Banning books

[lifelongreader]

I agree with you kiki - banning books is the thin end of the wedge.

Great literature would slowly disappear if we did not resist - did you know that To Kill a Mockingbird (which is on many a reader's top 10), has been on banned lists for ages, and is still attacked.

What a great loss to literature that would be if we could not talk about and discuss that.

[awelker]

I just read Go Ask Alice, which is on the list. I could understand why that one might be banned but my theory is that maybe if kids did read it they might understand what it was like and stay away from the drug scene since a lot of the drugs back then compared to now are more deadly.

[lifelongreader]

I read Go Ask Alice when I was a teenager and it certainly put me off the idea of taking drugs, although I doubt if I would have started them anyway.

I don't think it glorifies drugs in any way, and should definitely be on library bookshelves - especially in schools.

[sleepydumpling]

I agree, it certainly doesn't glorify drugs, and it's an excellent book for an age-appropriate audience.

[Linda]

i read this book far before i started "doing drugs" and it had no impact on my decision to do drugs. The book didn't make me want to do drugs any more or less, it's just another story.

i personally don't think any books should be banned, not even the Anarchist's Cookbook.

[Rebeca Darklight]

A week ago I read a wonderful quote that for me sums up this whole banning books thing. It's in Spanish, I will try to properly translate below:

"No existe ninguna lectura peligrosa. El mal no entra nunca por la inteligencia cuando el coraz?n est? sano."

"There is no dangerous reading. Evil never enters through intelligence when the heart is healthy."

Jacinto Benavente

I think it?s a wonderful way to put it, and I believe Mr. Benavente is absolutely right.

[sleepydumpling]

That's fantastic Rebecca, I'm going to keep that one!

[Rebeca Darklight]

Isn't great? I think it is the best quote I have found about the subject.

[lifelongreader]

I like this quote and have it on my blog (in English) :

Y a este prop?sito dice Plinio que no hay libro, por malo que sea, que no tenga alguna cosa buena. Mayormente, que los gustos no son todos unos, mas lo que uno no come, otro se pierde por ello

About this Pliny says that there is no book, however bad it is, which does not have some good in it; namely that not all tastes are the same and what
one person does not like, will enthrall another.

Written about 1554 - anonymous (Found in La Vida de Lazarillo de Tormes)

This sounds so great in Spanish!

[Rebeca Darklight]

Good translation work!

[sleepydumpling]

Another great quote! I'm going to collect these. I love that they're in Spanish too, I'm learning Spanish (slowly) and quotes are really good to practice on.

[bernie]

I like that quote too, and agree with everyone here who has said banning literature is a bad idea. It's just ridiculous and ineivtably leads to totalitarianism - if any one book can be banned for moral or whatever reasons than any other book can be banned as well. It's just insanity.

[lifelongreader]

Grac?as Rebeca.

I was chatting in Spanish to a friend in Mexico for an hour and a half the other night, and that was tough. I had to remember all the grammar rules as I was typing

Good translation work!

[Rebeca Darklight]

De nada, lifelongreader.

There's no better way to practice written word than by chatting or emailing. Spoken word is far more difficult because when you are typing you have extra couple of seconds to chose your words and when you are speaking sometimes your brain doesn't connect fast enough with your tongue, hahaha. Although in my case those extra seconds don't help me either and I can't communicate by typing too, hahaha.

But keep doing that, it will help you a lot.

[lifelongreader]

What I find great, Rebeca, is chatting to some Spanish speakers - I type in English (which they can read well), and they type their replies in Spanish, which I can read ok, it works really well