Banned books

When I was in high school a lifetime ago, my senior year certain books were banned in my classes.

In our anatomy class the diagrams of the female and male genital organs were cut out. One of my friends, who had been in nursing school, had a copy of the book. I looked at the banned diagrams shared them with my friends and we were all confused why we needed to be “protected.” Of course some had already seen male genitalia first hand.

Our wonderful English teacher Mr. D’Orlando wanted to teach Othello. The school said no because of

interracial marriage. Never have so many teenagers voluntarily read Shakespeare without being forced.

My mother read Peyton Place, considered the raciest book of its time and forbid me to read it.

Every time she was occupied elsewhere, I’d take it from the bookcase and read as much of it as I could.

For a long time “banned in Boston,” which began as far back as 1651, was a great thing for an author because it guaranteed higher sales elsewhere. People travelling from Boston were encouraged to buy the “banned in Boston” editions.

The US was long a critic of countries such as China, Cuba, Russia etc. and their censorship policies.

Iran Air Flight 655 was shot down by the US on 3 July 1988. I watched horrendous photos of bodies being scooped up by nets. They were not shown on US television. Searching the Internet I can’t find much http://www.iransview.com/photos-you-may-not-have-seen-iranian-civil-plane-shot-down-by-us-navy/1290/

the www.iransview.com/photos-you-may-not-have-seen-iranian-civil-plane-shot-down-by-us-navy/1290/

I know I didn’t imagine it.

Censorship is alive and well  Booker T. Washington High School in St. Petersburg, FL has banned Little Brother by Cory Doctorow from its summer reading program.

Little Brother, a novel, about the aftermath of a terrorist attack. Four teenagers rebel against the Department of Homeland Security.

Parents have objected because of sex, violence, but more importantly because authority is questioned?

Authority questioned? 

In a world where the US is more and more becoming a police state, the only hope are those that question authority.

Like all banned materials, I intend to read the book just because it was banned. I hope it makes good reading. I encourage others to do it too for no other reason that no one else should decide what we can and can't read, see, etc.