Inquisitors Texas forbade children to read
02.10.2004
Elena Knorr
While first lady Laura Bush promoted among young people a love of reading in her native Texas to the books are treated with great suspicion. Almost like during the Inquisition, in local schools have audited the printed products and banned some of the works.
The "black list" of dozens of names, including, in particular, "Peter Pan" by James Barry and "1984" by George Orwell. What these works do not please the strict censor of Texas, are not reported.
But we know that, if earlier "under suspicion" to provide, in general, books with sexual overtones, such as "Mama laid an egg, or Where are the children," Babette Cole, is now the most attention is drawn to the political profanity. Most of the calls to ban this or that issue comes from the parents, but sometimes come and protests from other members of the families of schoolchildren and officials from education.
In general we can say that the tradition does not convey to the reader some of the books in America there is a long time. U.S. authorities on this subject could compete with the Soviet KGB. Early last century, very odious considered one of the most outstanding novels of Mark Twain - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn "- for racist propaganda. This is despite the fact that the best "oliteraturennoy history of the United States does not exist yet. The notorious "1984" along with another dystopia of Orwell "Animal Farm" also falls under the ban in the New World, so that the current event - more of a "repetition". In the period 1974 - 1978 years. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Ken Kesey was classified as censorship in five states: Ohio, New York, Oklahoma, Massachusetts and Idaho.
Authorities at all times believed that by controlling the "population" bookshelves of their citizens, they can otlezhivat unhealthy, antisocial elements and render them in time. For example, if a person acquires "Anarchist Cookbook," then it is surely the future or the real terrorist. And every fan of Nabokov "Lolita" so tempting to write in rapists and child molesters ...
However, it is clear that in practice it is not so simple. Therefore, in addition to various measures of censorship in the United States annually held week banned the book. Thus, the government reminds people of that freedom - is not only a collective good, but also the responsibility of each individual. The tradition to hold this event began in 1982. Week banned book - a kind of holiday reading freemen. It is sponsored by the Union of American booksellers and the American Library Association.
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