Banned Books

We've been hearing about the state of Texas supposedly "reinterpreting" elements in history, biology and social studies for their school textbooks.

Trying to shape the content of books to conform to particular religious and political beliefs is hardly new -- nor is banning certain books in schools.

You might be surprised to know what all of the following books have in common.

Answer: All these books have been censored in the United States.

Little Red Riding Hood has been censored because original versions included "wine" as a gift to grandma.

The most popular (and most censored) children's books of this decade, the Harry Potter books, have been condemned for promoting witchcraft. Christian Parenting Today branded the books "pure evil." Even so, the series is credited in getting more young people interested in reading than any book in history.

In 1925, North Carolina banned textbooks that discussed Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. In 1983, parents sued the Hawkins Country Tennessee school system for having the "Satan-oriented" stories of The Three Little Pigs and Goldilocks and the Three Bears in their library.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was originally banned because some people objected to the animal characters being able to use human language. 

Some censored books are considered to be literary masterpieces. Diary of A Young Girl, and The Color Purple, have won prestigious awards.  Even so, groups on both the political left and right have found their content inappropriate. Religious Right groups have had well publicized bonfires where they burn books, magazines and CDs.

Among the books that have been censored is Fahrenheit 451, an award-winning science fiction novel about a regime that uses censorship to shape thinking and hold onto power.

In 1929, all the Tarzan books were banned in Los Angeles, California, because it was reasoned that the fictional character Tarzan was living in the jungle with Jane without being married.

One of the most notable and notorious censorship cases took place in 1959. This case centered on a book written by D. H. Lawrence in 1928  —  Lady Chatterley's Lover. The objection was over the description of a sexual affair that Lady Chatterley had.

Although this description would be considered tame by today's standards  — which tells you just how much things change over time  — in 1959, there was a major public outcry to ban the book.

When a biology textbook containing a chapter on human reproduction was adopted in one school district, the principal stapled all the pages together so (he thought) students wouldn't be able to read them.  

In another biology textbook drawings of the male and female genitalia were painted over with black poster paint.

Some people say, "What's it matter; today we have the Internet that can circumvent attempts at censorship.

While that may in part be true, there is also the fact that states such as Texas that have been most active in censorship have the lowest percentage of homes with Internet connections. 

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