How far is too far? You have been hearing the news that has been popping up all around America where there has been a ridiculous amount of book bans. A lot of parents, government bodies, and school authorities have been pushing bans on books which they deem to be not suitable or corrupting the children. Hence there is an increase in the number of books that have been banned from schools and libraries including maths. Seems like it has overstepped its boundaries as the bans have become more of a joke owing to the ridiculousness of the reasons and the kind of books that are being banned. Now authors and libraries have come together to take an initiative against this.
It is like a dystopian novel coming to life where the boos are first banned, then groups are formed and eventually factions start taking over. so we may be going overboard here a bit
Recently literary stars like Salman Rushdie, Cheryl Strayed, Carl Hiassen and Ibram X. Kendi gave their support to an announcement by the American Library Association and the Association of American Publishers who reminded everybody of the June 1953 declaration asserting the freedom to read. It is also joined by Jennifer Egan, Ron Chernow, and Jodi Picoult, along with publication houses such as Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster and associations like the Authors Guild and the American Booksellers Association.
In the statement issued by the association, they say that
“Today, as we grapple with a new wave of censorship in schools, libraries, and bookstores targeting a wide range of expression, including fiction and nonfiction, the Freedom to Read Statement remains an important defence of the freedom to write, publish and inquire.”
As part of the movement, Rushdie, who is just recovering from an attack on him, that made him blind in one eye, said that
“Now I am sitting here in the U.S., I have to look at the extraordinary attack on libraries, and books for children in schools,” Rushdie said. “The attack on the idea of libraries themselves. It is quite remarkably alarming, and we need to be very aware of it, and to fight against it very hard.”
You can’t ignore the fact that the increase in number of book bans is alarming. It is like a dystopian novel coming to life where the boos are first banned, then groups are formed and eventually factions start taking over. so we may be going overboard here a bit
what do you think is happening with the sudden emergence of book bans? how far is too far?
News Source : USA Today, PBS
