Banning Books

Banning Books

“It’s not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will never be written, the books that will never be read. And all due to the fear of censorship. As always, young readers will be the real losers” (Blume 1999). Judy Blume can not explain the problem of book censorship any clearer. The children are the real losers because they are the ones that are not able to read the classic works of literature which are the backbone of classroom discussions all across the United States.

The American Association of School Administrators (AASA) defines censorship as: “The removal, suppression, or restricted circulation of literary, artistic, or educational materials… of images, ideas, and information…on the grounds that these are morally or otherwise objectionable in light of standards applied by the censor” (Miner 1998). In schools there are three types of censorship, one type is a “parent who doesn’t want their child to read a particular book. Another is a parent, teacher, administrator, or school board member who argues that no one in the class, or school should read the book in dispute. Lastly, there is censorship that involves someone who is part of an organized campaign, whether of a local or national group, and who goes in ready for a fight and wants to make a broader political point” (Miner 1998). Although there are many others ways that a piece of literature could get censored, most censored works are asked to be removed from classrooms and school libraries.

There are four motivational factors that may lie behind a censor’s actions. Those factors are family values, religion, political views, and minority rights. On the basis of family values, the censor is usually threatened ...

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...Potter Evil?” New York Times on the Web. 22 October. 1999. 31 March. 2003 http://www.judyblume.com/article/harry_potter_oped.html

Judy Blume Talks About Censorship. 2 February. 1999 http://www.judyblume.com/censors.html.

Lehman, Carol. Personal Interview. 13 March. 2003.

Miner, B. (1998). When reading good books can get schools in trouble. An Urban Educational Journal, 12, 1-10

Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little Brown and Company, 1991

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