DavidBacon

MCL390
March15,2015
BannedBooks:TheEverChangingCultureofAcceptance
Banningbookshashistoricallybecomeapartofculture;infact,thefirstbanned
bookoccurredin1650byamannamedWilliamPynchon.Likemostauthorsofbanned
books,Pynchonchallengedwhatwasconsideredagenerallyacceptedstandard.
Specifically,heopposedanideaofPuritandoctrinethatwasusedbythereligiousleaders
andministersofthetime.Thiseventdemonstratesthemostcommonpathofevents
followingthereleaseofabookthathascontroversialmaterial:Pynchonswritingswere
bannedforheresyandgenerallyignoredbythepublic.Healsowassentawayto
contemplatehisreligiousideas;upondecidingthathedidnotagreewiththereligionsof
theNewWorld,hetravelledbacktoEngland.
WhilePynchonsstorymayseemtoodatedtoberelevant,therehavebeencases
uponcasesofauthorschallengingthenormalcyofsocietythroughtheirwritings.
Similarly,manyworkshavebeenbannedforpublicconsumptionbasedonaspecificset
ofstandards.AccordingtotheAmericanLibraryAssociation,banningabookmeansthat
libraries,classrooms,andbookstoresacrossthecountryremovethebookfor
consumption.Thismainlyhappensbecausegroupsofpeoplespeaktheirfeelingsabout
contentorideasthatappearinthebook.Ideasthatcommonlyappearinbannedbooks
includeoffensivelanguage,sexualexploitation,racism,andpoliticalandreligious
viewpoints.In1982,manyliteraryassociationscametogethertosponsorBannedBooks
Week,whichoccursinSeptemberandcelebratesthefreedomthatreadersshouldhavein

termsofnovelselection.TheAmericanLibraryAssociationbelievesthatreadersshould
havethefreedomtoseekandtoexpressideas,eventhosesomeconsiderunorthodoxor
unpopular(Banned1).
Intodayssocietymanyauthorscontinuetowritebooksthatbringabout
questionablecontent.Theauthors,alongwithmanymembersofsociety,feelthatitis
necessarytoeducatesocietythroughsituationstheypresentintheirbooks.Thesubjects
themselvescanbeverycontroversial,buttheseauthorsfeelasthoughthetopicsshould
notbetabooedjustbecauseoftheircontroversialnature.Ontheotherhand,asignificant
partofsocietyincludingmanyparentsandeducatorsfeelthatthebooksthathold
questionablemoralsshouldnotbeaccessibleforthegeneralpublic.Parentsand
educatorsgenerallyfeelthatmaterialssuchasthesecontainideasthatcouldnegatively
influencethewaysthatchildrenthinkorbehave,soinordertopreventthat,theyshould
notbereadingthosematerials.
Twobooksthatwerewritteninthepastfewyearsthatareonthechallengebooks
listincludeFiftyShadesofGreyandTheHungerGames.AccordingtotheAmerican
LibraryAssociation,FiftyShadesofGreyhasbeenchallengedbecauseofoffensive
languageandsexuallyexplicitmaterial.SuzanneCollinstrilogyTheHungerGameshas
beenchallengedforpoliticalviewpointsandbeingunsuitedfortheintendedagegroup.
Whilebothofthesebookscontainaspectsofthesechallenges,theyalsopresentother
ideasandmaterialsthatreadersshouldbefreetoexploreindependentlyiftheydesire.
Whileitisnotnecessarilyagoaltohaveabookbechallenged,havingcontroversialideas
withinanoveltendstocreatemoreexposurefortheideas.ShermanAlexie,authorofthe

challengedbookTheAbsolutelyTrueDiaryofaPartTimeIndian,mentionsthathaving
hisnovelchallengedbroughtitmoreattentionthanitpreviouslyhad.
InthenovelFiftyShadesofGrey,theprotagonistAnameetsrichentrepreneur
ChristianGrey.Hetakesanimmediatelikingtoher,andeventuallyseducesherintoa
relationship.Whatshedoesnotknowrightaway,however,istheextentofhissexual
preferences.AlargeportionofthebooksurroundstheconceptofaBDSMrelationship,
whichAnabecomesapartof.Manyreadersdonotrealizetheextentoftherelationships
inthenoveluntiltheyareabouthalfwaythroughthenoveltherelationshipbetween
ChristianandAnastartsoutwithsomesensesofnormalcy.Theintendedaudienceofthe
novelisadults,butasthepopularityofthebookhasskyrocketedoverthepastfouryears,
ithasfallenintothehandsofthosewhomightnotrealizewhatexactlytheyaregetting
themselvesinto.
Therisingpopularityofthisnovelfallshandinhandwithsocietysviewson
independenceandselfdiscovery.Asapersonofthisgeneration,Iamabletoobservethe
everchangingcultureofacceptanceandmakingindependentdecisions.Ingeneral,I
agreewiththeideasthatoneshouldbeallowedtoreadwhattheychoose,andifitturns
intosomethingthatcrossesapersonalboundary,thenapersoncanchoosetostopreading
saidbook.However,theconcernswithFiftyShadesofGreyfallontothefemaleyouthof
America:isthiscontentsomethingwewantteenagegirlstobeseeing?Manyreaders
andconcernedprotestersbelievethatAna,theprotagonist,iscoercedintoarelationship
thatshedidnotoriginallysignupfor.Theyalsobelievethatsheunwillinglyparticipates
intheexplicitsexualactsoutlinedinthenovel.

Whilesomeofthematerialinthenovelisquiteracy,onearticlefromtheJournal
ofAdult&AdolescentLiteracydiscusseshowthereissomuchtobelearnedfromthese
booksthatgoesbeyondthecontentofthenovel.AuthorJenDenizentellsthetaleofher
ContemporaryLiteratureclass,wherehighschoolgirlsweredrawnintothehype
presentedbyFiftyShadesofGrey.Theyhadaskedtoreadthebookasachoicenovel,
whichDenizenagreedto.Surprisingly,thegirlswereabletorespondtothebookasa
whole,andnotspecificallyrefertothesexualcontentofthenovel(Denizen,3).Denizen
advocatesforherstudentstobeabletoreadanybook,buttobeabletofocuspastthe
contentandseethetrueliteraryideasthatliebehindthestory.
AnotherpopularbooktrilogythathasbeenfrequentlychallengeisTheHunger
GamesbySuzanneCollins.ThesenovelsfollowthestoryofKatnissEverdeen,ateenage
girlwholivesinadystopianworldnamedPanem.ShelivesinDistrictTwelve,themost
poorofthetwelvedistricts.Eachyear,theCapitolsponsorsTheHungerGames,which
isacontestwhereeachdistricthasonemaleandonefemaletributeenteranarenaand
fighttothedeath.Thelastplayerstandingreceivesmoneyforlifeandalargerhome
withintheirdistrict.Afterthefirstbook,Katnisshasgoneagainstthegovernments
desiresandmadeherselfapoliticaltargetsheisthefiretoanuprising.Theremaining
novelsfocusonhowPanemspoliticalsystemslowlyfallsapartbecauseofonesmall
action.Whilethenovelsstartoutwithsomegruesomeideas,theymorphintoastory
aboutromance,politics,andbecomingyourownvoice.
Muchofthebacklashfromthesebookshascomefromtheviolencethatisfound
within.Collinswritesmanyscenesthatincludesomeformofphysicalinjury,death,

mutation,orpsychologicaltorture.Whiletheblowoftheseideasmightbelessened
becauseofthedystopiansettingofthenovels,itisstillmaderealbythefactthatKatniss
isjustaneighteenyearoldgirltryingtofightforsomethingthatismuchbiggerthanshe
is.Thesethemesandideasarepresentthroughoutthewholetrilogy,butaddtothe
overallthemeofbeingapawninagreaterscheme.Afterall,Katnissplaysthepartofa
pawninotherpeoplesschemesafewtimesthroughtheseries.Sheispoliticizedtothe
pointwheresheisnotsurewhichdecisionsarethecorrectonesanymore.Thesebooks
docontainmorematureideasaboutpoliticsandmakingdecisionswhenviolencearises,
buttherealworldalsohasmanyofthesethingsgoingoneveryday.
Onceagain,parentsandotherconcernedreadershavefearedthepossibilityof
todaysyouthpickinguponthetypesofideasoccurringinthistrilogy,butotherbelieve
thatwhatisreadinthesebookscanandshouldbeincorporatedintoourownlives.One
suchteacher,AmberSimmons,believesthatthesebookscanteachaboutsocialaction
andencouragetodaysyouthtobeparticipantsinourpoliticalsociety.Accordingto
Simmons,thisseriesofbookstouchesonsomesocietalissuesthatareoccurringaround
theworld,includingslavery,hunger,andthesextrade(Simmons,29).Whilesome
believethatitisnotagoodideatoeducateouryouthaboutsuchproblems,Ibelievethat
ifwearegoingtoexpectchangetooccurinthefuture,weneedtobeeducatingthem
abouttherealitiesoftheworldandinstillingasenseofactionwithinthem.
Whilebannedandchallengedbooksmightseemtocontainideasthataretoocruel
forouryouth,Ibelievethattherearemanythingsthatcanbeextractedforthepurposes
ofeducation.Iftherearebookswithchallengingconceptsthatarewrittenatage

appropriatelevels,whywouldwenotusethem?WhileIamcertainlynotadvocatingfor
ruiningthefragilemindofachild,Ialsobelievethatthereneedstobeacertainamount
ofexposuretotherealitiesoftheworld.Itseemsthatonewayexposurecouldhappenis
throughchallengedbooks.Theharsherrealitiesoftheworldshouldnotalwaysbe
blatantlyexposedbutnothiddeninadarkcornereither.Challengedbooksareableto
connectstudentsandreaderswiththeseissues,andIbelievethatintodaysinfluential
society,weshouldletthemread.

WorksCited
"America'sFirstBannedBook."EPHEMERIS.N.p.,23Sept.2013.Web.16Mar.2015.

Denzin,Jen."BoundariesforContemporaryLiterature:TheRoleofCensorshipand
Choice."JournalofAdolescent&AdultLiteracy57.1(2013):711.Web.

"FrequentlyChallengedBooksofthe21stCentury."FrequentlyChallengedBooksofthe
21stCentury.AmericanLibraryAssociation,n.d.Web.16Mar.2015

Rossuck,Jennifer."BannedBooks:AStudyofCensorship."TheEnglishJournal86.2
(1997):6770.Web.16Mar.2015.

Simmons,AmberM."ClassonFire:UsingtheHungerGamesTrilogytoEncourage
SocialAction."JournalofAdolescent&AdultLiteracy56.1(2012):2234.Web.