Library Word of the Week - Censorship

Censorship 

is the suppression of speech, public communication or other information which may be considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, politically incorrect or inconvenient as determined by governments, media outlets, authorities or other such entities. (Wiki)

(comic from Smells Like Library) 

“Librarians consider free access to information the foundation of democracy.” 
― Marilyn Johnson, This Book Is Overdue!: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All

Librarians often have to fight against people (parents, politicians, etc) who feel that certain books should not be read. Recently, a Texas school district had a list of book challenges:

Here's the full list:

• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, flagged for its strong language. Alexie's autobiographical novel won the National Book Award.

• An Abundance of Katherines by John Green, flagged for sexual situations. Green's Young Adult novels have garnered a Printz and an Edgar award.

• The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, flagged for a scene in which a teenager incites non-consensual sex with an adult.

• The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls, which describes real-life incidents of abuse and domestic violence. Walls' book, the recipient of multiple awards, is currently in production as a film starring Jennifer Lawrence.

• Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, apparently offensive for its depiction of Buddhist philosophy and a main character who has unmarried sex, including with prostitutes. Hesse won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1946.

• Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison, which features sexual imagery and a narrative involving incest. Morrison has won both the Pulitzer and the Nobel Prize for her fiction.

• The Working Poor: Invisible in America by David K. Shipler, which came under fire for its true account of a woman who was raped in second grade and who later had an abortion as a teenager. Shipler was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting, and won a Pulitzer for General Nonfiction. The book was being taught as part of an Advanced Placement English course.

Censorship, in the form of banning and challenging books, isn't just something that happened a long time ago. It is happening every year in schools and public libraries across the country and globe.

Come on down to your library and see what books we have available for check out that other schools and libraries have banned.