1. Karen Galaviz
ENH 295
MAY 8TH, 2015
BOOK CENSORSHIP

2. The word "censorship" comes from the Latin, censere "to give as
one's opinion, to assess." Our modern explanation for
“censorship” does not fall under just one definition. It can be as
lenient as plain supervision to full on banning.
The American Library Association’s definition is, "The
Removal of material from open access by government
authority."

3. ACCORDING TO THE ALA
35% OF CHALLENGES ARE FROM PARENTS
23% COME FROM PATRONS
6% FROM ADMINISTRATORS
4% FROM A GOVERNMENT BODY
2% COME FROM CLERGY
AND 24% FROM UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE
Books are challenged by people
from all walks of life. The
majority of these challenges come
from parents.

4. Challenging vs. Banning
Challenge
Is when a person or group
attempts to have materials
removed because they find
something offensive.
Ban
Is when the materials the
person or group found
objectionable get removed.

5. 1st Amendment
Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the people
peaceably to assemble, and to petition the
government for a redress of grievances.
This amendment protects us and guarantees us
our freedom of expression and press, it gives us
the rights to speak freely. Censorship infringes
upon these basic rights.

6. GINZBERG V. UNITED STATES
03/21/1966
The United States won by 1 in 5-4
decision. This is important because it does not deny
your freedom of speech or press but it does tell us
that you cannot impose these onto others.

7. MILLER V. CALIFORNIA
06/21/1973
5-4 California, Similar to the Ginzberg
v. United States it understood that obscene materials
do not have the benefit of the first amendment. They
lack “literary, artistic, political, or scientific value."
Again, it shows that you cannot impose your views
on others even if your free to have these views.

8. TINKER V. DES MOINES
02/24/1969
7-2 but it was dismissed
because the rule was meant to
uphold the public schools
discipline. This case is important
because it shows that kids do not
really have full freedom of speech.
X
X
X
X

9. ISLAND TREES V. PICO
06/25/1982
5-4 Pico, Like with the others they
were trying to censor material they found unsuitable.
Yet, in this case because the materials were in a book it
was allowed. It did not try to infringe upon the first
amendment right because it was not hurting anyone
else.

10. HAZELWOOD SCHOOL DISTRICT
V. KUHLMEIER
1988
Hazelwood School District. This is noteworthy for
the fact the material published for the school can
be suppressed simply because the paper is
“characterized as part of the school curriculum"
since it is for the schools journalism.

11. SUND V. WICHITA FALLS
2000
Sund. It was important because it shows
that you cannot just ban something because
you do not agree with its content. In this case
it was also discrimination against the LGBT
community.

12. COUNTS V.
CEDARVILLE
2003
Cedarville voted to restrict access to the Harry Potter
series because they “promoted disobedience and disrespect
for authority and dealt with witchcraft and the occult”.
Counts win is significant because it was a restriction to the
students’ first amendment rights, all was based on
speculation and possible consequences, and of course
someone’s beliefs.

13. Why are books
challenged and banned?
There are many
reasons why a book
may be challenged,
usually in the minds of
the initiators they are
doing it for the good of
society and to protect
our youth.
The top three reasons
are sexual explicitness,
offensive language,
and being unsuitable
for the age group.

14. I Know Why the Caged
Bird Sings(1969)
Maya Angelou
Four members of the Alabama State Textbook
Committee believed it promoted, “bitterness and hatred
toward white people” and that it that it encouraged, “deviant
behavior because of references to lesbianism, premarital sex
and profanity.” The topics of rape, teen pregnancy and
racism here in America were too much and so they sought to
remove this book from school shelves.
Banned: (1983) Homosexuality, offensive language,
racism, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group.
http://www.oif.ala.org/oif/?p=3972&cpage=1

15. THE LORD OF THE FLIES
(1954)
WILLIAM GOLDING
Lord of the Flies has been challenged many times and
for multiple reasons. Among these are the belief that the
book is, "demoralizing” and that it “implies that man is
little more than an animal”. It has also been found to be
inappropriate reading material, that it contains racism and
"excessive violence and bad language”.
Challenged: (1974), (1981), (1983), (1984),
(1992), and (2000)
http://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallenge
dbooks/classics/reasons

16. LOLITA
(1955)
VLADMIR NABOKOV
Lolita has been banned multiple times. It’s themes
of pedophilia and incest have been found obscene in
multiple countries. It was challenged at the Marion-Levy
Public Library System in Ocala, Florida in 2006. Here it
was voted that the county attorney review the novel to see
if the content met the state law’s definition of “unsuitable
for minors.” It has been a controversial book since
publication.
Banned: France (1956-1959),
England (1955-59), Argentina
(1959), and New Zealand (1960).
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/119527/re
view-censored-version-lolita-vladimir-nabokov

17. THE HOUSE OF THE
SPIRITS
(1982)
ISABEL ALLENDE
It has been challenged multiple times for it’s occult
nature, for being “sexually depraved and immoral” but
has been retained each time. In Modesto, California
(2004) board members choose to keep it but that
annotations of the books being read by their students
were to be sent out to parents, so that they could be
more informed on content.
https://www.marshall.edu/library/bannedbooks/
books/houseofthespirits.asp
Challenged: (2001), (2004), (2014) Occult, Sexually explicit and offensive language.

18. BURY MY HEART AT
WOUNDED KNEE (1970)
DEE BROWN
Was removed from Wild Rose, Wisconsin school district by a
district administrator without even being read, he said it was
"slanted” material. The same administrator is also infamously
noted as saying, "If there's a possibility that something might
be controversial, then why not eliminate it”. Apparently the
history of the growth and expansion into the West, detailing
accounts of the injustices suffered by Native Americans told by
them was found to be “biased”.
Banned: (1974) "slanted”, possibly controversial.
http://waldina.com/2013/04/26/banned-books-that-
shaped-america-bury-my-heart-at-wounded-knee/

19. THE WORDS OF CESAR CHAVEZ
(2002)
CESAR CHAVEZ
This ban happened right in our own state and made headlines. It happened
when Tucson Unified School District decided to completely disband its Mexican-
American Studies program. It was deemed to be illegal because of a state law
banning racially divisive courses from being taught in public schools. The school
could face money cuts and chose to instead to eliminate the program entirely. The
book was also found to be questionable because it “promoted racism and classism
against Anglos” and it was political because it allowed for ethnic solidarity which
they thought suggested a government overthrow.
http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/node/162
Banned: (2010) Broke law banning, American studies classes.
“Promoted racism and classism towards Anglos”, and was
political.

20. THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF
MALCOLM X
(1965)
MALCOLM X AND ALEX HALEY
Objectors called the autobiography of Malcom Little
a “how-to-manual” for crime and violence. It was also
criticized for its “anti-white statements”, the book talks
about the life changing events and struggles for social and
economic equality that turned Malcom Little into Malcom
X. How he taught himself, turned to Islam and started up a
movement.
Challenged: (1970’s), (1993), (1994) racism, political,
religion, and violence.

21. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE
(1962)
ANTHONY BURGESS
A Clockwork Orange both in text and film has been
controversial and shocking to most readers and audiences
alike. With its exaggerated violence, drug use, profanity,
and “rehabilitation”. The U.S. version of the book is
missing the whole last chapter, as is the film adaptation.
Book removals came with the controversy following the
films release in the States. A bookseller was arrested for
selling the novel in 1973 as well, but later released .
Banned: (1976), (1977), and (1982) offensive language,
violence, rape, and unsuitable for the age group.
http://www.abebooks.com/books/controversial-banned-
sensational-outrage/notorious-books.shtml

22. SAGA (2014)
(HARDCOVER CONTAINING ISSUES #1-18)
BRIAN VAUGHAN AND
FIONA STAPLES
Saga follows the story of an interspecies, interracial
couple who is trying to raise their newborn daughter in a
spaceship tree, while traversing the intergalactic. They are like
any new parents with the typical problems, like opposing families
and crazy mother-in-laws. The graphic novel shows scenes such
as birth and breastfeeding. These among other more sexual
scenes were found too obscene for the age group.
Challenged: (2014) Anti-Family, nudity, offensive language,
sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group.
http://cbldf.org/2015/04/three-graphic-novels-
among-alas-ten-most-challenged-books-of-2014/

23. WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
(1967)
MAURICE SENDAK
This highly imaginative book was written in 1963
yet it took 4 years to finally get published. It was removed
from school libraries because it was deemed inappropriate
for children. Too scary, dark, and disturbing. One child
psychologist said it would give the children irreversible
damage. The fact that a mother would send her child to bed
without supper for acting bad would be too much for 3-4
year olds to deal with.
http://bannedbooks.world.edu/2011/04/10/bann
ed-books-awareness-wild-maurice-sendak/
Banned: witchcraft/supernatural elements,
unsuitable for age group.

25. http://www.ala.org/
http://www.bannedbooksweek.org
http://ncac.org/
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshoc
k/whodecides/definitions.html
Sources