As someone brilliant said, "If you’re afraid that books might change someone’s thinking, you’re not afraid of books, you’re afraid of thinking." And there we have it.
My parents were avid readers. We were poor and had few amenities (no running water, no indoor plumbing, etc), but we had a bookcase and we filled it with books we found in the town dump. No book was denied me. I read The Well of Loneliness at age 10. I read books by Erskine Caldwell, Zane Grey, and Pearl S. Buck. I read textbooks before I started school at age 5. Books were my window to the world ... we did not have television.
It is so good to hear from you again, Sandra! I'm glad your computer issues resolved (mine are in temporary-pray-to-the-gods-hope-this fix lasts mode). My parents were also avid readers and also very busy so they didn't really monitor my reading choices very much -- they just wanted me to read. Often I just picked up what they were reading and gave it a go. My mom loved thrillers, Erma Bombek, Judith Viorst, historical fiction. My dad loved mysteries, nonfiction books about ideas and Ayn Rand. Somehow one or the other picked up a copy of Portnoy's Complaint and we all read that although, at the time, they were not thrilled with that.
Sep 17, 2022·edited Sep 17, 2022Liked by Elizabeth Marro
A timely topic (book banning). America and most Western democracies struggle with this issue each time there is an inflection point around change. A palpable angst demonstrated by reactionaries taking over school boards and turning them into rallies. What is happening?
Parents are granted a remarkable and broad deference in how they raise their children. Whatever they choose to implement for their children will take hold if they are consistent and attentive. I believe those that have their doubts choose the path to decide for others. This is how many major issues get litigated in the public. It is ALWAYS challenging whenever any of us steam forward to force their PERSONAL decision on the rest of us. This is the crux of the problem that emerged during the Civil War, Reconstruction, WWII (internment), the Red Scare, the Civil Rights Movement, and now the Age of Q and Trumpism. The response of reactionaries is always the same, it causes pain, displacement and ruins lives. Humans have a primitive and a high order brain. Whenever we seek refuge in the primitive this is what results.
We eventually figure it out but a lot of damage is left in the wake. My hope is that fair-minded people will do what they can to keep books broadly available. The option for parents with concerns will always exist to search their knapsacks, engage them in discussion, monitor their phones and perhaps even home school them. That is THEIR option in a Free Society. As always, I root for the "bad" guys to fail in this battle over what to teach and what to think and whether we restrict for all in the name of some.
What is being targeted for banning? Engaging our children to have healthy attitudes about race, gender, sexuality is a place where parents need to meet the WORLD. If they are unwilling or unable the internet will fill the gaps as it has for their parents on their Facebook and Instagram feeds as they cloister with like-minded people.
What’s interesting, especially in relation to LGBTQ+ books, is the assumption that our children are straight and cis. They may not be but even if they are, knowing that queer people exist and can be main characters sets people up to see themselves or someone else in a queer character. They learn that expression is vast and fluid. We all expand our ideas on sexuality, because every character in a Disney movie has one. We just normalize it.
We have to find ways to have difficult conversations and banning allows us not to challenge those beliefs. It allows us to blind ourselves to the ways we risk repeating our mistakes.
These are great resources! Thanks for sharing. It's no surprise that almost all the books I most cherished as a kid have been banned at one point or another.
We recently bought our first house in a neighborhood with lots of kids and I've also been considering starting a Little Free Library . This post is giving me some great ideas for the kinds of books I'd like to add to it.
Great piece on Banned Books and censorship. Thanks, Betsy. Keep making noise about this. It's important--especially these days. More challenges and bans than ever.
The parents who want to ban books need to check out the TV stations and web pages their kids watch. The kids have already seen it all. But I guess book banning makes them feel good.
As someone brilliant said, "If you’re afraid that books might change someone’s thinking, you’re not afraid of books, you’re afraid of thinking." And there we have it.
Very hard to argue with this, Jennifer! Thank you.
Well said and much more succinct than I managed :)
My parents were avid readers. We were poor and had few amenities (no running water, no indoor plumbing, etc), but we had a bookcase and we filled it with books we found in the town dump. No book was denied me. I read The Well of Loneliness at age 10. I read books by Erskine Caldwell, Zane Grey, and Pearl S. Buck. I read textbooks before I started school at age 5. Books were my window to the world ... we did not have television.
It is so good to hear from you again, Sandra! I'm glad your computer issues resolved (mine are in temporary-pray-to-the-gods-hope-this fix lasts mode). My parents were also avid readers and also very busy so they didn't really monitor my reading choices very much -- they just wanted me to read. Often I just picked up what they were reading and gave it a go. My mom loved thrillers, Erma Bombek, Judith Viorst, historical fiction. My dad loved mysteries, nonfiction books about ideas and Ayn Rand. Somehow one or the other picked up a copy of Portnoy's Complaint and we all read that although, at the time, they were not thrilled with that.
A timely topic (book banning). America and most Western democracies struggle with this issue each time there is an inflection point around change. A palpable angst demonstrated by reactionaries taking over school boards and turning them into rallies. What is happening?
Parents are granted a remarkable and broad deference in how they raise their children. Whatever they choose to implement for their children will take hold if they are consistent and attentive. I believe those that have their doubts choose the path to decide for others. This is how many major issues get litigated in the public. It is ALWAYS challenging whenever any of us steam forward to force their PERSONAL decision on the rest of us. This is the crux of the problem that emerged during the Civil War, Reconstruction, WWII (internment), the Red Scare, the Civil Rights Movement, and now the Age of Q and Trumpism. The response of reactionaries is always the same, it causes pain, displacement and ruins lives. Humans have a primitive and a high order brain. Whenever we seek refuge in the primitive this is what results.
We eventually figure it out but a lot of damage is left in the wake. My hope is that fair-minded people will do what they can to keep books broadly available. The option for parents with concerns will always exist to search their knapsacks, engage them in discussion, monitor their phones and perhaps even home school them. That is THEIR option in a Free Society. As always, I root for the "bad" guys to fail in this battle over what to teach and what to think and whether we restrict for all in the name of some.
What is being targeted for banning? Engaging our children to have healthy attitudes about race, gender, sexuality is a place where parents need to meet the WORLD. If they are unwilling or unable the internet will fill the gaps as it has for their parents on their Facebook and Instagram feeds as they cloister with like-minded people.
Yes, we eventually figure things out and so do our kids. Here's to reading!
Support of personal Freedom: YES
Support of Grooming and brainwashing And erosion of human rights : NO
What’s interesting, especially in relation to LGBTQ+ books, is the assumption that our children are straight and cis. They may not be but even if they are, knowing that queer people exist and can be main characters sets people up to see themselves or someone else in a queer character. They learn that expression is vast and fluid. We all expand our ideas on sexuality, because every character in a Disney movie has one. We just normalize it.
We have to find ways to have difficult conversations and banning allows us not to challenge those beliefs. It allows us to blind ourselves to the ways we risk repeating our mistakes.
These are great resources! Thanks for sharing. It's no surprise that almost all the books I most cherished as a kid have been banned at one point or another.
We recently bought our first house in a neighborhood with lots of kids and I've also been considering starting a Little Free Library . This post is giving me some great ideas for the kinds of books I'd like to add to it.
I would love a LFL like the one you're planning to offer!
No really can't think of reason to ban a book. If free speech tells anything we have the opportunity to not read the actual subject matter
Absolutely. We are the ultimate decision makers when it comes to the words we read.
Great piece on Banned Books and censorship. Thanks, Betsy. Keep making noise about this. It's important--especially these days. More challenges and bans than ever.
The parents who want to ban books need to check out the TV stations and web pages their kids watch. The kids have already seen it all. But I guess book banning makes them feel good.
I can see no reason to ban a book.