Why Would Little House on the Prarie Be Challenged?

The libraries across the country will be celebrating Banned Books this week.  Banned books in America?  Really?  Well, actually not banned per se.  More like challenged but it sounds so much more richer to say a book has been banned.   In an effort to promote intellectual freedom,  this is one way of getting attention about books, reading and libraries.   To be clear, the First Amendment guarantees the right to say, write, believe or read anything without fear of  punishment from the government.  The list of books here, are widely available and anyone can read them if they choose.  Judy Blume, Neil Gaiman and other authors can rest assured, this is still America and no books are truly banned.  Just merely challenged.  Having said that it's important to keep vigilant on the topic of banned books.  It let's those who hold office  know that the freedom to read is taken very seriously.
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To answer the question why would Little House on the Prairie penned by Laura Ingells Wilder  be banned?  According to parents in the Lafourche Parish schools, this book is offensive to Indians, in the political correct terms, Native Americans.  In the book, which is historically accurate, the main characters describes the Native Americans in an unflattering light.  Big deal.  Is it so hard to teach children that historically that is how  settlers in the west viewed the Native American culture?  Thank goodness we are passed that now, right?    For the record, this entire  series has been given numerous awards, including one named after Ms. Wilder from the American Library Association, for making a positive addition to American Children's Literature.  




Ms.Wilder is not alone in the "culturally insensitive" language department.  Mark Twain's beloved The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn suffers the same attack for using the word "nigger".  The book has even been published in a "friendly" version where the "n" word is removed completely.  Any literary purist and historian will say this is not only ignorance at it's best but offensive at it's worst.   It is agreed that every person deserves respect, but when making the accusation that the word is deeming in a tome that lifts up the value of friendship between the two boys is illogical to say the least.  Leave the text alone, and discuss the book with children in order to give them the proper perspective on the text.




Gone With the Wind is another victim of  accusations of racism.  Margaret Mitchell's portrayal of black slaves as being simple minded  was deemed as offensive in many communities.  Again,  if readers are to look at the historical context of  the book, it falls in line with what the common thought was.  History can not be changed but it should be understood in order for a society to learn from the mistakes of the past.



Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland has always stood out as a classic tale in the fantasy genre.  It has also earned the attention of those who wish to protect readers from dangerous books.  In the 1900's at Woodsville High School in New Hampshire, the book was thought  to have subconscious influences which leads the reader into sexual fantasies. One has to wonder how this community might have reacted to Fifty Shades of Gray had it been printed then?  It would have made them blush several shades of pink to be sure.




To Kill A Mocking Bird,  Harper Lee's tour de force, was banned in  Hanover Virginia in 1966.  Why?   The  plot was considered immoral because it dealt with rape.  Also through out the story,  racism is interwoven.  




As a modern feminist writer Virginia Woolf broke many boundaries in her time.  It comes as no surprise that one of her books would be challenged or banned.   Due to the topics of gender changing and homosexuality, Orlando is definitely on the list of books that some thought should be forbidden..  This book is not one of her better known titles, but it is said that it was a "love" story written to a famous female  of Woolf's day.  The idea of changing one's gender and to have one women kiss another full on the lips "like a lover" was scandalous.  In this day and age, not so shocking. 




One for the pages of this can't be true but it is.  In 1993, the community of Corona-Norco, California thought it was imperative to ban.  Aldous Huxley's Brave New World because it focused too much on negativity.  It's too bad that they didn't understand Huxley's true message of how humanity could be controlled if society gave their consent.  Great book that could develop into greater discussions.




The Curious Incident of Dog In the Nighttime by Mark Haddon is a wonderful, delightful book that allows the reader to see the world through the eyes of  a boy with Autism.   In Tennessee, a writer has to beware of using the "F" word one time to many in their work or they may find that their book is not welcomed in their community.  One school district in Tennessee did just that citing that while they are sure the students in the school were familiar with the "F" word,  it does not mean that the school district should condone the use of vulgar language in literature.


In 1939,  Grapes of Wrath  literally came under fire in one community and banned in another due to it's offensive language.  In East St. Louis, Illinois, the public library of this community burned the work by Steinbeck.   Yes, burned.  As in, light a match,  toss the book in a bin and drop the match in the bin.  The irrational behavior does not get rid of the book entirely.  More copies can and were printed.  Readers today still enjoy the book.  In Buffalo New York,  the public library there banned the books.  It is reassuring to know that the book is still available for the citizens of Buffalo. 


Last, but certainly not least  Sid Sheldon's book, The Giving Tree came under criticism.  This is due to the fact that the two main characters of the book, boy and tree, have an questionable relationship. Tree gives everything it has to the boy and the boy  seems to never have enough and nothing to give to the tree.  In 1988 it was banned in a public library in Colorado because it was considered "sexist".  Well if that didn't work, it has been challenged in some public school libraries for criminalizing the forestry industry.  Seriously, some adult look too deeply into a book to try to find something that's not there.


Ten books that may make  readers to pause, scratch their heads and say this is nuts.  Books may be challenged, they can even be banned but in the end, they will always find a way into someone's hands who will appreciate a good story.   Do something daring today, go out and read a dangerous book.  As a matter of fact, share it with someone you love.

Presidential Activiites: All Leaders are Readers

It's a pretty fair statement to point out that great leaders are readers. This is especially true of many of our nation's Presidents. Jefferson, Lincoln and George W. Bush are just a few examples of avid readers. Keeping this in mind, it became puzzling that there are no storytime that reminded children that great leaders were first avid readers. To fix this problem, it became a goal to find a way to make this topic work in a storytime program. Fitting in a biographical storytime is easier than one would think. There are delightful picture books that feature our great presidents such as Washington and Lincoln. Which makes for a wonderful half-hour program complete with crafts which includes making a stovepipe hat and beard. What child wouldn't love walking out of a program with a costume like that? Need a little music to go with the craft and stories, how about a Presidential parade with little feet marching to the tune of "Hail to the Chief". Still not convinced? Take a look at the following picture books listed below to discover the inspiration of entertaining while educating young minds.

It's very hard to do biographies in picture books. Lucky for children librarians and young readers everywhere there are talented authors who have taken up the task of remembering great men and women in history. Specifically, the books here focus on our two greatest Presidents. Margaret McNamara's George's Birthday: A Mostly True Tale is a fresh, interesting and full of fun facts about our first president. The story itself is a fiction, however McNamara cleverly fits in true facts about George through out the book that can lead to interesting discussion with children. The illustrations add a nice touch with a pint size George wearing a powdered wig.

After reading about George, move on to another picture book written by Maria Kalman titled Looking At Lincoln,. Inspired by the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., Kalman retells the story of Lincoln's life, presidency and death with sensitivity and clarity that aids children of all ages understand the complicated issues that this president faced.

A books series titled, "Who Was..." is a wonderful introduction to biographies for young readers in the grades two and up. These books are filled with interesting facts, timelines and bibliographic references for young readers to look up additional information. Who Was Abraham Lincoln? by Janet B. Pascal and Who Was George Washington? by Roberta Edwards are excellent choices for quick reading and book discussions for the little "older" reader then the storytime crowd.

With a little imagination, and how can one not be inspired by the two greatest Presidents our nation has produced, a unique storytime that children and parents won't soon forget is ready to go. Who knows this storytime may be the building block for a budding future "President".

Would you like to see more book titles? It's easy to obtain by emailing lvnlibrarian@yahoo.com and requesting an annotated President's day bibliography.

Banned Books Week... Why all the Celebrating?

Banned Books Week beings September 26- October 3, 2009 It is an effort to bring about awareness of censorship in our society. It is also useless, intellectually devoid of reason and waste of time for libraries to be pursuing as an agenda. There are so many problems with this celebration that it is really hard to know where to begin. The American Library Association has stated in the LIbrary Bill of Rights, Article 3 that, "Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment." Thank goodness there were not oaths to take as a librarian at the point of receiving the degree. It would have been difficult for me to accept based on this premiss. It would take a snob with glasses sliding down their nose to scold anyone on the importance of intellectual freedom and censorship. The arguments for promoting Banned Books falls flat on its face.

Censorship in America truly does not exist. There are indeed numerous school libraries who have complained of "censorship" because parents, and school boards opposed certain books on the libraries shelf. Common sense should prevail here, but it often does not. The "censorship" of Harry Potter for school and pubic libraries did not prevent the book from being read by thousands of children and adults. Rather it may have spurred the sales because of the controversy. If one librarian did lose the fight to keep poor old Harry in her library, how would this have impacted her patrons? With all the bookstores pilling the books in their storefront windows or having midnight parties on the day the latest installment was to be released, the impact would have been minimal. Also, using another library would not be out of the question, even if it is borrowing from a personal library of a neighbor. What is the penalty for a child to have the "banned book" in their possession? If the child is hung by their toenails and whipped in front of the entire school for such disobedience, that would be a crime. Something to truly fight against. However, this does not happen. At worst, the child could get suspended at the very least, told not to bring the book back to school. How barbaric! School boards, library boards and any other authority can no stop the publication, distribution or reading of any book in America. When the United States Government comes to the point where they will stop publication and distribution materials that is "inappropriate" in their eyes, then we have a problem.

Banned books presumes that all books are worthy to be read and have value. That somehow the act of getting published merits librarians to defend the book at all cost. Anyone who is an avid reader will argue that fact! Not all books should be read and honestly, there are others that should not have been written at all because of poor plots or writing. Every book that is on the list of Banned Books have caused controversy. A literary work is placed on the list when their is a complaint filed against it because of its language, subject matter or philosophy. For some authors it seems to be a badge of honor to have their work placed here. Controversy always sells and what better way to get free publicity than to have an association such as the American Libraries Association to promote your book? Which comes as no surprise that the authors, publishers and book distributers all support the agenda for Banned Book Week. It benefits them in monetary ways.

The American Library Association has also stated that children have the right to read the books that they choose. There has to be some common sense here also and it is always lost with the intellectual idealism that warps many minds. Children are children, that is to say they do not bare the same responsibilities as adults. Nor should they. When making a statement that children have the right to read whatever they'd like, it does not count into the debate that children do not have "rights" under the law. A child does have the right to be free from physical harm, a safe home and school. However, a child does not have a right to vote, to make their own medical decision, or even to choose not to get an education. All of these rights are given to the legal guardian. It is time as professional librarians to face the fact that parents do have the right to tell their child what they think is best for them to read. If a parent does not want Harry Potter or Twilight to be in their home because they feel it isn't right for their child to read, they should be able to do so without being casted as some weirdo who is stuck in the middle ages. Most children will read books that follow the same values as they are being taught at home and school. Rarely do they go off to read something that is radically different. However, if they do, isn't it the parent's right to stop their children from reading the materials? After all, the job of PARENTING is not the librarians. Let's take an extreme scenario because for argument sake we can. What happens when a child decides he/she would like a book written by the KKK or other radical groups, what should be the parent's reaction? Are they doing a report on the topic? Or are they falling for a philosophy that was never taught at home, such as racial superiority? This is the job for the parent to decide whether they want this information in the home, not the child.

Lastly, the dirty little secret about Intellectual freedom and censorship is that librarians practice it every day! It's called collection development. On a day to day basis, librarians decide what books, will go on the shelves and what books don't pass the grade. It is based on book reviews, content of the material and the need for information in a subject area. Like it or not, it is also based on what patrons are demanding. Sometimes, librarians might even let their own bias get in the way. (Don't get me started on novels based on Shakespeare's works! But that is topic for another day.)

It would be better for librarians and their associations to concern themselves with worthwhile causes that actually promote libraries. Battling an issue such as censorship in America is like trying to fight the monster in the closet. He's not there, he doesn't exist and so it's time to move on.