticide, genocide and torture of innocents. Any guess what book I have decided is not appropriate? The Bible? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tntgoodwin Posted May 30, 2011 Author Share Posted May 30, 2011 :confused: Even if you're not a fan, I find that... perplexing. He has sold *millions* of books. And his activism shook American politics and culture. Surely some people like him. :) I think that is why so many dislike him, honestly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 I encourage my children to read banned books. I read challenged books and go out of my way to do so. Freedom of speech is very important to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizabeth Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 The Bible? Yes indeed. Homeschooling is a wonderful option I can keep the Bible out of my child's curriculum except as a literary work and you can keep Howard Zinn out of your home classroom. That is the beauty of home education. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnitWit Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 The fastest way to get me to read something is to ban it. I tend to rebel against people who want to think for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 My dad is a Marine, so we moved every 3 years or so. But I was born in Maine, and lived in Maine, North Carolina, Okinawa, and Texas. Did you mostly attend DoD schools? Even if you disagree with Howard Zinn, would you *ban* his books from a library (if you've read them, if you haven't, I guess you don't know). :iagree:Sure, DD 14 could have read Gilgamesh (or other rhetoric level books) when she was 10 or 11, but I certainly didn't let her. She did read Gilgamesh this year and it was quite appropriate, IMO. My dd did Gilgamesh this year. Even some of my most conservative friends did Gilgamesh this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shannon in TN Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 I had no idea there is a whole week set aside for banned books. me, neither. And I must really be living under a rock because I didn't know To Kill a Mockingbird or James and the Giant Peach were banned books. Really?? So, yeah, I guess I would let my kids read banned books because DD read James and the Giant Peach back in second grade. The fastest way to get me to read something is to ban it. I tend to rebel against people who want to think for me. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tntgoodwin Posted May 30, 2011 Author Share Posted May 30, 2011 Did you mostly attend DoD schools? Even if you disagree with Howard Zinn, would you *ban* his books from a library (if you've read them, if you haven't, I guess you don't know). My dd did Gilgamesh this year. Even some of my most conservative friends did Gilgamesh this year. I wouldn't ban his books from a library, no. I went to one DoD school, in Okinawa. My mom currently teaches at a different DoD school there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoxcell Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 What are they banned from? It's not like people have to go to the black market to buy any of these books:confused:. Even if parents had them removed from school libraries people could still read them, and buy them. Also why is the Bible not on this so called banned list, because I'm positive that it has been banned from every public school.;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 What are they banned from? It's not like people have to go to the black market to buy any of these books:confused:. Even if parents had them removed from school libraries people could still read them, and buy them. Also why is the Bible not on this so called banned list, because I'm positive that it has been banned from every public school.;) Well, they could rename it Challenged and Restricted Books Week, but that lacks flair ;) The bible as literature is not banned from American public schools. Excerpts are often included in English textbooks; I just opened one of the Elements of Literature series, and it has the tale of the prodigal son, and something else I can't quite remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ipsey Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 What are they banned from? It's not like people have to go to the black market to buy any of these books:confused:. Even if parents had them removed from school libraries people could still read them, and buy them. Also why is the Bible not on this so called banned list, because I'm positive that it has been banned from every public school.;) Sorry if I've misread your smiley, but in case you're serious. . . the Bible is not banned from school libraries. I have no doubt that if you walked into any public school library in your area you'd find many. In case I've completely misunderstood, my apologies :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tohru Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 (edited) I dislike Banned Books Week. It strikes me as propaganda to promote the idea that reading is an end in itself, not a means to an end (in other words, the "as long as they are reading something" philosophy without regard to the quality or values of what they are reading.) In the first place, most of them seem to end up on reading lists, so they are hardly banned. In the second place, many of them have no other claim to fame and are of such little interest or merit they would never have been read widely in the first place. A book really has to have something more for me to read or assign it than just having been banned somewhere. :iagree: It seems stupid and only something bored Americans would come up with because we have nothing better to do with our time. All those books are at B&N or Amazon, not very difficult to find or even very expensive. They've been readily available for as long as I can remember, so even if there was a big issue to keep them in print, it's ridiculous to keep promoting that they are on a banned list now. A lot of those on the list have even been made into movies. I just don't understand how being banned means they are banned...When some one or something is "banned", generally speaking they are simply not allowed. Edited May 31, 2011 by jadedone80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristinaBreece Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 :iagree: It seems stupid and only something bored Americans would come up with because we have nothing better to do with our time. All those books are at B&N or Amazon, not very difficult to find or even very expensive. They've been readily available for as long as I can remember, so even if there was a big issue to keep them in print, it's ridiculous to keep saying that they are on a banned list now. A lot of those on the list have even been made into movies. I just don't understand how being banned means they are banned...When some one or something is "banned", generally speaking they are simply not allowed. They're books that people have lobbied (often successfully) for the removal of from libraries or schools in their communities. We make a point of reading & discussing them as a way of celebrating our freedom to do so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tohru Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 They're books that people have lobbied (often successfully) for the removal of from libraries or schools in their communities. We make a point of reading & discussing them as a way of celebrating our freedom to do so. But sometimes one thing might be good for one community, but not for another....? Why so personal about it? We don't have many drag queens here, but I've heard there are a lot in San Francisco. When the "born this way" campaign came here, people were outraged rather than pleased. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristinaBreece Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 But sometimes one thing might be good for one community, but not for another....? Why do you have to involve yourself? Obviously we're not traveling to places who have banned these books and picketing or anything. I said celebrating the fact that we CAN read them-- not forcing anyone else to read them. That said, I disagree that censorship is ever the right answer for an entire community. I think all books should be available in public libraries and all age-appropriate material should be available in public school libraries & that individuals and families should determine for themselves what they/their children can/should read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 But sometimes one thing might be good for one community, but not for another....? Why so personal about it? We don't have many drag queens here, but I've heard there are a lot in San Francisco. When the "born this way" campaign came here, people were outraged rather than pleased. Eloise is Paris. Really? Hardly Lady Gaga. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristinaBreece Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 But sometimes one thing might be good for one community, but not for another....? Why so personal about it? We don't have many drag queens here, but I've heard there are a lot in San Francisco. When the "born this way" campaign came here, people were outraged rather than pleased. Not sure why the edit... as though you wish to compare JD Salinger to a parade of drag queens, but as I said-- I'm not parading through the streets throwing To Kill a Mockingbird at people.... Although.... :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tohru Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Not sure why the edit... as though you wish to compare JD Salinger to a parade of drag queens, but as I said-- I'm not parading through the streets throwing To Kill a Mockingbird at people.... Although.... :D Edited to change wording from "why do you have to involve yourself" to "why so personal about it"...just seemed more polite and I wasn't trying to be rude to begin with. :) I've been so annoyed lately with the things that people embrace as a personal interest when it has absolutely nothing to do with them, really. If a community finds something inappropriate for itself, then it's the communities decision. If no is getting hurt and one does not live there, then it shouldn't be such a big, personal ordeal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tohru Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Plus, I had a friend that was all about reading the banned/censored books, who was also a very active member of the ACLU. You can only *imagine* the arguments we got into, being that she was a suburbanite, Caucasian born American that had never left the country, but consistently complained about all that was wrong with our government here in the US. I guess reading this thread reminds me of her and they were not happy times. lol! I should move on to something more light... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristinaBreece Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 nevermind Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 I take great joy in reading banned books and supporting banned book authors. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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