Free to read: Gresham, Sandy bibliophiles, librarians discuss their favorite banned books
Published 7:00 am Sunday, September 22, 2024
- Alex Steinmetz is a library assistant at the Sandy Public Library.
“Fahrenheit 451” author Ray Bradbury once said: “The problem in our country isn’t with books being banned, but with people no longer reading. You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”
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Bradbury is one of many authors to have their books censored or challenged, and one celebrated during Banned Books Week, the last week of September.
He is accompanied by well-known writers like Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, Philip Pullman, Mark Twain, Kurt Vonnegut and even children’s authors Roald Dahl, R.L. Stine, Martin Handford and Judy Blume.
In 2023, seven of the top 10 challenged books were targeted because of LGBTQ2SIA+ related content. The top challenged book last year was “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe, which was also ranked as No. 1 on the list of most challenged books in 2021 and 2022.
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In 2020, during the national unrest following George Floyd’s death and the resulting resurgence of calls for police reform and antiracism education, “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You” by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds was No. 2 on the annual challenged list. The reasons, as cited on the American Library Association website, were: “Banned and challenged because of author’s public statements, and because of claims that the book contains ‘selective storytelling incidents’ and does not encompass racism against all people.”
Oregon as a state has its own challenged book list. According to the Oregon Intellectual Freedom Clearinghouse, between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024, 151 materials have been challenged, accounting for a 62% increase since the past year. That number is the highest ever recorded in the state.
The most challenged titles in Oregon in that mid-2023 to mid-2024 timeframe, were “Beyond Magenta” by Susan Kuklin, “Flamer” by Mike Curato and “Heartstopper Vol. 1” by Alice Oseman.
As of Sept. 16, only 8 of the 151 titles challenged had been removed. Like in most cases, not all books that are challenged are ever officially banned. 109 of the titles challenged last year in Oregon were retained; 20 were restricted and 14 remain under review.
Advocating for access
“We’ve all probably read at least one banned book,” said Sandy Library’s library clerk Felicite Toney.
Many books that are commonly found in high school English class curriculum — “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain, “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury – have been challenged.
As have several popular kids’ books like “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” by Alvin Schwartz, “Where’s Waldo?” by Martin Handford and many more.
Toney has worked in libraries for eight years and has a degree in English literature.
Now in her 30s, Toney explained that she became aware of the concept of banned books when she was a kid and the conversation around the “Harry Potter” books being challenged for talking about witchcraft was commonplace.
“I don’t like it. I do not approve,” Toney said of banning books. “I think that it’s unfair for one group to decide who gets to read what. One of the great things about public libraries … we have the stuff here and it should be here, whether or not someone likes it.”
“Fahrenheit 451” is actually what Toney claims as her favorite banned book, which is fitting given that it depicts a world where challenged books are burned.
“One of my favorite quotes (from Ray Bradbury) is: ‘There is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people running about with lit matches,’” Toney said.
She explained that she appreciates seeing the character development of the main character – the fire man, who is tasked with burning books – as he begins to question what he’s being asked to do and eventually starts saving the books.
“Because the books really represent more than just fun stories, or fairy tales and things like that,” Toney said. “There’s information, there’s knowledge, there are ideas in there.”
For Toney, and her coworker, Alex Steinmetz, it’s especially concerning how many books are challenged as inappropriate for a younger demographic because of content related to the queer experience or just experiences people are uncomfortable with.
Steinmetz’ favorite banned book is Stephen Chbosky’s “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.”
“I think it does a great job of encapsulating all the big emotions you have as a teenager,” she explained. Steinmetz herself read the book for the first time when she was in her 20s.
She also pointed out that she thinks it is “really interesting that (people are) trying to ban these books that if I would have known about them … when I was younger, I probably would have tried to find them.”
For example, Steinmetz offered, “Let’s Talk About It: The Teen’s Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human.”
“I believe that everyone should have the freedom and right to information and knowledge as they see fit, and should not make that decision for other people,” Steinmetz said.
Maureen Houck, who has worked as a reference librarian for 14 years, said her parents never censored what she was allowed to read as a child, so now she’s implemented that same practice with her two young children who are ages 4 and 7.
As a child, Houck said one of her favorite books, which she had no idea was challenged at the time, was Roald Dahl’s “The Witches.”
“It hasn’t been on a list for a while now, but it was on a list when I was younger,” Houck explained. “It is one of my favorite books because of the memories I have with it, especially of my mom reading it to me. It is a great book. It’s a little scary and exciting. My mom died in 2021, and one of my favorite memories is her reading that book.”
Houck has read “The Witches” to her own kids, however, their current favorite banned books come from the “Captain Underpants” series by Dav Pilkey. “Captain Underpants” is often challenged because of the “bathroom humor” the children’s novels feature.
That humor is also what makes them popular with their target audience.
While many of the parents who challenge books do so because of the influence the characters might have on their children, Houck said she sees reading as a way for her children to learn without having to live the same experiences.
“I’d rather have my kids learn from the mistakes of characters in a book than make those mistakes themselves,” she explained. “The only limitations on my kids for books is their reading ability. As a parent, I want them to be exposed to different viewpoints and have a good knowledge of a subject so they’re able to make good choices. The best way to do that is learning about it and learning the different sides of it.”
Outside of children’s books, one of Houck’s favorite banned books she’s read recently is “Lawn Boy” by Jonathan Evison, which has graced the challenged list on numerous occasions.
“Lawn Boy” is one of several titles challenged in recent years because of LGBTQ+ content.
“It’s about a younger guy who is trying to make it on his own in the world,” Houck explained. “He lives at home with his mom and his disabled brother, and he’s very much into lawn care. It’s a great story about overcoming obstacles, making your way in the world and realizing who you are.”
“Lawn Boy” made it on the challenged list because of a flashback scene of a sexual nature between the protagonist and another boy his age.
“When it comes to people who are objecting about that sex scene between the main character and another kid, those kinds of things do happen in the real world,” Houck said. “There are going to be people who read it and can relate to it.”
“Lawn Boy” is one of several LGBTQ2SIA+ books being challenged on a regular basis, but Houck argues that access to these stories is important because they offer perspective for those who don’t identify as part of the queer community, and they also normalize stories of those who do.
“There are plenty of LGBTQ+ people in this community, and everybody should be able to go into a library or a bookstore and pick up a book and feel like they can relate,” Houck explained. “It can be damaging to not be able to find yourself in a book.”
Windows and mirrors
Soshanna “Sho” Roberts grew up in a small town of 1,000 people in Southern Minnesota. For her, books were the only way to see the world.
“We didn’t travel, so books were how I learned about historical events and different people,” she said. “It is one of those things where you don’t know what you are missing until you begin to read.”
She spent hours upon hours at the local library, reading all sorts of books. It was a passion that stuck, that book worm later became a bookstore owner — Maggie Mae’s Bookshop, 50 N.W. First St., in Downtown Gresham.
“Books are how we learn about ourselves, culture, empathy,” Roberts said.
As a kid, the idea of banned books was never on her radar.
“It wasn’t really talked about when I was younger,” she said. “A lot of banning seems to come from grownups — that idea of, ‘This offends me, so nobody should have access to it.’”
“Books are windows and mirrors — you can see the world and yourself,” she added.
Some of the common books that come under fire raises her eyebrow. “The Diary of Anne Frank” is challenged, as is “Captain Underpants,” for that potty humor.
“(Captain Underpants) is one of those books that get so many kids interested and excited about reading,” Roberts said. “It is funny, has so many pictures, and has phonetically-spelled words that help new readers sound things out.”
Roberts has other books on the list she enjoys: “Melissa” by Alex Gino; “Heartstopper” a graphic novel written and illustrated by Alice Oseman; “Ban this Book,” by Alan Gratz.
“That last one is a kids book about a young girl who starts a secret book library out of her locker,” Roberts said. “I think grownups should continue to read kids’ books, because you can learn and remember what it was like being young.”
Often the attempt to ban books has the opposite effect, much like that young girl in “Ban this Book.”
The most-challenged books tend to get spikes in readership, something Maggie Mae’s is going to take advantage of with a banned books display, featuring some of the team’s favorite titles with placards explaining why some find them challenging. They also are selling banned books tote bags.