Introduction

When I am out living my life, I am constantly aware of my discomfort. I do not do this because I constantly want to escape discomfort but because I want to embrace it. Discomfort is where growth starts. I am uncomfortable when I do a difficult Peloton barre class, but it is good for my body and health in the long run. I am uncomfortable going to a club meeting alone, but it is good for my social health to meet new friends while I am abroad. I am uncomfortable reading books about difficult topics, but it is important to learn about those things outside of your life circumstances. While it might be more comfortable to think that book banning happened in the past, it is not the reality of life. Missouri has banned thousands of books in the past couple of years. Just a month ago, the Francis Howell School District board set out to ban even more books from school libraries. As someone who relied on her schools’ libraries for books most days, I am horrified especially since the Francis Howell School District is my public school district. It is where I would have gone if I had not chosen my private Catholic high school (if you want to learn more about that, read my blog post from last week). In celebration of Banned Book Week 2024, I want to share with all of you the lessons I have learned from some of my favorite banned books to highlight the importance of keeping books in libraries.

The Canterbury Tales

Yes, seriously. This novel that English majors cannot escape their degree NOT reading was once a banned book. Depicting a group of religious pilgrims as they share stories on their way to (you would never guess) Canterbury, the novel was banned under the Comstock Act of 1873 (a real throwback). While it did not ban the book itself, this law prohibited the United States Mail Services from sending or receiving “inappropriate” works. Chaucer’s best-known work was deemed inappropriate because of the swearing and sexual anecdotes that frequent some of the characters’ stories. However, this was not The Canterbury Tales’ first time being challenged. The Catholic Church actually argued that it should be censored, and one of the stories they highlighted was the Wife of Bath’s. The Wife of Bath is my favorite character in the book because she is an outspoken, intelligent woman. Named Alyson in the prologue, she is a bold character who utilizes her stories to discuss gender roles and women’s sexuality. The Wife of Bath’s stories were a frequent target of censorship. Many men felt threatened by what she represented and continues to represent. While I do not aim to have five husbands, I aim to create a difference in the world with my stores. I aim to not allow other people’s rules to constrict me. I aim to be vocal about my beliefs. The Canterbury Tales taught me the importance of being bold.

Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret

Anytime my dad drove us to school, we would always listen to NPR. When I got to middle school, I started asking my dad questions about the news stories on NPR, especially about politics. My dad would say, “Do you want the kid answer or the big-girl answer?”. I would always choose the big-girl answer, and my dad always delivered. My parents never hid the world away from me. They were always honest with me, and I knew I could ask them about anything. I know that a lot of children did not have that luxury. I think that is why the book Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret is so vital to so many girls. For lots of girls, it was their first time reading about a girl their age experiencing the reality of puberty or struggling with the existence of God. Young girls get to follow Margaret through this challenging time. It gives young girls an avenue to explore their changing bodies and evolving faith practices. However, many people viewed this novel as being too inappropriate for young girls, maybe because parents were afraid of having those conversations. In fact, the elementary school Blume sent her children to refused to put a copy in the school library because the word “menstruation” was used (gasp!). There are plenty of libraries nowadays that continue to exclude this novel from their shelves. I find it disgusting that schools would not want to give young girls a safe and controlled environment to learn about their bodies and beliefs. I know that it can be uncomfortable for some people but I argue that it is more uncomfortable to be ignorant or misogynistic. Are You There, God? It’s Me Margaret taught me the importance of always asking questions and having parents who are always willing to have those hard conversations.

The Satanic Verses

No, I am not writing about Satanism on my blog, but when I first encountered this book on a class syllabus, I thought the same thing. I was totally unsure about Rushdie’s novel when I first started, but I can say now that I am a convert. Published in 1988, The Satanic Verses follows the (complicated) story of two Indian Muslim men. When their plane is bombed over the English Channel, one of the men takes on the personality of Archangel Gabriel, and the other takes on that of the Devil. (Yes, it is a strange book, but stick with me!) The novel is constantly banned in the Islamic world because it includes blasphemy. As the title would suggest, Rushdie included the discredited tradition of the satanic verses, which states that Mohammad was tricked by the Devil to permit prayer to other deities. Many Muslims see the inclusion of these verses as inappropriate, so much so that it led to public book burnings of The Satanic Verses (huh, sound familiar?). About a year after the publication, the Supreme Leader of Iran issued “fatwa” (basically, an execution order) against Rushdie and anyone closely involved with the creation of the novel. In 2022, Rushdie was stabbed fourteen times onstage at an event, which caused him to lose sight in one eye and incapacitated one of his hands. Rushdie continues to be an advocate for keeping books available to readers of all ages. He does not allow those who wish to silence him win. The Satanic Verses taught me the importance of free speech, especially when there might be a personal cost.

Fahrenheit 451

I think a part of me will always be obsessed with dystopian novels. Maybe it was because The Hunger Games and Divergent were key books on my reading journey. One of my favorite dystopia novels is Fahrenheit 451. Inspired by Nazi Germany’s book burnings, Bradbury wrote a novel about a “fireman” named Guy Montag, who is part of a task force that burns books. He becomes disillusioned by the government’s instance that books are evil and then commits to literary preservation. When talking about banned books, it is almost impossible to not mention Fahrenheit 451. It is also the book that I feel the most passionate about defending. Some might call it ironic since Bradbury’s novel is constantly banned for violence, cursing, death, and other inappropriate topics. This is a book about the dangers of censorship from the government undergoing censorship from the government. It makes me want to scream sometimes. While it might feel hopeless, the answer is right inside this book. Bradbury preaches about the importance of breaking away from conformity and the importance of becoming an educated citizen. I argue that the best way to do that is through literature. Literature becomes a tool for one person or a group to send a message and for others to receive it. I do not want to live in a dystopian world, so I am using the literature I create in my blog to encourage you all to read banned books and to be aware of what your government is doing. It is our right to learn and read what we want to. Fahrenheit 451 taught me the importance of my written word in the battle against censorship.

Conclusion

If you have utilized your close reading skills in this blog post, you might have realized that I used the same word to describe why each of the four books above were banned. It was “inappropriate”. Now, inappropriate means different things to different people. I know that there were plenty of adults who were shocked about the books my parents let me read growing up. My parents did not think that they were inappropriate for me. They set me up for success by teaching me important reading habits and creating an environment that allowed me to ask questions without fear of shame or punishment. Even now, if I read something and want to talk about it with my parents, they are always there for me. I do believe that there are books that children should not be reading. I also believe that reading banned books at a young age with the support of my parents has made me a better person. The government should not get to decide what books are appropriate or inappropriate. It should be up to each person to make those decisions for themselves, and young readers should rely on guidance from their loved ones to aid them in those decisions. Also, a study found that students become 33% more interested in a book if their local or state government tries to ban it. This gives me a lot of hope although there is so much more room for improvement. I want to read about banning books in fiction novels, not news stories.

Now that you have finished reading this blog post, I ask that you pick up and read a banned book. It can be one of the ones I recommended above or one that you have had on your TBR for a while or one that just speaks to you. All I ask is that you read a banned book.

Bibliography

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffery Chaucer

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury