A Warning – Banned Book Month

1st September, 2009 3 Comments

Once upon a time when I was a little girl, I came home and told my parents that I knew the “F” word.  Being smart parents, rather than saying the word, they asked me what it was. 

 “Fart.”

While that wasn’t a particularly bad word, for a kid it’s sort of a big deal because you’re not supposed to say it.  Kind of like when some nine-year-old learns what virgin means and a small troupe of friends take to tormenting the kids who don’t understand the word. 

Words have a lot of power.  They can offer comfort in times of sadness, drive people to anger, and hurt people.  Children learn the chant about sticks & stones, reciting it like a shield that will protect them from the hurt that really does come from name-calling.

Librarians and booksellers, by nature of their job, are sort of word guardians.  The library is full of words–hurtful and offensive words that when strung together form dangerous ideas.  Joining them in the ranks are writers and publishers.  Together they are the Fantastic Four.  No super powers do they wield other than that of decision making.  Should a book be written, be printed, sold to the masses, or allowed on the shelves for borrowing?

September is Banned Book Month.  Since man organized into communities, there have been people at the top of social order and at the bottom.  People have been repressed for their ideas by being thrown into dungeons, tortured, and killed.  With Guttenberg and his printing press, books have been banned by religious organizations and governments.  Authors have had to make that decision to write a controversial book, and publishers have been fined for printing some of those works. 

Banning books doesn’t seem particularly common in the western world anymore.  There definitely are countries that still prohibit the owning of certain books.  The US, among other countries, doesn’t really do that anymore.  Instead we have restricted and challenged books.  Some communities still burn books.  But our libraries have said that as offensive as some of these books may be, they should still be available. 

Over the next month, I’ll be reviewing some new-to-me books that are pretty controversial as well as talking about books I’ve read completely unaware that they were on any ‘master list” of books that have challenged.  Not every post will be related to Banned Book Month, but many will.  And many of these posts are going to make people angry. 

With a site called “Stacked,” plenty of people end up here through Google searches only to discover that this isn’t exactly what they expected.  Some have stuck around, many have gone along their merry way after learning that the book review discussing Dooce’s new book and reading at Barnes & Noble about breast feeding was nothing like “Hot Lactating Mamas.”  Plenty of people are going to end up here looking for support to their cause or reviling me for using offensive words.

By nature, I’m not one to swear very often.  But I’m also not politically correct from the fear of offending others.  It just happens that I feel there are more than enough words out there to express myself with without resorting to constant curing.  But sometimes after a rough day, “fuck” is really the most appropriate word to locking yourself out of the apartment. 

The books I’m reading use strong language and discuss topics that make many people uncomfortable.  As a result, posts here will do the same–not gratuitously, not as a gimmick, but because in order to discuss them I’ll need to use them too.  Sure, I could say “the F-word,” but that becomes another form of censorship.  Someone once told me that offensive words can sometimes be taken back.  “Bluestockings” for example was a derogatory term for learned women.  Plenty of book bloggers use the word today with pride.  In other circumstances, over-use leads to a word losing all its power.  Shying away from typing them here only enhances what power they do have. 

In college, I had a roommate who told me a joke when she returned from break.  While I don’t remember how it went, I do remember that the punch-line utilized onomatopoeia and the words “Spick,” “Chink,” and “Nigger.”  I let her know I found the joke to be offensive and she chose to disregard my opinion.

So consider this a warning.  Words will be used that may offend you.  Topics may offend you.  My hope is that you will stay and read and maybe learn something–what you learn may reinforce your current beliefs or change your mind. It may spur you to action to correct the evils of the world.  You also have right to leave this page or to leave me comments about how I am wrong.  But I’m not going to change my policy.

For the most part, I’ll let you say what you want.  Books are banned for the ideas lurking between the pages and the ideas presented here will not always be easy to share.  But if we want to free people and make our own choices in life, we cannot repress the ideas and opinions of others so long as they do not bring harm to others.  What that means is that you can call me names (they won’t hurt me), you can tell me I’m a fool and an idiot.  But no matter which topics are touched upon in the posts, if you come here to spread hate, you will be blocked.

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