From Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, New Hampshire, a blog used to extend our class discussion regarding the phenomenon of book banning; Spring Semester 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Tell Us About It
What challenged or banned books have you read recently? Has anyone ever restricted what you have been able to read or view? If so, who, what, when and why?
Most recently I've read Brave New World, Animal Farm, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and The Awakening. I also read Girl, Interrupted, which was challenged. The problem with censoring, particularly with kids, is that often the kids won't know if works have been withheld from them. The only time I can recall something close to censorship was when I chose A Clockwork Orange for my project in early high school. My English teacher discouraged me from it because of how controversial it is, but I read it anyway. The violence in it is profound, but no more disturbing than the image of curbstomping in The Hatchet, which was in the curriculum in my middle school.
I have read, recently, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, The Awakening, Of Mice and Men, Beloved, and The Bell Jar. I am currently reading through 100 Greatest Novels, as voted by every day people and there are a plethora of challenged books on the list. Growing up, I did not have outright censorship with reading. I can remember my great-grandmother giving me a novel at 15 years old and it having some explicit moments in the text that I later told my mom about. I had already read the book and see did not seem to oppose greatly either way. However, I did go to Catholic school from sixth to twelfth grade, so there could have been books banned from the classroom without my knowledge.
Well, to begin with it was not very recently for me, but I' ve read the Lysistrata some years ago. Obviously this book was challenged because of the language and the sexual things that are being expressed inside the book by Aristophanes. Personally,nobody has ever discouraged me from reading a book at least it has never happened to me like a clear prohibition, but maybe it has happened as an advice.
I have recently read Lord of the Flies by William Golding.The novel has been banned and challenged--based on the excessive violence and bad language. Personally, no one has discouraged me from reading any type of book. I pretty much read whatever I can find in my house that interests me.
It was quite a few months ago, but the last banned books I delved into was A Clockwork Orange and re-reading Fahrenheit 451, which is my favorite dystopian sci-fi, mostly because it demonstrates the danger of book banning and censorship, and fell victim to those very institutions it was pleading against in an ironic punchline.
My parents have always been the most literate people I know, so reading was never discouraged in my household; rather, my mother always piled extra onto our summer reading to make sure that we got in the classics that "your dumb school won't have you read." I was forced through The Scarlet Letter when I was ten, and it was painfully dry for me at that age. But, even outside of the home, my schools, both private and later public, never dampened my reading agendas, either. I read most of the more taboo on my own time, though, so I suppose there very well could have been controversy had I been more relevant to my community.
I have not read too many books lately but I read a little bit of the twilight books and i felt as if it was not or should not have been banned especially because it is targeted for a higher reader.
The most recent banned books I have read have been Animal Farm, To Kill a Mockingbird, Brave New World, and the TTYL series. I have never been told not to read a certain book.
My mother was the only one who tried to restrict from books, due to the fact she didn't think I was age appropriate at age 15 to read Lovely Bones, or she thought that there was too much violence, such as A Child Called It. She was never successful in restricting me though. A few banned books I've read are Catcher In The Rye, Lord Of The Flies, Slaughterhouse Five, To Kill A Mocking Bird, and The Adventures Of HuckleBerry Finn. -Diane Stitt
The most recent banned book I've read was "The Awakening." In recent years I've read "Fahrenheit 451" and "The Lovely Bones." No one has ever tried to restrict what books I read.
Most recently, I have read Beloved and The Awakening. Nobody has ever restricted me from reading any books, and a handful of the titles on the banned and challenged lists were actually required reading in my school curriculum.
Recently, I have also read Beloved and I do not feel like it should be banned. Also, no one has ever discouraged me from reading a book for whatever reason. I feel as if people should be able to read what they choose.
The most recent banned books that I have read were Of Mice and Men, Their Eyes Were Watching God, The Lord of the Flies, and The Great Gatsby. The only censorship that I have run into was in high school. The school curriculum restricted what we could read and the topics we could do presentations on. My parents never restricted the books that I was allowed to read as a child.
The last banned book I read was The Awakening. My parents never restricted what I read but usually encouraged me to simply read as much as possible. I cannot recall facing any kind of restrictions in school either, which is surprising since I've been in Catholic schools my entire life and you would expect them to be more restrictive.
The last banned books i read were The Great Gatsby, The bluest eye, The color purple, Slaughter house 5, Of mice and men, the things they carried, and the lovely bones. Most of them i read for school but a few were for leisure. Luckily no one has restricted that i have been able to read or view. There was an uprise when my junior year English class did a banned books project, but nothing ever came of it and it didn't affect our project, the books we read or our school. As for my parents they don't mind when i read books that have been banned because the books was obviously published for a reason and there is always a lesson or moral behind it.
The most recent banned and/or challenged books that I have read are Slaughterhouse-Five, The Things They Carried, and Ender’s Game. I haven’t ever had trouble with restrictions on my reading; throughout high school, much of the curriculum was made of books that are listed on the ala.org website as being banned or challenged (Animal Farm, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby, The Lord of the Flies, 1984, The Awakening, A Separate Peace, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Of Mice and Men . . . ). Both at home and in school, I have always been encouraged to read anything that would “broaden my horizons” or add to my understanding of something.
The most recent banned books I have read were, Lord of the Flies, Of Mice and Men, and To Kill A Mockingbird in highschool. I feel like some books shouldnt be banned because parents might want their children to read them, it is their decision. My parents never told me that I couldn't read a book that I wanted to.
I don't think I've recently read anything that has been banned but I wouldn't be surprised to find out otherwise. Other than that I do re-read books like To Kill A Mockingbird several times a year. My parents never restricted what I read as far as I know. The most they ever did was try to get me to read novels when I was younger and was more into reading series. I did always like reading banned or controversial books in high school though, I thought it was interesting.
The most recent banned book that I read was actually the His Dark Materials series (The Golden Compass etc.) Funny enough that was also the first and last time that I was almost restricted from reading something. I got the trilogy in one set and my mother told me how she wasn't going to get them for me after she had heard on the news that they challenge religion. She originally decided that she didn't want me reading them but eventually changed her mind when she realized that I was (at the time) a Sophomore in college and was mature enough to make my own decisions on the book's content.
Most recently, I have re-read "The Great Gatsby" and "Slaughterhouse Five," which are two of my favorite books. While it doesn't surprise me that either of these have been challenged or banned, I have never personally been prohibited from reading anything that may have been considered "offensive" or "inappropriate." I have always been left to form my own opinions about literature and anything else regarding my education, not to say that I was not urged against reading books like the "Harry Potter" series. It is my firm belief that the reader should be left to formulate their own opinions on a book's content, instead of being force-fed ideas by censors.
I recently read "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" by Thomas Hardy. At my middle school, the library we had didn't offer any "offensive texts". They didn't carry any of Chris Crutcher's books, The Great Gatsby, Catcher in the Rye, or any of Steinbeck's books. Worse, I didn't realize I was missing out on any of these stories because the school never requested them for class. It wasn't until I graduated that I realized the school purposely kept out a lot of books they deemed "inappropriate". It's a shame they felt they had to do that, since Chris Crutcher is one of my all-time favorite authors and I never got a chance to read his books until I was in high school. I feel that if the students are told that books are being kept from them, they will speak up. It's one thing for parents to advise children on what to read, and it's another to only show the books that they approve of. -Caitlin Carroll
I recently just re-read The Scarlet letter and I remember the first time i read it in middle school and there was a huge controversy with the parents and my teacher. My parents didn't want me reading it because of the profanity and the sexual explications. It was a really good read and although our parents didn't believe we could handle it, the majority of us were able to maturely read through the content and focus on the important parts of the book.
I understand the worries my parents and others had with the "negative exposure" but they underestimated us how we would handle it.
Most recently I've read Brave New World, Animal Farm, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and The Awakening. I also read Girl, Interrupted, which was challenged. The problem with censoring, particularly with kids, is that often the kids won't know if works have been withheld from them. The only time I can recall something close to censorship was when I chose A Clockwork Orange for my project in early high school. My English teacher discouraged me from it because of how controversial it is, but I read it anyway. The violence in it is profound, but no more disturbing than the image of curbstomping in The Hatchet, which was in the curriculum in my middle school.
ReplyDelete- Rai Carmody
I have read, recently, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, The Awakening, Of Mice and Men, Beloved, and The Bell Jar. I am currently reading through 100 Greatest Novels, as voted by every day people and there are a plethora of challenged books on the list. Growing up, I did not have outright censorship with reading. I can remember my great-grandmother giving me a novel at 15 years old and it having some explicit moments in the text that I later told my mom about. I had already read the book and see did not seem to oppose greatly either way. However, I did go to Catholic school from sixth to twelfth grade, so there could have been books banned from the classroom without my knowledge.
ReplyDelete--Amanda Paul
Well, to begin with it was not very recently for me, but I' ve read the Lysistrata some years ago. Obviously this book was challenged because of the language and the sexual things that are being expressed inside the book by Aristophanes. Personally,nobody has ever discouraged me from reading a book at least it has never happened to me like a clear prohibition, but maybe it has happened as an advice.
ReplyDeleteAdrianos Vourliotakis Perdikaris.
I have recently read Lord of the Flies by William Golding.The novel has been banned and challenged--based on the excessive violence and bad language.
ReplyDeletePersonally, no one has discouraged me from reading any type of book. I pretty much read whatever I can find in my house that interests me.
-Sarah Gamelli
It was quite a few months ago, but the last banned books I delved into was A Clockwork Orange and re-reading Fahrenheit 451, which is my favorite dystopian sci-fi, mostly because it demonstrates the danger of book banning and censorship, and fell victim to those very institutions it was pleading against in an ironic punchline.
ReplyDeleteMy parents have always been the most literate people I know, so reading was never discouraged in my household; rather, my mother always piled extra onto our summer reading to make sure that we got in the classics that "your dumb school won't have you read." I was forced through The Scarlet Letter when I was ten, and it was painfully dry for me at that age. But, even outside of the home, my schools, both private and later public, never dampened my reading agendas, either. I read most of the more taboo on my own time, though, so I suppose there very well could have been controversy had I been more relevant to my community.
-Theresa Caulkins
I have not read too many books lately but I read a little bit of the twilight books and i felt as if it was not or should not have been banned especially because it is targeted for a higher reader.
ReplyDelete-Kimm Webb
The most recent banned books I have read have been Animal Farm, To Kill a Mockingbird, Brave New World, and the TTYL series. I have never been told not to read a certain book.
ReplyDeleteTanya Jones
My mother was the only one who tried to restrict from books, due to the fact she didn't think I was age appropriate at age 15 to read Lovely Bones, or she thought that there was too much violence, such as A Child Called It. She was never successful in restricting me though. A few banned books I've read are Catcher In The Rye, Lord Of The Flies, Slaughterhouse Five, To Kill A Mocking Bird, and The Adventures Of HuckleBerry Finn. -Diane Stitt
ReplyDeleteThe most recent banned book I've read was "The Awakening." In recent years I've read "Fahrenheit 451" and "The Lovely Bones."
ReplyDeleteNo one has ever tried to restrict what books I read.
Desiree Marchand
Most recently, I have read Beloved and The Awakening. Nobody has ever restricted me from reading any books, and a handful of the titles on the banned and challenged lists were actually required reading in my school curriculum.
ReplyDelete-Monica Noury
Recently, I have also read Beloved and I do not feel like it should be banned. Also, no one has ever discouraged me from reading a book for whatever reason. I feel as if people should be able to read what they choose.
ReplyDeleteTailyr Cross
The most recent banned books that I have read were Of Mice and Men, Their Eyes Were Watching God, The Lord of the Flies, and The Great Gatsby. The only censorship that I have run into was in high school. The school curriculum restricted what we could read and the topics we could do presentations on. My parents never restricted the books that I was allowed to read as a child.
ReplyDelete-Emma Priester
The last banned book I read was The Awakening. My parents never restricted what I read but usually encouraged me to simply read as much as possible. I cannot recall facing any kind of restrictions in school either, which is surprising since I've been in Catholic schools my entire life and you would expect them to be more restrictive.
ReplyDelete-Brittany Morgan
The last banned books i read were The Great Gatsby, The bluest eye, The color purple, Slaughter house 5, Of mice and men, the things they carried, and the lovely bones. Most of them i read for school but a few were for leisure. Luckily no one has restricted that i have been able to read or view. There was an uprise when my junior year English class did a banned books project, but nothing ever came of it and it didn't affect our project, the books we read or our school. As for my parents they don't mind when i read books that have been banned because the books was obviously published for a reason and there is always a lesson or moral behind it.
ReplyDelete- Ariel Trudell
The most recent banned and/or challenged books that I have read are Slaughterhouse-Five, The Things They Carried, and Ender’s Game. I haven’t ever had trouble with restrictions on my reading; throughout high school, much of the curriculum was made of books that are listed on the ala.org website as being banned or challenged (Animal Farm, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby, The Lord of the Flies, 1984, The Awakening, A Separate Peace, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Of Mice and Men . . . ). Both at home and in school, I have always been encouraged to read anything that would “broaden my horizons” or add to my understanding of something.
ReplyDelete-Ali Memhard
The most recent banned books I have read were, Lord of the Flies, Of Mice and Men, and To Kill A Mockingbird in highschool. I feel like some books shouldnt be banned because parents might want their children to read them, it is their decision. My parents never told me that I couldn't read a book that I wanted to.
ReplyDeleteMichelle Spinney
I don't think I've recently read anything that has been banned but I wouldn't be surprised to find out otherwise. Other than that I do re-read books like To Kill A Mockingbird several times a year. My parents never restricted what I read as far as I know. The most they ever did was try to get me to read novels when I was younger and was more into reading series. I did always like reading banned or controversial books in high school though, I thought it was interesting.
ReplyDeleteMaria Varanka
The most recent banned book that I read was actually the His Dark Materials series (The Golden Compass etc.) Funny enough that was also the first and last time that I was almost restricted from reading something. I got the trilogy in one set and my mother told me how she wasn't going to get them for me after she had heard on the news that they challenge religion. She originally decided that she didn't want me reading them but eventually changed her mind when she realized that I was (at the time) a Sophomore in college and was mature enough to make my own decisions on the book's content.
ReplyDelete- Jeff Payne
Most recently, I have re-read "The Great Gatsby" and "Slaughterhouse Five," which are two of my favorite books. While it doesn't surprise me that either of these have been challenged or banned, I have never personally been prohibited from reading anything that may have been considered "offensive" or "inappropriate." I have always been left to form my own opinions about literature and anything else regarding my education, not to say that I was not urged against reading books like the "Harry Potter" series. It is my firm belief that the reader should be left to formulate their own opinions on a book's content, instead of being force-fed ideas by censors.
ReplyDelete-Cara Tamiso
I recently read "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" by Thomas Hardy.
ReplyDeleteAt my middle school, the library we had didn't offer any "offensive texts". They didn't carry any of Chris Crutcher's books, The Great Gatsby, Catcher in the Rye, or any of Steinbeck's books. Worse, I didn't realize I was missing out on any of these stories because the school never requested them for class. It wasn't until I graduated that I realized the school purposely kept out a lot of books they deemed "inappropriate".
It's a shame they felt they had to do that, since Chris Crutcher is one of my all-time favorite authors and I never got a chance to read his books until I was in high school. I feel that if the students are told that books are being kept from them, they will speak up. It's one thing for parents to advise children on what to read, and it's another to only show the books that they approve of.
-Caitlin Carroll
I recently just re-read The Scarlet letter and I remember the first time i read it in middle school and there was a huge controversy with the parents and my teacher. My parents didn't want me reading it because of the profanity and the sexual explications. It was a really good read and although our parents didn't believe we could handle it, the majority of us were able to maturely read through the content and focus on the important parts of the book.
ReplyDeleteI understand the worries my parents and others had with the "negative exposure" but they underestimated us how we would handle it.