The Parkersburg and Wood County Library is celebrating the American Library Association’s annual Banned Books Week!
This year you can come by our Emerson Avenue Branch to check out an interactive display, or attend the South Parkersburg Branch’s Read-A-Thon on September 23rd from 10am-8pm.
As you sit down to read or listen to your next book, take a minute to be thankful that you can read as you choose.
We thought it would be “fun” to show you some of the labels and insults people have applied to these books over the years in an attempt to control what other people may or may not read.
This is just the tip of the iceberg; thousands of books are banned or challenged every year in the United States in the present day.
“Unsuitable.” “Sexually explicit.” |
“Encourages disobedience.” |
“Anti-white.” “Excess vulgar language, sexual scenes, and centered around negative activity.” |
“Propoganda.” “Too sexual.” Declared ‘non-mailable’ by the U.S. Post Office in 1940 |
“Talks about parts of the body.” “Vulgar” “Offensive language.” “Sexual themes.” |
“References to ‘whores.'” Banned in 1972 by Ohio School Board. “Offensive humor and language.” |
“Profane.” “Vulgar language.” “Racially offensive.” |
“Appalling!” “Offensive.” “Sexually Explicit.” |
“This book is full of filth!” “Vulgar.” “Profane.” “Sexual references.” |
“The F-word is written 28 times, and the C-word makes one appearance. The S-word? 18 times!” “Expresses atheistic beliefs.” |
“Problem book.” “Encourages revolts.” “Indecent.” “Communist.” |
“Too radical.” “Socialist.” Burned by Nazis! |
“Vulgar.” “Scandalous.” “Inappropriate sexual references.” “Immoral.” |
“Alcohol usage.” “Vulgar.” “Sexual content.” “Immoral.” “Profane.” |
“Anti-Italian.” “Sex novel.” Burned by Nazis in 1933. |
“Profane and anti-Catholic.” “Many profane and obscene references, vulgar Spanish words, and glorifies witchcraft and death.” |
“Violence.” “Cursing.” “Negative view of religion.” “Underage sex.” |
“Blasphemous.” “Obscene.” “Dangerous to the morals of youth.” |
“Pornographic, offensive, and vulgar.” ~Charleston, WV, 2000. “Criticizes U.S. government policies.” “Encourages draft-dodging.” |
“Pornographic.” “Inappropriate for curriculum.” “Explicit.” |
“Sacrilegious.” “Heretic.” “The work of the devil.” Burned outside London in 1988. |
“Filthy, trashy sex novel!” “Offensive language.” “Unsuitable.” “Graphic.” |
“Completely sick.” “Garbage.” |
“Troubling ideas about race relations, man’s relationship to God, African history, and sexuality.” “Rough language.” “Explicit.” |
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“Coarse language and dialect.” “God’s name used in vain.” “Dangerous!” |
