Book Burnings and Censorship
Book burning and book censorship are not the same, but the end results of denying access to a book is the same.
I suppose that the Nazis are among the most famous book burners. University students across Germany burned over 25,000 books. The works of Jewish authors were the primary targets.
The Nazis were not the first or last to burn books.
In 213 B.C., Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang ordered a bonfire of books as a way of consolidating power in his new empire.
When al-Qaida Islamists invaded Mali and Timbuktu in 2012, one of their targets were priceless manuscripts.
One of the most famous examples of book burning, was the destruction of the Library of Alexandria. It had its contents and structure burned in 48 B.C. when Caesar chased Pompey to Egypt.
“Challenging” a book is very different. It means that a person, group or institution is trying to remove or restrict access to a book because they object “to the book's content, ideas, or themes.” These challenges can be initiated by anyone. Challenging a book doesn't necessarily mean it will be removed. A book is considered “banned” when the book is no longer available for use.
Challenges to books are fairly common.
In 2012 in the United States, people demanded the removal of Toni Morrison's Beloved from public libraries because some people believed the novel was sexually explicit, and they objected to depictions of violence and the novel's religious viewpoint.
In 2019 in the United States, people demanded the removal of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series from public libraries because of depictions of magic, witchcraft, and “actual curses and spells” in the text.
Also in 2019 in the United States, people demanded the removal of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale from public library shelves because of profanity and “vulgarity and sexual overtones” in the text.
Heck, almost immediately after its initial publication in 1885 of Huckleberry Finn, the librarians in Concord, Massachusetts, decided the book was “trash” and banned it. It was the first book banned in the United States. In recent years there have been other attempts to ban Huckleberry Finn because of its use of the “N” word.
Challenges and banning are not limited to the United States.
In 1997 in Ireland, a government censorship board banned 24 books and 90 periodicals.
In 2013 in Pakistan, spokesmen for organizations that represent the nation's private schools announced bans on I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education whose author was shot by the Taliban. Senior education officials said the book showed insufficient respect for Islam.
The recent claim by many school that the parents aren't in charge of their child's education have caused parents to demand to know what their children are being taught and what books are available in their libraries. They don't seem to be happy with either.
I was a district librarian in a public school responsible for the purchase of books for our three libraries. I bought sets of books chosen by various groups which were intended for different levels of students. I had the job for ten years, and in seven of those years, the books in these groups were acceptable in my eyes. I would peruse each book to assure myself that each book was acceptable. During my last three years, I began to encounter books which I had questions about. The problem I had with the books were a wide range, everything from pictured nudity to sexually explicit material, and overt racism. Most of these books were suggested for elementary students.
My solution was simple. I kept these books in my office. I left them on the electronic records so that if a student found the book and requested the book, they would have to speak with me. This never happened.
As a public school employee, I always acted as a representative of the parents. I made my judgment of the books based on what I thought the parents would want me to do.
This still seems to be appropriate to me.
I only had one challenge of a book in my ten years. It was a book purchased on the recommendation of a student. The parents who challenged the book challenged it because witches were characters in the work of fiction. I didn't think that folks would object to witches in a work of fiction. Obviously, I was wrong. My solution was simple: I removed the book and avoided any further conflict. Somehow I thought the library could survive without this particular book. Besides, the student who suggested the book had already read it.
Why “approved” books by legitimate organizations would include such questionable material is beyond me. After all, we are dealing with children. I'm sure the problem with these “approved” list has only gotten worse since I dealt with it over twenty years ago.
What hasn't?
Other Related Facts
2001: The U.S.A. PATRIOT Act gave the FBI power to collect information about the library borrowings of any U.S. citizen.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court's 1988 decision in Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, schools been allowed to censor speech in student media for “legitimate pedagogical concern.”
enough