Middle School Mom: Censor 'Pornographic' Anne Frank

[inkydoo]

Now seems like the perfect moment to mention that next week is Banned Books Week (http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/). For those who may have never heard of it, Banned Books Week is an annual event (that's been going on for roughly 30 years) intended to highlight challenges and outright bans of books, primarily in the United States, but a few other places as well. There's even a twitter hashtag #bannedbooksweek

Given the topic, you might be interested in a list of "classic" literature that have been banned or challenged in the past (http://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlycha ... s/classics), which includes "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Lord of the Flies, both mentioned by Serena. And while Anne Frank doesn't appear on that particular list, it is a regular target of challenges and bans, even in the "censored" version, because so many adults find the overall subject matter too disturbing for young teens (which, as many of you pointed out, seems to demonstrate how mind-bogglingly obtuse those adults must be, to not see why it's targetted so specifically to that age group).

One way that many have taken to celebrating Banned Books Week is to hold Read-Outs, in which people get together in public to read passages from their favorite banned books, and there are now even virtual Read-Outs, some of which you can see on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/bannedbooksweek). For those of you that love your literature, next week might even be a good time to read some challenged / banned works on cam

 

[SweepTheLeg]

oh geeze we're talking almost 20 years haha. I could do some research, and try. which one do you want? both?

 

[Nordling]

And recently...

Ralph Ellison's 'Invisible Man' banned in North Carolina

Ralph Ellison's novel "Invisible Man" has been banned from school libraries in Randolph County, N.C. The book is considered by many to be an masterful novel dealing with race in America.

“I didn’t find any literary value,” said school board member Gary Mason before the board voted 5-2 to ban the book.

Ellison's "Invisible Man" won the National Book Award in 1953. In 1965, a national poll of book critics deemed it the greatest American novel written since World War II.

The book was brought before the board by a parent who lodged a 12-page complaint, Asheboro's Courier-Tribune reports. She found the book's contents inappropriate for her child, an 11th grader, citing its lack of innocence, its language and sexual content.

High school juniors were asked to read a book over the summer (honors students were to read two). They were given three choices: Ellison's "Invisible Man," “Black Like Me” by John Howard Griffin, and “Passing” by Nella Larsen. All three books deal with race and identity.

Full story:

http://www.latimes.com/books/jacket...anned-north-carolina-20130919,0,3907081.story

 

[SweepTheLeg]

North Carolina is quickly becoming one of my least favorite states. They're trying to win the race to the bottom.

 

[GemmaMarie]

I read and saw the play of Anne Frank in middle school. To me it's a good age. I was in 7th grade, and maybe waiting until 8th would have been better b/c I think we all would have connected closer to her, but the point is even in the 7th grade nothing about this was wrong. Even the passage... it's not pornographic. I'm sorry but it's ANATOMY. It's not sheltering your kid?? I'm sorry, what were you lying?! If ALLLLLL you take away from Anne Frank is one passage, that's NOT wrong in anyway, that's not exactly anyones favorite passage of the book, then you're an oversheltering problem to the world. People like this just...anger me.

I took away a LOT of great things from Anne Frank at the same age as her kid.I learned a lot of history and a lot about life and how to treat people. Books are powerful like that and in that sense I can see the jump to arms, what someone reads can affect them greatly but not that. Not something like that. That's not porn. That's anatomy and at that age they should know these things. Puberty is hitting let them experience not just through themselves and their peers stories, but other stories which have even stronger morals. You want a role model? That's it. Anne Frank's diary hits on a lot of levels and gets people listening to the bigger picture. Especially at that age, it's crucial to have role models whom they can identify with not just on plastic "approved" level but on all levels, even the grimy, "dirtier" levels no one wants to talk about.

 

[Poker_Babe]

You know what all of this banning of great literary works reminds me of???
Nazi book burning!!!

 

[Just Me]

Godwin's Law :lol:

 

[KaterinaPryde]

Godwin's Law :lol:

I have never heard of this before - but now that I think about it I would have to say it is true. FUNNY!

 

[JerryBoBerry]

Godwin's Law :lol:

yes, but in this case given the subject of Anne Frank i'm surprised they didn't come up earlier.