Banned books are always relevant. [DK's Banned Books]

Immerse yourself in the stories behind the most shocking and infamous books ever published!

Censorship of one form or another has existed almost as long as the written word, while definitions of what is deemed “acceptable” in published works have shifted over the centuries, and from culture to culture.

Banned Books explores why some of the world’s most important literary classics and seminal non-fiction titles were once deemed too controversial for the public to read – whether for challenging racial or sexual norms, satirizing public figures, or simply being deemed unfit for young readers. From the banning of All Quiet on the Western Front and the repeated suppression of On the Origin of the Species, to 1984, Fahrenheit 45, Catcher in the Rye and Huckleberry Fin, this must-have volume examines the astonishing role that some banned books have played in changing history. 

Packed with eye-opening insights into the history of the written word, and the political and social climate during the period of suppression or censorship, this is a must-read for anyone interested in literature, creative writing, politics, history, or the law.

My high school tenure can be marked by time spent in the library. Almost all of my academic career was accompanied, if not by time volunteering as a library aide, by some degree of library adjacency. I remember first learning of "Banned Books Week" from the promotional materials and displays littered throughout and atop the shelves. At that point, deep in my library nerddom, of course I took home one of the promotional bookmarks that had a list of books. I want to say that books were listed by categorical reason for banning. What did I, a nosy teenager coming into her intellectual autonomy, do? Yup, you guessed it, I searched out books from that list to read. And I look back at that experience fondly. So when I saw DK's Banned Books: The World's Most Controversial, Past and Present available on NetGalley, I had to request a copy.

And as it was then, so it is now. Banned books find their way into my reading sights! As I read I added three books to my reading wishlist, The History of Mary Prince, I Hate Men, and This is a Swedish Tiger. What's great about banned book lists, in addition to functioning as reading suggestions, is the prompt of discussion. As I read the rationales given in Banned Books some I found wildly ridiculous. But several books being banned came as no surprise. That is to say, it was to be expected. To be surprised that a book explicitly anti-religion came under attack from religious opponents is to say water is wet and expect shock. And that prompted some reflection, because I can't say I disagree with that sentiment outright. But I also recognize that ideas and concepts, opinions can't be banned. Their removal or banning them oftentimes serves only to strengthen them or publicize them, à la Streisand Effect. Rather ongoing analysis and discussion are key in the formulation of arguments and counterarguments. 

All of that to say, I'm giving this book 4 stars. It was lovely and a quick read, but in terms of which books got the longer blurbs? I might have to call shenanigans. As someone who lived through Harry Potter outrage, that blurb was shockingly short. And there's the question of the selection of books. The 21st century section of banned books was more global (global here meaning not centering the West) than its predecessors. Who is the intended audience and why were the books highlighted the ones selected? Questions prompting thought. Though I suppose brevity, in theory, prompts research.

Postscript. Now that I'm aware of it once again, Banned Book Week 2022 is coming up (September 18-24). I wonder what I'll do, if anything. I do have a backlog to get through. Also, reading this book in the aftermath of the attack on Salman Rushdie was also interesting. 

Banned Books (ISBN:9780744056280) is due for publication August 30, 2022.