The World’s Most Controversial Books, Past and Present
Do you think that books should be banned? Who should decide? Or…should readers themselves decide what they want to read? These questions have recently come to the forefront once again.
This book is fascinating. A perusal of its contents shows that book banning has been going on for centuries. It also informs the reader that books once banned are not banned for evermore.
For example, the first section of the book includes The Canterbury Tales, a title that is now often studied in schools and universities. Other examples of previously banned books include Frankenstein, Madame Bovary, Their Eyes Were Watching God, The Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird and in the 21st century, The Kite Runner and The Hate U Give. These are just a few of the many books included in this title.
The book begins with a short introduction. The perspective offered is that censorship is generally counterproductive and often controversial. Following this section each title is described and its history and reasons for censorship given.
Browsing through this book will be interesting as readers look at books that they have either read or not picked up. In the end, I think that it invites its readers to think and care about this important issue.
Many thanks to NetGalley and DK for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 30 August 2022
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 