Pathfinder
Breakdown:
Introduction-This pathfinder will be discussing the issue of banned
books. Since the beginning of time, book banning has been a phenomenon that has
affected cultures and countries all over the world. In America, it has
especially played a prominent role. For this reason it is important to
investigate the rules of censorship in American schools and libraries in
accordance with the First Amendment, and to determine whether or not
constitutional rights are being violated by banning books. This pathfinder will
investigate books that have been banned over the years, the reason behind their
banning, and the implications and repercussions book banning has produced. I
will investigate books that have not been accepted in the past but are now
considered beloved classics, and how the attitude of Americans towards such
novels has changed over time. This pathfinder will also examine whether these
restrictions on which books should be banned have been relaxed or not and, if
so, what that means for the book censorship and the interpretation of the First
Amendment today. This topic is important because it shows the development of
literary culture over time and the way our culture's reception of books has
evolved over the centuries according to the tastes and morals of a particular
era.
5
Reference Resources-
1.)
My first resource is the book 120
Banned Books. This source discusses books that have been banned over the
centuries for social, religious, political, or sexual reasons. It gives
specific examples of books that have been banned over the centuries and the
reasons certain eras decided they were inappropriate and intolerable due to the
beliefs and tastes of the time.
Karolides, Nicholas J., Margaret
Bald, Dawn B. Sova, and Nicholas J. Karolides. 120 Banned Books: Censorship
Histories of World Literature. New York: Checkmark /Facts On File, 2005.
Print.
2.)
My second reference resource is
the book Banned Books: Challenging Our Freedom to Read. It discusses the
challenge of censorship, the First Amendment, and the freedom to read as well
as the struggle for intellectual freedom. This resource addresses the
understanding of banned books in correlation with the freedom of expression,
which is a significant American principle that cannot be overlooked.
Doyle,
Robert P. Banned Books: Challenging Our Freedom to Read. Chicago, IL:
American Library Association, 2010. Print.
3.)
My third reference resource is Banned
Books: Literature Suppressed on Political Grounds. It can be found in
Cook Library and discusses how governments, states, and churches and other
political entities have banned books over the decades for disputable political
context. This resource will be useful to my research because it will provide me
with a historical background on the political suppression of books over the
decades, on what grounds certain books were suppressed, and how this speaks to
intellectual freedom.
Karolides,
Nicholas J. Banned Books: Literature Suppressed on Political Grounds.
New York: Facts on File, 1998. Print.
4.)
My fourth source is True
Stories of Censorship Battles in America’s Libraries. This source is found
in Cook Library and online and discusses how librarians handle the challenge of
banned books, and will be helpful to my research by giving another viewpoint on
the censorship of books and its far-reaching effect.
Nye,
Valerie, and Kathy Barco. True Stories of Censorship Battles in America's
Libraries. Chicago: American Library Association, 2012. Print.
5.)
My final source is Censorship, an
e-book found on the USM libraries website. This source discusses the censorship
controversy in America, and will be helpful in my research because of the
chapter on Censorship of Books which explores more of the history behind the
controversy of banned books.
Paxton, Mark. Censorship. Westport: Greenwood,
2008. Electronic.
5 Journal
Articles-
1.)
My first journal
resource is an article titled Just Open The Door: Banned Books (And A
Librarian!) In The Classroom from the journal Young Adult Library Services. In this article, which is narrated in
the first person, the author discusses her experiences speaking to high school
students about banned books. In her book she talks about how hard it is to talk
to students about such a sensitive topic, and discusses how she came to the
conclusion that she will inform students on matters of the freedom of speech
and intellectual freedom and let them make their own decisions about the issue
of banned books.
Howerton,
Erin Downey. "Just Open The Door: Banned Books (And A Librarian!) In The
Classroom." Young Adult Library Services 5.3 (2007): 9-12. Academic
Search Premier. Web. 13 Sept. 2012.
2.)
My second journal resource is an article
titled "Banned Book Week September 22-29, 2001: Look What They've Done To
My Books, Mom!.” From the journal Black Scholar. This article talks about the 20th year anniversary of Banned
Books Week which was celebrated in September 2001. This weeks is made possible
by the American Library Association, and the book refers to several specific
banned books, including the “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl.” The
article teaches the history of censorship and the significance of Banned Book
Week.
Muse,
Daphne. "Banned Book Week September 22-29, 2001: Look What They've Done To
My Books, Mom!." Black Scholar 32.2 (2002): 22. Academic Search
Premier. Web. 13 Sept. 2012.
3.)
My third journal resource is an article titled
“An Exploratory Study Of Children's Views Of Censorship" from the journal Children
& Libraries: The Journal Of The Association For Library Service To
Children. This article discusses
research conducted with a group of children between the ages of 9 and 12 to
determine how they feel about book censorship and parent’s restrictions on what
they can and cannot read. The article also examines the responses of children
when accessing library use, intellectual freedom, and restricted
material.
sajlovic-Terry,
Natasha, and Lynne (E.F.) McKechnie. "An Exploratory Study Of Children's
Views Of Censorship." Children & Libraries: The Journal Of The
Association For Library Service To Children 10.1 (2012): 38-43. Academic
Search Premier. Web. 13 Sept. 2012.
4.)
My fourth journal resource is an article
titled “The Origins Of The Freedom To Read Foundation: Public Librarians'
Campaign To Establish A Legal Defense Against Library Censorship" from the
journal Public Library Quarterly. The
article discusses the anger and frustration experienced by librarians faced
with the issue of banned books. It
explains how some of the most dismayed librarians formed the American Library
Association and traces the history of this now highly popular organization, and
discusses how the creation of the Freedom to Read Foundation become the
greatest move towards promoting intellectual freedom.
Asato, Noriko. "The Origins Of
The Freedom To Read Foundation: Public Librarians' Campaign To Establish A
Legal Defense Against Library Censorship." Public Library Quarterly
30.4 (2011): 286-306. Academic Search Premier. Web. 25 Sept. 2012.
5.)
My fifth and final journal resource is an
article titled "Banned Books, Blocked Bytes" from the journal Children
& Libraries: The Journal Of The Association For Library Service To
Children. This article focuses on
the challenges faced by publishers as they deal with the issue of banned books
for children and young adults. It discusses the resistance publishers may meet
from parents and communities who disapprove of certain reading material, and
even makes reference to the issue of possibly banning certain Internet websites
that contain questionable material.
Kaplan,
Allison G., and Bradley Debrick. "Banned Books, Blocked Bytes." Children
& Libraries: The Journal Of The Association For Library Service To Children
7.2 (2009): 56-58. Academic Search Premier. Web. 25 Sept. 2012.
5
Websites/Books/Your Choice-
1.)
My first source is Banned books, 387 B.C. to
1978 A.D. This book discusses the legal aspects of censorship and explains
the First Amendment, and discusses books that have been banned at many various
and different times through history. It discusses censorship as it was enforced
by different religions, political groups, and government bureaus and how trends
in censorship have attacked school libraries and textbooks. It also references
popular, historical figures from a vast span of time such as Thomas Jefferson,
John Milton and John Stuart Mill who have discussed the issue of censorship and
lists U.S. laws pertaining to First Amendment issues. It is located in Cook
Library.
Haight, Anne Lyon., and Chandler
B. Grannis. Banned Books, 387 B.C. to 1978 A.D. New York: R.R. Bowker,
1978. Print.
2.)
My
second book source is Censorship and selection: issues and answers for
schools by Henry Reichman. This book can be found in the fifth floor stacks
in Cook Library. The book strives to provide both citizens and educators with
an understanding of upholding a free marketplace in education. The book
discusses censorship in schools, controversies that have occurred, conflict
that has arisen in schools around the issue, primary concerns with censorship,
and tips for how a school can handle their response to issues of censorship.
This book will be helpful in my paper because it delves into the issue of how
free schools should be to provide what books they want to for their students.
Reichman,
Henry. Censorship and Selection: Issues and Answers for Schools. Chicago:
American Library Association, 1988. Print.
3.)
My
third book source is Censorship: changing attitudes, 1900-2000 by
Scarlett MccGwire. This book discusses censorship, what it is, and how people
have viewed it over the last century. It discusses the ways attitudes have
changed towards the issue of censorship, the First Amendment, and the freedom
of the marketplace and provides arguments both for and against censorship so
that the reader may come to an educated understanding of what censorship is and
how its definition has been changed over the years. This book can be
found on the third floor of Cook Library.
MccGwire,
Scarlett. Censorship: Changing Attitudes, 1900-2000. Austin, TX:
Raintree Steck-Vaughn, 2000. Print.
4.)
My
fourth source is Opposing Censorship in the Public Schools: Religion,
Morality and Literature by June Edwards. It can be found in the Cook
Library fourth floor stacks and it discusses the practice of censorship in
public schools. The book is divided into two parts: the first part talks about
the censorship debate in public schools between humanism and democracy, over
biblical interpretations, over morality in literature and over the purpose of
teaching in literature. The second part of the book chooses two specific
novels—Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D.
Salinger to discuss the issue of censorship in detail.
Edwards,
June. Opposing Censorship in the Public Schools: Religion, Morality, and
Literature. Mahwah, NJ: L. Erlbaum Associates, 1998. Print.
5.) My fifth and final book source is
Censorship in Children’s Literature, which was edited by Alleen Pace Nilsen.
This book is a collection of short essays discussing the censorship of
children’s literature in public schools and the various issues it has caused.
It will be helpful in my pathfinder because one of the biggest censorship
issues lies in the problem of which books children should or should not be
allowed to read. For instance, when Harry Potter was first released many school
were banning it from their libraries. This book can be found in the fifth floor
stacks of Cook Library.
Nilsen, Alleen Pace. Censorship
in Children's Literature. Vashon Island, WA: Para-doxa, 1996. Print.
Conclusion:
This pathfinder targets an audience that would like to learn more
about the struggle and debate of banned books. Over the centuries, certain
books have been met with resistance by political groups, religious groups, or
communities and parents who object questionable material in the content of
particular novels. For librarians, it has been a long struggle and uphill
battle to encourage the acceptance of all books, but this battle led to the
foundation of the American Library Association and the Freedom to Read
Foundation. These organizations advocate for intellectual freedom on the basis
of the First Amendment, which guarantees the freedom of speech. The resources
in this pathfinder direct its audience towards books, articles, websites and
references that will teach more about the censorship of books, Banned Books
Week, how librarians and publishers are dealing with the conflict of banned
books, and how America has handled the struggle for centuries. The pathfinder
will be a useful tool for directing its audience towards lists of banned books
and hopefully generate a better understanding of how book banning has evolved
and changed over the years. It is important for any individual interested in
working either in schools, libraries, or the publishing business to understand
the censorship of books and the effect that banning certain books on a basis of
political, religious, sexual or moral reasons can have on children and young
adult readers.
