Dangerous Books

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Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Ryan Geertsma.

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And I’m Marina Santee. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is
easy for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

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In June of 2011, Megan Cox Gurdon wrote a story for the Wall Street Journal news
organization. Gurdon believes that young adult, English literature is getting darker. She
believes that it is often too serious or intense for young adults. In the story she wrote,

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“An unknowing young reader - or one who seeks out evil - will find himself surrounded
by images not of joy or beauty. Instead, he finds damage, violence and loss of the worst
kinds.”

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Writer Libby Bray does not agree. After reading Gurdon’s story, she wrote this on the
Internet service Twitter,

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“Books are dangerous. Yes, dangerous. They test our ideas and our blindness. They
open us to new ideas, new ways of seeing. They make us hurt in all the right ways. They
can push down barriers...And when a person feels alone ... books can heal and connect.
That is what good books do. That is what difficult books do. And we need them in the
world.”

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Can a book about hurtful things still be good? Is it ever good to ban a book? What about
when the reader is young? Today’s Spotlight is on the complex issue of book banning.

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Book banning has a long history. Many cultures over time have banned books for many
reasons. One of the earliest known examples is the banning of Homer’s famous book
The Odyssey. In the year 387 BCE, the ancient Greek thinker Plato wrote that The
Odyssey should be kept away from young adults. Plato thought it contained examples of
bad behaviour that children might follow.

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At other times, religious leaders have banned books for expressing ideas that are against
religion. For example, in the year 1520, the Catholic Church banned the writings of the
religious leader Martin Luther. The Pope did not agree with Luther’s ideas, and he
banned both Luther and his writing from the church.

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Other times, governments have banned books that communicate a political message
they do not agree with. In the 1970s, Eduardo Galeano wrote a book about the history of
South America. It is called The Open Veins of Latin America. In 1973, the military took
control of the government in Galeano’s home country, Uruguay. After this, the
government banned his book. And Galeano was forced to leave the country.

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Galeano and many writers in Uruguay were threatened with death if they did not write
what the government liked. He believes that being able to talk about the government is
important for making people think. Galeano told the magazine In These Times:

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“We had to choose between silence and shame. We could stay alive if we lied, or we
could be quiet...We decided to be completely quiet and show that we were not
free...Many writers died or disappeared or went to prison or went into exile... We
showed that it was possible to have a different idea of culture.”

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Galeno thought all people should have the freedom to speak truth. He also thought
people should have the freedom to question authority.

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However, sometimes it is not political or religious leaders that want to ban books.
Sometimes, it is just parents, teachers or local officials. And they want to ban books
because they think particular books are dangerous for children. In 1818, Thomas
Bowdler printed a ‘family version’ of Willam Shakespeare’s most famous plays.
Bowdler removed parts of the plays that he thought were too shocking for families with
young children to read. Much like Plato, in ancient times, Bowdler wanted to protect
children and young adults. And today, many parents, teachers and local officials still
struggle with the issue of book banning.

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In the past 75 years, more and more English writers have begun to write literature
particularly for young adults. These stories are not children’s stories. Instead, they are
long and complex stories written for young adults - between the ages of 10 and 18 years
old. The characters in young adult literature are often young adults. And the books are
often about things that affect the lives of the 10 to 18 year olds. Many times, the stories
are set in schools or homes - similar to the real life of the reader.
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Like in literature for adults, young adult books often discuss hard things. The stories can
include drugs, sex, and violence, or bad language and bad behaviour. Some parents do
not like their children reading about these hard issues. So, often, parents, teachers and
government officials decide what is good for children to read.

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Megan Cox Gurdon, the writer from the beginning of this program, believes that
banning some books from young adults may be a good idea. She worries particularly
when young adults read literature about self-harming behaviour - like drinking too
much alcohol or cutting yourself to deal with strong emotions. She worries that if young
adults read too much about these behaviours, they may start to think the behaviours are
normal.

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However, many writers do not like the idea of banning books. Writers write books so
that people will read them! Often, writers of young adult literature write about hard
issues because young adults experience these hard issues. They hope that their books
will help young adults struggling with hard issues. They hope their books will help
young readers feel like they are not alone. However, when young adult books are
banned, young adults do not get to read the writer’s words. This also means that a
young adult cannot learn from that book.

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Maureen Johnson writes young adult literature. In 2007, one of her books was banned in
Bartlesville, Oklahoma, the United States. Johnson has very strong opinions on book
banning. She believes that it is important for young adults to read books about difficult
issues. She thinks that this is one way for people to learn about the world around them.
Johnson wrote about book banning on her website:

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“We need education... The world is getting more connected and wonderful. And
banning books is just not going to work...Fear of everything is not a good way to live.
Instead of banning books, we should be working together toward new ways of saving
the planet.”

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What do you think about banning books? Is it ever good to ban books? Who do you
think should decide what young adults read? You can email us your thoughts
at radio@radioenglish.net. Or you can leave a comment on the script page of the
program on our website.

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The writer and producer of this program was Dianna Anderson. The voices you heard
were from United States and United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted for this program
and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it at the same
time on our website at www.radioenglish.net. This program is called, ‘Dangerous
Books’. The website also has many other Spotlight programs, our word list, more
information, and comments from other listeners. You can also find Spotlight on
Facebook and Twitter - just search for spotlightradio.

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We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.

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Question:
Have you ever read a book someone told you not to read? Do you think some books
should be banned?