The Crawfordsville District Public Library wishes to draw attention to books that have been banned, burned, contested or rejected during International Banned Book Week September 18-24. We’ll be exhibiting multiple options throughout the month and sharing information on why these books have sparked controversy.
Throughout history, various power groups have had little confidence in the public’s ability to reach reasonable conclusions on a wide variety of issues. Several of these groups have run large campaigns encouraging the removal of any written text they deem inappropriate. They smashed stone tablets with early religious texts and banned educational or informational materials. They even went from house to house collecting privately owned books to burn on great bonfires. Many people don’t know that “The Holy Bible” (220.5 Bib) was once a forbidden book.
It seems that society has almost forgotten that the phrase “lest we forget” can also refer to the written texts of our allies and our opponents. In our contemporary history, we have seen regimes burn books in town squares and shut down colleges for young women, court battles over censorship on television and other media, and public libraries closed for having reading material some considered inappropriate. There is real value in knowing about the issues that matter to you and knowing about the issues that matter to others.
The priorities of controversy change over time and books that were once banned have become classic films. Ray Bradbury eerily brings to life the implications of book burning to maintain social order in his 1950s novel Fahrenheit 451 (FIC Bra) (FIC Bra SPA) (DVD FIC Fah). You can also delve into Anthony Burgess’ nightmare of extreme teenage rebellion in his much-discussed book A Clockwork Orange (FIC Bur) (DVD FIC Clo). Ken Kesey’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (FIC Kes) (DVD FIC One) follows the struggle between a bullying nurse and a recalcitrant patient at the Oregon State Mental Hospital in the 1960’s.
In “The Bluest Eye” (FIC Mor) (CDBK FIC Mor), author Toni Morrison tells the story of a young African American girl growing up in the worst of times at the end of the Great Depression and the beginning of World War II. If you’re looking for contemporary take on banned books, think of the haunting and disturbing story of a teenage girl who dies in Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give (YA FIC Tho) (DVD FIC Hat ).
Visit the information desk on the second floor for help locating these and other books. Take a moment to appreciate our extensive collection of reading materials spanning the diverse community in which we live. If you are interested in purchasing a CDPL library card, pre-browsing our catalog, or enrolling in an upcoming program, visit our website at www .cdpl.lib.in.us or call us at 765-362- 2242 on. CDPL is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Toni Ridgway-Woodall is a librarian in the reference and local history department of the Crawfordsville District Public Library.
