For Authors
This week: Edited by: megsie2584 More Newsletters By This Editor
1. About this Newsletter 2. A Word from our Sponsor 3. Letter from the Editor 4. Editor's Picks 5. A Word from Writing.Com 6. Ask & Answer 7. Removal instructions
"You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them."
Ray Bradbury
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"You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them."
Ray Bradbury
Dictionary.com describes a censor as a, "person authorized to examine books, films, or other material and to remove or suppress what is considered morally, politically, or otherwise objectionable."
Mom encouraged me to read as a child. Books helped me explore, question, and experience new things in ways that "real life" alone did not. As I gradually moved from the children's section to my mother's bookshelves, she guided me. The written-for-adults books were fascinating, but potentially dangerous to a child's emotions so she chose the ones that I was ready for.
When I was ten she talked me through Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, a story about psychological experiments, intelligence, and mental retardation. I was steered away from the sharp portrayal of child-rape and murder in John Grisham's A Time to Kill until age fourteen.
My high school English teacher had to get official permission (from the Board of Education) to include Gloria Naylor’s The Women of Brewster Place in the curriculum. It was approved, provided that she submit her lesson plans ahead of time and a representative from the Board of Education sat in on the class twice to make sure nothing said was inappropriate or otherwise objectionable.
Many books have been banned by different governments and religious officials. Many have been taken off the shelves at libraries and bookstores.
http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/challengedbanned/challengedbanned.htm... , a website about Banned Books Week, says, “Throughout history, more and different kinds of people and groups of all persuasions than you might first suppose, who, for all sorts of reasons, have attempted—and continue to attempt—to suppress anything that conflicts with or anyone who disagrees with their own beliefs.” That website includes lists of the books that the most challenged recently and in the past, and for what reasons.
What do you think?
This month's challenge is to respond to the question, "What do you think about censorship?" Is it ethical, acceptable, or necessary to censor or ban books? Who should decide what material gets censored (parents, schools, librarians, the government, religious officials?) Do you censor what you read? Is it censored for you? Is this a protection or invasion? |
The winners of last month's "Invalid Item" will be announced in my issue of the "For Authors Newsletter" next month.
I appologize for the delay in judging and posting the results. Several personal emergencies happened at once and I have not yet had time to begin comparing the entries.
| | Invalid Item This item number is not valid. #1067626 by Not Available. |
| | Invalid Item This item number is not valid. #1070505 by Not Available. |
| | Invalid Item This item number is not valid. #1060100 by Not Available. |
| | Invalid Item This item number is not valid. #757309 by Not Available. |
| | Invalid Item This item number is not valid. #1019598 by Not Available. |
| | Invalid Item This item number is not valid. #1000225 by Not Available. |
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