‘Serve time' with a book that would have been banned
A book or three at the Yuma County Public Library might be sexually explicit or at least frank, violent, a peek at the occult or full of words you can't say on TV.
Or at least, that's open to interpretation. And some people interpret it so strongly that they want to have these books removed from shelves.
Next week is Banned Books Week, and you can “celebrate” by reading books some people would rather not be read. Last year, that included 20th-century classics, a children's book that explains pregnancy and birth, and popular contemporary series for teens and tweens.
Banned Books Week doesn't celebrate restrictions, attempted or successful, on books. Rather, it's a spotlight on the books that have been at the center of controversy and an invitation to see those books for yourself. In Yuma, it's made festive by the installation of a “jail cell” — a 5x5x6-foot cage made out of PVC pipe — at the Yuma Main Library.
“We look at it as freedom to read,” said Sarah Wisdom, community relations manager for the Yuma County Library District. “The great thing about democracy is you can decide for yourself.”
Starting on Monday, get comfortable inside this cell and pick books like “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Brave New World” or the “The Hunger Games” off the “evidence cart.” The cell is available at the library, 2951 S. 21st Drive, for half-hour intervals during the library's regular hours. People who want to “do time in the slammer” will need to sign up first.
Wisdom said Banned Books Week is a conversation starter. People are surprised to see that books are still being challenged, or they find their favorites on the list.
“We have some terrific conversations during Banned Books Week.”
Wisdom said challenges here — which follow a formal process that includes submitting a form, a review by library staff and a decision by the library board of trustees — are uncommon.
Locally, two books have been challenged this year: “In Our Mothers' House” by Patricia Polacco, a children's book about a family with two lesbian mothers and three adopted multiracial children, and “50 Shades of Grey” by E.L. James, an erotic novel that has rocketed into popular culture.
Wisdom said in her 10 years with the library, no books have been banned, although some have been moved from the youth to adult section — which is all some people want sometimes.
10 Most Challenged Books of 2011
1. ttyl, ttfn, l8r, g8r (series), by Lauren Myracle
Reasons: offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
2. The Color of Earth (series), by Kim Dong Hwa
Reasons: nudity, sex education, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
3. The Hunger Games trilogy, by Suzanne Collins
Reasons: anti-ethnic, anti-family, insensitivity, offensive language, occult/satanic, violence
4. My Mom's Having A Baby! A Kid's Month-by-Month Guide to Pregnancy, by Dori Hillestad Butler
Reasons: nudity, sex education, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
5. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: offensive language, racism, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
6. Alice (series), by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Reasons: nudity, offensive language, religious viewpoint
7. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
Reasons: insensitivity, nudity, racism, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit
8. What My Mother Doesn't Know, by Sonya Sones
Reasons: nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit
9. Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily Von Ziegesar
Reasons: drugs, offensive language, sexually explicit
10. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
Reasons: offensive language, racism
— American Library Association Office of Intellectual Freedom
