Every year, a large number of books are banned throughout the
world. There are many different reasons why individuals, organisations or
institutions may seek to do this. For example, fantasy novels featuring
magic and otherworldly beings can be deemed anti-religious, while more realistic
novels might feature language and themes which can offend. Whatever the reason, books are usually challenged
before they are banned and are not considered banned until made inaccessible by
an institution or removed from a curriculum. The last book to be banned outright
in the UK was Lord Horror by David
Britton, back in 1991. However, some books such as Going Clear by Lawrence Wright have been not published in this
country due to concerns about potential litigation.
In 2017, the American Library Association recorded 416 challenges or
bans to library, school or university materials. Amongst the top ten complained
about books were a recurring favourite, To
Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and a new entry, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.
Since its publication in 1960, To Kill a Mockingbird has been one of the most consistently
challenged books in the USA. Set in the
1930s, Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel tells the story of a white
lawyer defending a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman.
Challenges to the book over the past 58 years have mentioned its use of
profanity, discussions of sexuality and rape and use of the n-word. In 1966, a challenge to remove it from a
school library in Hanover County, Virginia labelled the book ‘immoral’ and
‘improper’ because it spoke about rape. Following letters from concerned
citizens (including Harper Lee herself), the Hanover school board rescinded its
decision to ban the book. Challenges
continued to arise in the 1970s, citing the book’s ‘filthy’ content and use of
racial slurs. In 1981, schools in Warren, Indiana banned it because a claim was
made that the book does ‘psychological damage to the positive integration
process’ and ‘represents institutionalized racism under the guise of good
literature’. In 2017, the book faced
calls for it to be removed from a class in in Biloxi, Mississippi because
parents said that it made them feel ‘uncomfortable’. This was strongly refuted by
the Director of the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom who asserted that the main
point of classic literature is to challenge the way we think. Besides, American
history (much like events in the present day) is quite often
‘uncomfortable’. For example, one of the
book’s core themes - the sometimes deadly assumption that black people are guilty
before they are proved innocent - is still starkly apparent in America today. The
sense of injustice that this generates amongst African Americans has fuelled
several civil rights movements over the years; the latest being Black Lives Matter.
Critics question if To Kill a Mockingbird is a good book to use to teach children about
racism. The criticism can be justified
to some extent. The book tells the story
from the perspective of Scout, a white narrator whose father is presented as
the ‘white saviour’ of a poor, defenceless black man. Atticus Finch, the lawyer and father at the
centre of the novel has been largely viewed as a role model in the past.
However, it is interesting to note that even though Atticus is defending a
black man against a false charge of rape, he does
not want to see racial segregation abolished and objects to his
children using the n-word, not because he thinks it is morally wrong but because he
believes it is common. It was perhaps not so surprising when in Go Set a Watchman (Harper Lee’s only
other novel, published in 2015), the now adult Scout is shocked to discover her
father attending a Ku Klux Klan meeting. This was foreshadowed in To Kill a Mockingbird, when Atticus downplays
the Klan to his children, telling them that in the 1920s, a local chapter of
the Klan was more of a political organisation than anything else.
 |
| Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch in the 1962 film. |
To Kill a Mockingbird is an iconic work of literature and objecting
to it because it highlights racism in a way that makes some readers
uncomfortable totally misses the point. Rather than arguing about whether it is
right to ban this novel, it is probably best to view the book’s subject matter and characters critically through the lens of history. However, it would be
even better if children could learn about racism by reading books written by authors who have actually experienced it. This brings me to the
second banned book - The Hate U Give
by Angie Thomas - a New York Times best-selling debut Young Adult novel
by an African American author that is firmly anchored in the present day and inspired
by the Black Lives Matter movement. Published in February 2017, The Hate U Give tells the story of Starr Carter, a 16-year-old
prep-school student, who witnesses the death of her childhood best friend
Khalil at the hands of police and must decide whether she has the courage to
speak out against the injustice. Starr is constantly switching between two
worlds - the poor, predominantly black neighbourhood where she lives and the
rich mostly white prep school she attends. She is under tremendous strain and
the killing of her friend ultimately leads to the collision of her two worlds.
Katy Independent School District in Texas banned the book in November
2017 in response to a complaint about its discussion of drug use and explicit
language. The author and other supporters
of the book urged people to look past the use of strong language (entirely
realistic in the context of the story and not atypical in YA novels) and instead,
concentrate on the book’s message. Another complaint mentioned the ‘presumptive
normalization of sexual activity’ in the book - but the scene between Starr and her boyfriend where she decides that she is not
ready is neither gratuitous nor explicit.
However, what really stood out in this case was the apparent
failure of the Katy Independent School District board to follow their own
procedure after a complaint is made about a book. This procedure requires a
panel of educators and administrators to read and consider the novel in its
entirety before determining whether to keep it in the district’s book
collection. However, the District Superintendent appeared to unilaterally
impose a ban on The Hate U Give
before it could be reviewed and it was removed from school library shelves.
Nineteen local librarians signed an open letter of protest and the ban was much
discussed and reviled on social media, sparking
a movement to donate copies of the book to children in the district directly.
In January 2018, the novel was returned to school library shelves (amidst board
denials that it had ever been banned) with information about parental consent
which could be given over the phone, via email or in person.
Many observers of this episode are convinced that the ‘ban’
had nothing to do with depictions of drug use and profanity. Instead, it was caused
by the same thing that has made To Kill a
Mockingbird such a perennial favourite on the American Library
Association’s most complained about books list. This is the
unwillingness of some people to think about, discuss or deal with the issues of
racism and police brutality in their country. Whether this is because they have
never experienced it, wish to pretend that it does not happen because it makes
them ‘uncomfortable’ or are simply racist themselves, the reason does not really matter. The conversation about racism will continue to take place ever more loudly and frequently because these
issues cannot be ignored. Books like The
Hate U Give make a valuable contribution and should be
lauded, not banned.
Mrs Osafo.
Information sources: