The silliest and most illogical reasons for book banning
1. “Encourages children to break dishes so they won’t have to dry them.” ( A Light in the Attic, by Shel Silverstien)
2. “It caused a wave of rapes.” ( Arabian Nights, or Thousand and One Nights, anonymous)
3. “If there is a possibility that something might be controversial, then why not eliminate it?” ( Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, by Dee Brown)
4. “Tarzan was ‘living in sin’ with Jane.” ( Tarzan, by Edgar Rice Burroughs)
5. “It is a real ‘downer.’” ( Diary of Anne Frank, by Anne Frank)
6. “The basket carried by Little Red Riding Hood contained a bottle of wine, which condones the use of alcohol.” ( Little Red Riding Hood, by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm)
7. “One bunny is white and the other is black and this ‘brainwashes’ readers into accepting miscegenation."(The Rabbit’s Wedding, by Garth Williams)
8. “It is a religious book and public funds should not be used to purchase religious books.” ( Evangelical Commentary on the Bible, by Walter A. Elwell, ed.)
9. “A female dog is called a bitch.” ( My Friend Flicka, by Mary O’Hara)
10. “An unofficial version of the story of Noah’s Ark will confuse children.” ( Many Waters, by Madeleine L’Engle) ----ALA Ideas for Displays
Read a banned book this week.
Wow, these reasons are just dumb! My favourites were for A Light in the Attic (breaking dishes? What is this, a Rihanna song?) and Little Red Riding Hood - really? They didn't even mention anything about how violent the original fairy tales were! Will be looking forward to the rest of your posts for the Banned Book Week.
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ReplyDeleteIf it wasn't such a serious matter, I'd have to laugh at these reasons for banning books. Tarzan was living in sin with Jane, no mention of the fact that they also shared their lives with a chimp.
Hi, Came on the hop and found this great post! Really nice that you put this together, its worth mentioning.
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Those are great! I think #5 and #10 are the most interesting. I'd say they're funny, but pathetic is more accurate.
ReplyDeleteThe basket carried by Little Red Riding Hood contained a bottle of wine, which condones the use of alcohol? Please!
ReplyDeleteFascinating! Thank you for sharing these with us.
I have one to add (though it was a reason for parent not wanting their student to read a book). The Devil's Arithmetic (about the Holocaust) encourages the worship of Satan. No, I'm not kidding. Direct quote.
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