Hola readers!
Do you know there is a whole week dedicated to books that are banned because of any reason? Yes, it is #BannedBooksWeek!
Banned Books week is an annual event celebrated worldwide which aims at celebrating freedom to read. I think, it’s also a tribute to freedom to express and write. Ever since books have been existence, many of them have been challenged by some one or the other as they found the content inappropriate. It was launched in the year 1982 and is held during the last week of September.
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#bannedbooksweek #bookstagram #reader #book #bookstagram #bibliophile #bannedbooksweek2018 #bannedbooks #booksbannedA post shared by Amita Sehrawat (@amitagulia) on Sep 25, 2018 at 6:40am PDT
Who bans books?There are several authorities which play role in banning a book.1. International associations2. National associations, government bodies, courts.3. Local associations, courts etc.
Why are books banned?As much as we all have the freedom of speech, the freedom of expression is also exercised equally. Published content either fiction or non-fiction, can be interpreted differently by everyone. Any person who has any kind of objection on a book or is contents can be challenged and thus lead to a ban if found reasonable at various levels like local, national, etc.Below are some of the common reasons which mostly combined with one another have led to banning of a book1. Racial Issue Racism had been the most common social issue all over the world. Despite of the fact that fiction books clearly states that all content is purely fiction, many books have been challenged and subsequently banned because of this reason. Most common examples would be
“To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee
“Gone with The Wind” by Margaret Mitchell.
2. In appropriate usage of words and Violence - Offensive language is one of the major reasons of the most commonly banned classic book - “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald.Many groups find a few books to be too violent to read. This combined with racism and sexually explicit language is the top most reason to result in banning a book. Here is another example:“Lord of the Flies” by William Golding
3. Sexual contentSex - oh I typed the taboo word! Yes, this is one of the most common reason leading to a book being banned. This might also be the biggest list if made. Here are a few.“Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank“The Color Purple” by Alice Walker“I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou
4. Religious IssueReligion is another sensitive topic and the most debatable one too. Unfortunately, many books have been taken of the shelf as they hurt or disrespected some religious beliefs.“The Satanic Verses” by Salman Rushdie“The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown
5. Political IssuePolitics and politicians have also been a popular subject of inspiration for many authors. Here are some books that were banned considering various political references or allegations or challenges:“Nineteen Eighty-Four” by George Orwell“Mein Kampf” by Adolf Hitler
Then there are of course some books which cannot be sold or purchased in some parts of the world all due to strange reasons.
What are the books you know of were banned based on unthinkable grounds?
PS; The books I have mentioned are not necessarily banned everywhere. Also, the list is long and keep on growing with each new release.
