When Protecting Becomes Censoring

What do the books in this picture all have in common? At one time some one attempted to have them banned.


In April, four members of a library board in West Bend, WI, were dismissed for refusing to remove controversial books from the library’s young adult section. The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the National Coalition Against Censorship, the Association of American Publishers and PEN American Center criticized the firings--and now the city council says it may reconsider its hasty decision.

The whole ordeal started when two parents requested that young adult titles which contained sex and homosexuality be shelved in the adult section--where minors have to get parental approval before checking books out. Read more about this case in this recent article in the School Library Journal.

One of the most frequently banned books is John Steinbeck's Pulitzer winning The Grapes of Wrath and it is still being removed from library shelves and reading curriculum today. Read about how Steinbeck intended his novel to be controversial and how Oklahoma residents are still not OK (pun intended) with it in Tulsa World's "Grapes of Wrath still blows ill wind."

Banning and censoring books has been going on since the first book was created. Some of our favorite banned books, "ranging from Ulysses to Little Red Riding Hood," can be read for free at The Online Books Page's "Banned Books Online" site.

Get Lit! wants to know what you think about censorship and whether parents should have the right to determine the content of our library shelves. Please leave us a comment on this post.

For more information about banned books, visit the Banned Books Week site. This year's Banned Book Week will take place September 26–October 3. Check out your local libraries and bookstores for more information closer to those dates.