Banned Books and Censorship Issues Relating To Banned Books

Throughout history, books have been banned and even burned for various reasons. From Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass to the Bible, a wide variety of books have been deemed inappropriate for public consumption at one time or another. Frequently, these books are challenged because they are considered "obscene. "Thousands of books have been banned, censored, or challenged by religious, community, or school authorities for their content.

The most common grounds for banning or censorship are that the book in question describes pornography, promotes violence, endorses alternative lifestyles, portrays political incorrectness, corrupts public morality, profanes religious beliefs, contradicts social values, or defames political powers. The question is really about whether it is in the best interest of the public to prevent a controversial book from being easily acquired and read.

You can always find plenty of online resources on book banning, but activity really steps up from September 25 to October 2 each year, during Banned Books Week. Promoted by various associations, BBW celebrates our freedom to express opinions in writing and stresses the importance of keeping unpopular viewpoints freely available to readers. It is as good a time as any for citizens to educate themselves about the history and practice of censorship.