Hola readers!
Do you know there is a whole week dedicated to books that are
banned because of any reason? Yes, it is #BannedBooksWeek!
Banned Books week is an annual event celebrated worldwide which
aims at celebrating freedom to read. I think, it’s also a tribute to freedom to
express and write. Ever since books have been existence, many of them have been
challenged by some one or the other as they found the content inappropriate. It
was launched in the year 1982 and is held during the last week of September.
Who bans books?
There are several authorities which play role in banning a book.
1. International
associations
2. National
associations, government bodies, courts.
3. Local
associations, courts etc.
Why are books banned?
As much as we all have the freedom of speech, the freedom of
expression is also exercised equally. Published content either fiction or
non-fiction, can be interpreted differently by everyone. Any person who has any
kind of objection on a book or is contents can be challenged and thus lead to a
ban if found reasonable at various levels like local, national, etc.
Below are some of the common reasons which mostly combined with
one another have led to banning of a book
1. Racial
Issue
Racism had been the
most common social issue all over the world. Despite of the fact that fiction
books clearly states that all content is purely fiction, many books have been
challenged and subsequently banned because of this reason. Most common examples
would be
“To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee
“Gone with The Wind” by Margaret Mitchell.
“To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee
“Gone with The Wind” by Margaret Mitchell.
2. In appropriate
usage of words and Violence -
Offensive language is
one of the major reasons of the most commonly banned classic book - “The Great
Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Many groups find a few books to be too violent to read. This
combined with racism and sexually explicit language is the top most reason to
result in banning a book. Here is another example:
“Lord of the Flies” by William Golding
3. Sexual
content
Sex - oh I typed the taboo word! Yes, this is one of the most
common reason leading to a book being banned. This might also be the biggest
list if made. Here are a few.
“Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank
“The Color Purple” by Alice Walker
“I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou
4. Religious
Issue
Religion is another sensitive topic and the most debatable one
too. Unfortunately, many books have been taken of the shelf as they hurt or
disrespected some religious beliefs.
“The Satanic Verses” by Salman Rushdie
“The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown
5. Political
Issue
Politics and politicians have also been a popular subject of
inspiration for many authors. Here are some books that were banned considering
various political references or allegations or challenges:
“Nineteen Eighty-Four” by George Orwell
“Mein Kampf” by Adolf Hitler
Then there are of course some books which cannot be sold or
purchased in some parts of the world all due to strange reasons.
What are the books you know of were banned based on unthinkable
grounds?
PS; The
books I have mentioned are not necessarily banned everywhere. Also, the list is
long and keep on growing with each new release.
