Customer Reviews

100 Banned Books: Censorship Histories of World Literature

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4 star:		(3)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

100 Banned Books is essential reading for anyone concerned about censorship and freedom of expression. The amount of research that Karolides, Bald and Sova have compiled is remarkably thorough. A fairly brief but highly illuminating summary is provided for each listed "objectionable" work, and the list is divided into four different categories of grounds for suppression: political, religious, sexual, and social. The reader is given insight into the mentality of the self-appointed dictators of public knowledge and cultural taste. Fear and ignorance; political and religious intolerance; outright bigotry. It is such un-enlightened mentalities, we discover, that at one time led to the suppression of such great books as The Bible, "All Quiet On The Western Front", "The Rights of Man", "Lady Chatterly's Lover", "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest", "Leaves Of Grass", "Anne Frank: The Diary Of A Young Girl","Black Boy", "The Canterbury Tales" just to name a few. Ultimately, this book cultivates an appreciation for the freedom to express and exhange ideas, however controversial or unpopular some of those views might be. It also arms the reader with a vigilance to defend that freedom should they find it challenged by a political authority, religious institution, school board or a group of zealots. 100 Banned Books is destined to become a classic!

This a great concept of a book, but the scholarship, prose, and editing are all shoddy. Some facts are flat-out wrong, dates often have transposed numbers, entries are repetitive.

Some of the entries are misrepresentative of censorship trends. For example, there is an entry on Voltaire's "Candide." However, the only time "Candide" was ever censored (as far as my research can tell) is once in the 1930s when one shipment of French copies was stopped in American customs because of the pictures. So it's the *artwork* which was being censored, not the novel. Additionally, much of Voltaire's work WAS actively censored, both during and after his lifetime, but Karolides and crew fail to mention that.

My college Censorship Honors Seminar course used this book as a textbook and we spent most of our time wondering if the editor was asleep while proofing the text. It was horrid.

If you are a wholehearted proponent of the First Amendment to the
Constitution of the United States, this is a book you will find it
absolutely essential to own.

Nicholas Karolides, Margaret Bald and
Dawn Sova have compiled censorship histories of 100 books that have
been suppressed on political, religious, sexual or social grounds, and
they are truly eye-opening. Many of these books have been censored
within our own country, where freedom of speech is supposedly
protected by the First Amendment.

Under the category of religious
censorship, not only have documents challenging the major world
religions' accepted beliefs come under fire, but these religions'
essential works -- the Bible, the Koran and the Talmud -- have also
been supressed at some point in history.

Works suppressed on sexual
grounds run the gamut from mild language or situations to depictions
of explicitly violent and humiliating sexual acts. While I find the
latter absolutely abhorent and choose not to expose myself to this
type of content, "100 Banned Books" is a valuable reminder
that, regardless of your personal opinion of what is not appropriate,
it is all to easy to cross over the line and try to deny others access
to these materials.

Read this book to familiarize yourself with
past instances of censorship, and then look in present-day society for
examples of ongoing censorship attempts. The results will truly be
eye-opening.

This fine and informative book describes 100 books which were "banned" for different reasons, including content and belief. I believe that "banned" is too strong of a word. Something like "restricted" is more appropriate, since none of these books were actually removed from print or circulation.

The book is arranged into four sections: literature suppressed on political grounds, literature suppressed on religious grounds, literature suppressed on sexual grounds, and literature suppressed on social grounds. Each section contains approximately twenty banned books. Such classics as "Fahrenheit 451", Lolita", "Naked Lunch", and "A Clockwork Orange" are included in the list.

Each banned book is briefly summarized, along with information about the author, original date and place of publication, and literary form. A censorship history is also included which describes the various efforts to have the book blocked from view. The further readings section gives the reader a list of other areas to search for more information about the book.

I used this book for a Master's degree course in library science, and it was extremely helpful. The summary gives just enough information so the reader can understand the book without having to read it in its entireity. The censorship history section helps the reader understand the efforts to have the book removed from public access.

As a student of library science, I feel that no book should be censored. This is a violation of intellectual freedom and it denies the individual the right to read what they choose to. Books are the backbone of knowledge and learning, and they should never, for any reason, be kept out of people's hands. I highly recommend this fine book. The information contained inside is extremely valuable to the understanding of censorship. The books contained inside are relatively mild compared to some of the books being published today. If you are interested in censorship or learning more about banned books, then be sure to read this fine book.

Karolides, Bald and Sova have produced one of the most informative books regarding censorship. The format of their chapters is clear and concise. They separated the various sections on "Literature Suppressed" into four parts: "Political," "Religious," "Sexual" and "Social". After a brief summary of the book in question, they provide a history of the text's censorship, and a list of further readings.

If there is an interesting and informative reference book on censorship that you want to add to your shelf, I would highly recommend this one.

Dare to Think For Yourself

Dedicated to the unpopular constitution principles of free speech and a free press, this fascinating anthology details the enormous efforts to prevent 100 controversial books from finding readers.

Each book receives a quick plot summary, plus excerpts, so readers can receive a solid overview of important works in Western culture. For me, it was like a seminar in great literary works I wanted to read, but have never found the time to encounter. Fascinating and valuable.

Yet I found the detailed chronicles of censorship efforts - along with the censor's subtle arguments and elaborate justifications - far more educational. Why would someone want to censor love stories (Dr. Zhivago, An American Tragedy, Women in Love, The Scarlet Letter)? How could great religious works, from the Bible and the Talmud to the Koran and the Kama Sutra be targeted for the flames? How did Mark Twain, John Steinbeck, Anne Frank, James Baldwin, Aldous Huxley, Harper Lee, Ray Bradbury, Stephen King and Walt Whitman "earn" the wrath of censors?

Read this book and discover the zeal to control thoughts and limit freedom. Thomas Jefferson, our philosopher of freedom, wrote, "the price of liberty is eternal vigilance." This book names the names of censors, identifies dangerous trends, remembers the popularity of censors, and celebrates the struggle of free spirits to live as free thinking individuals. "Banned Books" proves telling the truth and creating great stories can be dangerous to your health and reputation. Voltaire's advice, "dare to think for yourself" often carries a heavy social price.

Every library, and school library, should have this vital work on their shelves. Just in case.

Plus 100 Banned Books makes an ideal gift for high school and college graduates preparing to live as adults. I consider 100 Banned Books to be one of the best books my Dad has ever bought for me!

I couldn't put this book down. The stories of censorship are fascinating and provide keen insight into the histories of the times when the books were published. In particular, the authors do an excellent job of bringing out the societal forces that were in conflict. I highly recommend this book.

After reading this book I was truely enlightened, enlightened by the thought that I have the right to buy and read what I want, when I want. It's fascinating to read this book and read about the different works of literature that were, and in many cases still are, banned throughout the world for either: sexual, social, political, or religious reasons. So if you love literature as much as I do, check this book out it is fascinating.

100 Banned Books: Censorship Histories Of World Literature is a collaboration between Nicholas J. Karolides (professor of English and associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, University of Wisconsin, River Falls) and Ken Wachsberger (editor of "Voices From The Underground" and managing editor of several journals at MCB University Press, Bradford, England) who present a detailed look at one hundred different fiction and nonfiction books that have been widely banned throughout history. The entry devoted to each book features a detailed summary of the plot or ideas expressed within, followed by a concise yet carefully accurate history of the censorship of the book. From Mein Kampf to Lady Chatterly's Lover to Uncle Tom's Cabin, just about every famous work subject to banning is carefully scrutinized in this well-researched reference. 100 Banned Books is a strongly recommended addition to academic and community library collections, and deserves special inclusion in the efforts to promote annual "Banned Books" events at school and public library systems.

I enjoyed this look at 100 books that have garnered opposition and enemies, because I enjoy learning why ideas can be considered so dangerous. This is a fairly dry, book-by-book account of 100 "banned" works of literature. Actually, "restricted" would be a better choice than "banned", since many of the books weren't outright banned, but banished from the shelves of school libraries. So the book vacillates between books that were outright banned for the threat they represented to an existing power bloc, and books that were removed from schools for the inappropriate material they contained for schoolchildren.

It gives one pause for thought to realize the extent of the threat that books represent, for as has been commented, history is written by the victors. This book shows that another viewpoint with a different agenda can cause panic and animosity among the ruling elite, regardless of how factual or well-documented - and regardless of how futile it has proven to be, in the long run, to try to bury or hide the truth from the masses.

In another sense, this book is an examination of our own societal narrow-mindedness and fear of ideas, a malady which remains epidemic throughout the modern world. For it's fearless examination of this prevalent problem, and for it's readability, I rate it 4 stars.

But, as I mentioned earlier, the book does not distinguish between banning a book for it's ideology vs restricting a book for morally degenerate or offensive material, which is a horse of a different color, in my opinion. I have no problem with schools or parents striving to provide moral direction to the young, and restrict access to offensive material. To remove a book from a school library or curriculum is not to attack the book or the author, only to avoid condoning or promoting it's contents to schoolchildren, and I don't see this as being on the same level of seriousness as attempting to restrict an ideology or bury a historical truth.

Overall, a thought-provoking and informative little book, easy to read in small bites, since it's broken down book-by-book. I recommend it to parents, teachers, librarians, booksellers, civil libertarians, and literature lovers!