Back once again to thwart the efforts of people who enjoy censorship, here is another book that has been banned, and why you should read it.

Click here to read Banned Books Part 3 Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.

Click here to read Banned Books Part 2 To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

Click here to read Banned Books Part 1 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.

(4) A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving.

What This Book is About

Owen Meany is a small kid with a voice that is so bizarre that people stop and stare at him when he speaks. It sounds like a permanent scream. Owen is also brilliant, and wise beyond his years, and, like most kids who are a combination of highly intelligent and odd, he gets picked on all through childhood. It takes until high school for Owen to become not only accepted, but popular, and in some ways, even revered. Which seems fitting, considering the fact that Owen believes he is “an instrument of God”. Why does he think so? Turns out Owen has some rather compelling reasons for his belief, which the reader slowly learns about as you go through the story.

Told from the viewpoint of Owen’s best friend, John Wheelwright, the book jumps around in time. One minute you are hearing about something that happened when the boys were young, the next minute John is telling the reader about today’s headlines in the newspaper, decades after the childhood story he just conveyed. In the beginning of the book, John tells a story about the day of the baseball game when Owen hit the ball for the first time, and the ball flew over the fence, and hit John’s mother on the head, instantly killing her. Despite this, the two remain best friends, and stay closer than brothers for their entire lives.

In addition to being a story about the great and wondrous Owen Meany, a boy like no other, this book is also a commentary about much deeper concepts. John and Owen were draft age right as the Vietnam War was getting going, and this book covers everything from specific historical events to how different people at that time viewed the war. John’s cousin Hester becomes a protester. Owen tries to join the military. John doesn’t know what to do. Contrasting with this is the voice of “present day” John, who reads the New York Times newspapers every day, which tell him what is going on with the Iran/Contra Scandal that happened in the 1980’s. John doesn’t hold back on telling the reader exactly what he thinks about the United States Government as it relates to each event.

Much of this book involves religion. Different sects of Christianity are compared and contrasted viewed through the lens of John and Owen’s experiences at the different churches their families send them to. Towards the beginning of this book is a description of not only a Christmas Pageant/ Nativity Scene the boys become a part of, but also a lot about the town play, A Christmas Carol that John’s stepfather is directing. For me, personally, it was almost too much Christmas to sift through. Don’t skip over those scenes though, even if you also find your self going into Christmas overload, because what happens in those parts becomes very important later on in the book. Owen despises Catholicism, for reasons you find out later on, but, despite that, is deeply religious from a very early age. John takes a bit longer to become religiously inclined. In any case, Irving includes a lot of stuff about the pros and cons of different religions in this book.

Considering that this book covers topics such as war, religion, and government, (and also touches on some aspects of sexuality), and that it jumps back and forth in time, this is not an easy read! It is well worth the struggle to get far enough along to begin to enjoy the book. Much of it is hysterically funny, especially some of the results of Owen’s plans and schemes. There are also parts of this book that literally took my breath away, the event was so unexpected and shocking. Few books have that effect on me.

Why This Book Gets Banned

Any book that dares to criticize either Christianity or the United States Government tends to irk people. This book does both. Some parts of this book are about John discovering his own sexuality, and people tend to get uncomfortable reading about an underage person having sexual feelings and the accompanying bodily reactions to those feelings. John is attracted to his cousin Hester when both are still children, and the attraction doesn’t really go away for John after he becomes an adult. Although nothing really happens between the two of them, the concept alone is enough to make people object to having their kid assigned to read this book at school. This is not the only instance of sexuality appearing in this book, which only adds fuel to the fire, so to speak, for people who enjoy censorship.

A Prayer For Owen Meany has been “challenged” at high schools in West Virginia, (which means people wanted it banned, but the school board did not ultimately ban the book from their school). It seems the book was seen as pornographic, offensive, and vulgar by some parents.

It’s also been either challenged or banned from the library at Scott Johnson Middle School in the McKinney Independent School District in Texas in either 2002 or 2003, according to the ACLU. This book was deemed as having profanity or inappropriate language, and adult content by some parents. These are just a few, specific, examples.

Why You Should Read This Book

In today’s world, there are fewer and fewer opportunities for American’s to read something that might make them question the actions of The United States Government. Although the events in this book take place decades before America’s involvement in Iraq, the similarities between how people view this war, and how people viewed Vietnam are obvious. I believe that people should question everything, and really think about it before just becoming a lemming and following blindly along, and that includes the actions of the Government. It’s not important that you come to the same conclusions about war that John did, only that you hear a viewpoint that might not be the same as your own.

Irving shines a bright light on not only “Religion”, in a variety of forms, but also the people who follow it, and the actions they choose. The good, the bad, and the ugly are there for you to view, and think about. It’s not easy to find books that encourage the readers to use their brains and come to their own conclusions about topics as evocative as religion and war.

In addition to those good reasons, you should read this book because everyone should read a book by John Irving. I am impressed by his attention to detail, as well as how real he made his characters. If you are an English major, or work in a bookstore, do yourself a favor, and become familiar with the work of John Irving.

Back once again to thwart the efforts of people who enjoy censorship, here is another book that has been banned, and why you should read it.

Click here to read Banned Books Part 2.

Click here to read Banned Books Part 1.

(3)Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

What This Book is About

Guy Montag is a fireman. His job, in this dystopia of a world, is to start fires,not to put them out. He and the other firemen get calls that direct them to which houses they are supposed to go burn down. Why choose those particular houses? Simple! Those houses belong to people who have gathered up and hidden away lots and lots of a very dangerous substance that the government does not want the general population to be infected with. The substance in question is books! All books are banned and destroyed. People found with books are also destroyed, often by the fireman at the scene of the crime.

So, basically, Bradbury has created a world that is my personal version of Hell itself.

This is a world set “in the future” where no one is allowed to read, or own, or even talk about, books. Instead, people sit in front of large screens and watch funny shows. They spend their waking (and sleeping) hours listening to music and random noises that they can hear through a small device that fits directly into their ears. No one communicates with friends or family anymore, substituting instead the characters they watch on their big screens. Most people have no concept of historic events, and even less idea of what their government is doing right now. They are told about “the war”, (which never seems to end), but, for the most part, are kept from hearing too much about it. Sound frighteningly familiar to anyone else?

Guy, of course, eventually becomes curious. What’s in these books that is supposed to be so terrible? Almost subconsciously, he takes one book away with him from a fire. Eventually, he’s got his own horde of books to be worried about. Will his wife find them? Will she turn him in? What will happen to him if he’s caught? Guy begins reading some of the books! The result is that Guy not only begins to think for himself (horror of horrors!), but he also starts to believe that the government is wrong! People should read! His choices after this epiphany lead him on an exciting chase through the rest of the story.

Oh, and in case anyone reading this did not already know, the title itself is interesting. Fahrenheit 451 is the exact temperature at which paper begins to burn.

Why This Book Gets Banned

People wish to keep other people from reading a book that is not only about governmental censorship, but also about actually burning the questionable books! Are they even capable of seeing the irony?

Some parent’s feel that Fahrenheit 451 should not be part of a school’s curriculum because it contains swear words. They especially are offended by the words that they feel go against their religious beliefs, because the words “take the name of the Lord in vain”. Others are offended by the books use of “dirty talk”, the situations that involve drinking and/or smoking, and the violent scenes depicted in the book.

One parent in Houston felt so strongly about this book, he demanded it be removed from the curriculum….. during Banned Books week.

I kid you not!

I’m not convinced that this man was actually educated enough to realize when Banned Books week was, or that one even existed. It would likely be beyond this particular irate parent’s mental capacity to understand why we need a Banned Book week in the first place. So, instead of this being a big stunt to attract attention to his cause, he managed to make himself look like a complete idiot. Priceless!

There is an interesting twist about censorship and Fahrenheit 451 that I did not realize until I was reading the notes included at the end of the book (in the version I picked up, at least). Seems that Ballentine Books was using a censored version of this story in textbooks published for high schools. It did this for years, and without the permission of Bradbury!

You can read more details about that here.

Why You Should Read This Book

With our nation of cell phone, ipods, and citizens who are more likely to vote for their choice of “American Idol” than for their choice of American President, this book has never been more relevant! Read it to see just how far we could fall, if no one decides to stand up for books, and history, and ideas not sponsored and spoon-fed to us by the government. Read this book because you agree that the ability to think for yourself, and the ability to act on those thoughts is important! Or, just read it because it happens to be a great story, that includes fires, destruction, and an epic chase through the countryside. This book shares important ideas, and those ideas should not be cast aside simply because a few unsavory words were included in the text.

Back once again to thwart the efforts of people who enjoy censorship, here is another book that has been banned, and why you should read it.

To read Banned Books Part One, click here.

(2)To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

What This Book Is About
This book is a fictional story told from the viewpoint of a little girl who goes by the name of Scout. She lives with her big brother Jeb, and her dad, (who both the children call Atticus), and a maid named Calpurnia. Atticus is a lawyer, and he has just been appointed to defend a “colored” man who has been accused of raping a white woman. The town is small and southern, and the story takes place right around just before WWII started. The town has a very hard time dealing with the possibility that this man could be innocent, and many people make life difficult for not only Atticus, but also his children. Scout is at an age where she is just trying to figure things out. What does rape mean? Why are people mad at Atticus for defending this man, when everybody knows he was assigned to the job? Why do women have to wear dresses and act “lady like”? Why can’t she just wear the overalls she likes better? Why do people treat others badly when they think they are different from themselves? She is a smart kid, and has a lot of spirit. Scout is also trying to figure out just what happened to their mysterious neighbor, and why no one sees him. What did he do? She, her brother, and a good friend spend a lot of time trying to get “Boo” Radley to come outside. They are too innocent to realize they might be bothering him. This book is about tolerance, and about having respect for other people. It is about standing up for what you know is right, even if it’s difficult or unpopular to do it.

Why This Book Gets Banned
People tend to ban this book specifically because the “n word” is used. Some feel the book is degrading towards African Americans. It has been claimed that this book encourages segregation, or, at least, suggests that different races are not equals. Others want to ban this book because it deals with the subject of rape, and also because it implies that the woman who was raped might also be a victim of domestic abuse, or even incest, from her father. Often, people site these reasons to prevent a school or teacher from using this book in a classroom situation.

Here is my source.

Why You Should Read This Book
This are so many good things in this book that you miss out on if you don’t read it. The main character is a strong, confident, powerful little girl, who stands up for what she believes in. Not too many books show strong girls, particularly when you think about books published in 1960, (when this book was first published). Atticus encourages both his children not only to read, but also to think. Schools today do promote literacy, but too few value children who can think for themselves, who can argue well, and who can use what they have read in their arguments. Its refreshing to have that viewpoint expressed. This book points out that it’s not what people look like that matters, it is the kind of person that they are that makes the difference. People deserve respect, but this is in relation to how they treat other people. Many examples of this concept are given through the book, and its woven into the story very well. This book doesn’t make its points in an overt “After School Special” or “dumbed down” kind of way. It is a book for people who like to think, and the ideas expressed are just as relevant today as when the book was first written. Don’t miss out on this one.

Few things are more tempting than those things deemed “verboten”. It has always made me angry when someone (or some group or organization), decided on my behalf that I needed to be protected from reading a particular book. When I was a kid, finding out that a book was banned somewhere was enough for me to decide I wanted to read it, just to spite the people who banned it. I have always felt that if you don’t like a book, for whatever reason, then don’t read it. Or, read it, and then tell others why you didn’t like it. But whatever you do, don’t actively decide for the world, (or, in most cases, for your kid’s school), that not one person should ever get the chance to read this particular book, and make their own decisions about it. Who made you the King of Books anyway?

So, in an effort to thwart those who want to become “Big Brother”, here is a book that tends to get banned, and why you should read it anyway. Knowledge is power, people.

(1)I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.

What This Book Is About
This book is a biography. These events actually happened to a real person. Angelou starts her story when she is about three years old, and on a train with her brother on their way to their grandmother’s house, where they will grow up. I found this book to be really sad. Tragedy after tragedy happens, starting when she is still a child, and continuing until she reaches early adulthood. It’s about racism, and class-ism, and abuse of power. But it’s also about family, and love, and faith, and persevering.

Why This Book Gets Banned
Maya gets molested and then raped by a stepfather when she is still too young of a child to realize exactly what is going on. The book describes what happened from her point of view. It’s clear to the reader, even if it was unclear to Maya, exactly what happened. There is a court case that follows, and that again brings up details of the rape, and also Maya’s mixed emotions and confusion about it. It’s not an easy read. If you are an abuse or rape survivor, parts of this book might be especially difficult for you to read. Later on in the book, there are descriptions of some teenage characters having sex. It’s not very graphic, but it is still clear what the two teens who are underneath a makeshift tent in the woods are doing. People who want to ban this book, particularly if they want to ban it from a High School, use the label “mature content” or say the book is “too graphic” for teens to read and then discuss in a classroom setting.

Here Is My Source

Why You Should Read This Book
Despite the things that go wrong in Angelou’s life, (and there are many heartbreaking things that happened), there is still hope. To me, that was the point. No matter how bad life gets, there is still hope. You can’t simply give up and die when things look bleak. You just need to find the one sliver of good in a situation, and hold on tight to that. Belief in God helps, at least, for Angelou. In today’s world of instant gratification and over prescribed antidepressant medications, this is a message people may benefit from hearing. If your life right now is not going so well, you can read what Angelou went through, and maybe decide that things aren’t so bad for you after all in comparison. You can learn a new way to cope with your problems. If your life is going great, then you can read this book of tragedies, and count your blessings. If you ban the book because of the negative content, you never give someone the chance to hear the positive message. And that would truly be a tragedy.