Dispatches From The Field: "Where Would I Be Without Banned Books?"

Joe writes to us with a lovely capper to our celebration of Banned Books Week:

"We are a product of what we have read. Some might say, "That's exactly the problem." But when I think back on the books that have helped make me the person I am today, I wonder how different I may have turned out without these books:

The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I think these might be the most important books to me. Many of my interests stem from these books: an interest in poetry, in languages, in maps... One of the reasons I loved summer breaks starting when I was about 10 or so was the chance to read these books again. I would start with the Lord of the Rings and read them as one book until I was finished with the Return of the King. Sometimes I would start with the Hobbit. I was surprised to learn that these books, and others like them were sometimes challenged. Yes these books are at times violent, and yes, there are otherworldly creatures such as orcs. To me, the world described in these books is not the one in which we live, therefore the violence and scary imagery did not affect me as much as reading stories of World War I. But the lessons learned were the same.

Another book I remember being very influential was Are You There God, It's Me Margaret? from Judy Blume. The first time I read it I would sneak into my sisters' room and read their copy slowly, carefully putting it back on the shelf. I knew it was a book I was not supposed to read, which only heightened my desire to read it. Even from the first read, I knew that the hype of its dangers were outpaced by the thrill of reading teenage voices just like they sounded in real life. This book was real, which must have been why folks didn't want us reading it. To me it, along with nearly all of Judy Blume's books (I read all of them!) were more like cautionary tales than anything. And being a good Catholic, I was definitely susceptible to a good cautionary tale!

While I was in college, at a conservative Presbyterian school in the midwest, I learned that not even the Bible was exempt from banning. As I said, I was raised Catholic, and therefore owned the St. Joseph version of the Bible. I took that to an on-campus religious meeting, and was told flatly that what I brought in was not the real Bible, and it was not welcome there. Confused and a little hurt, I quit attending those meetings.

A year later, at university in Vienna, Austria, I took a course on Jews and Judaism from 1858-1939. It was a fascinating look at history from an Austrian perspective. We had an exhaustive reading list, but one of the most influential books on the subject was banned: Adolph Hitler's Mein Kampf. It was illegal to possess or own in Austria, so the professor surreptitiously handed out photocopies of portions of the book translated into English. These were not illegal to own, but he could have gotten into a lot of trouble if anyone complained.

That same year I learned about one of my favorite authors when I was in my early twenties: Elfriede Jelenik. Later she would go on to win the Nobel Prize for literature, but in 1990 she was still considered avant-garde and even dangerous. In the spring of 1990 her novel Lust was released. I went to purchase it at a small bookstore in the center of Vienna. I had to present proof of age (I had to be over 18 to buy it) and sign a statement promising not to open the brown paper package it was in until I was home and not to share it with minors. It still is the most thrilling book purchase I have ever made! Of course I broke the law: the minute I was on the subway, I ripped open the wrapping and started to read. A man across the aisle from me looked up and smiled, showing me what book he was reading under cover of the newspaper: Lust. And what was all the commotion? Apparently, the Catholic Church took umbrage at the sexuality and the language in the book, and that all the bad language and sexual imagery came out of female characters' doings. This book did not set a good example as to the way women should act, therefore they attempted to ban it.

Books have immense power: they open up the imagination of the reader. And that is the thrill, the reason to read, and the danger. I feel it is the testament to the power of the written word that so many books make some people afraid. But banning is not the answer: especially in this internet age, if we want to read something, we will. Even as a kid growing up in the 1970's and 1980's, I had access to all sorts of books and magazines I was "not supposed" to read. The more I was not supposed to read it, the more I wanted to. Very often, the hype was greater than what I got out of the book. These books, along with countless others, shaped and influenced me. Perhaps some of what I read and saw raised questions I could not ask, because I was not supposed to have read it. There is a great opportunity to teach our youth rather than tell them what they should not learn. "

--Joe