This week was banned book week. The idea of banning books is a curious one. It is a reaction of fear, not unlike fascism, or the denying of formal education to classes or groups of people. What will happen if they read this? They will get ideas, they will question our indoctrination, they will be more difficult to control. A week that uncovers this tendency toward ignorance intrigues me. Our school library published a list of the most popular banned books, encouraging students to check one out and read it. Web sites devoted to banned books abound, including my own “Dangerous Book” series. In fact, it seems that most often the effect of banning is exactly the opposite of that intended. Books that may have sat on shelves for decades gathering dust are instead snatched up and poured over. I wonder whether some authors even intentionally include controversial material in their writing in hopes that someone somewhere will ban it, thus gaining free publicity and instant popularity. If so, it’s a brilliant idea. I encourage you to scoff ignorance. Go out this weekend and pick up something off the banned book list. Let me know if you like it.
1 comment:
I read the Marquis De Sade once. Whooomolly. And we think people are screwy today.
I accessed this book before the internet, and found it, oddly enough in a phone call to a Christian book store.
I wonder if some authors have friends who put their book on banned lists to make them more intriguing.
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