Book bans never say die

From Interzone to Atlantis

Author of Naked Lunch, perhaps the last great banned book, William S. Burroughs shifted in a matter of decades from drugged-up obscurity, through counter-cultural iconicity, to outmoded cliché—that he should become the object of an exhibition at this country's most prestigious artistic institution, sponsored by a multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical company, is only the logical extension of an assimilative process that began with his induction into the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1983. Reviewing the RA exhibition on The Guardian's art blog, Jonathan Jones refers to Burroughs as '[t]he most overrated cultural icon of the late 20th century' and is not far off the mark.

And yet, there's a difference—a crucial one—between being an overrated cultural icon and an overrated writer. Jones disregards this, moving from a lazy comparison with Pynchon (junkie and paranoiac are far from interchangeable) to a general denunciation of Burroughs's work, but the distinction needs to be maintained. 'Burroughs is', according to Jones's sneering assessment, 'the modern writer adored by people who don't read enough modern writing'—an overcharged druggie stereotype, shooting smack and wives with equal abandon. A tendency to pop up in his own work certainly doesn't help matters—as Will Self puts it, 'there was never a writer like Bill Burroughs for self-mythologizing ...'

But what Jones seems to forget is the sheer visceral texture of Burroughs's junk-obsession. The whole point of his straight-dope grotesquerie is that it isn't some glamourized image: 'Since Naked Lunch treats this health problem [i.e. the problem of drug addiction], it is necessarily brutal, obscene and disgusting. Sickness is often repulsive details not for weak stomachs.' Burroughs's work points directly to a real critique of 'the pyramid of junk' which succumbs neither to government-sponsored anti-drug hysteria nor to the laminated heroin chic of the international catwalk. Years before postmodern theorists of destabilization and fragmentation appeared on the scene, Bill Burroughs was literally cutting up his manuscripts, splicing in newspaper clippings and extracts from his 'Word Hoard' in a deliberate blurring of text and context.


Good reading in Jan.: laughter, banned books

Some of her other enchanting titles are “Mama Get The Hammer There's A Fly On Papa's Head” and “Plant a Geranium in your Cranium,” which was written after she was diagnosed with brain cancer. However, my favorite book of Barbara's is “Living Somewhere Between Estrogen and Death.” The title says it all.

Barbara and Erma are no longer with us. These women wrote about the problems in their lives and found humor in their devastating situations. They left us with words that inspire us to find joy and laughter through the difficulties of life.

It is January. The sun isn't always shining, our noses are running and we seem to be skating down the sidewalk. If you have the January blahs, pick up one of these books or books by another author that will leave you rolling off of your bed or couch in laughter. If you are not a reader, find a book of cartoons that will leave you rolling off of your bed or couch in laughter.

Of course I could steer you to a few banned books. Don't gasp. Don't you want to read that which is banned? Of course you do. Just because curiosity killed the cat doesn't mean it will kill you. I have read many banned books in my time. Of course at the time I read them they were not banned, they were required reading for a class.

I have read “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.” I have read “Catcher in the Rye.” I have read “Little House on the Prairie.” Yes, even “Little House on the Prairie” was banned in some school systems because of content. There is actually a Web site titled, The Forbidden Library: Banned and Challenged Books, where you can buy these books. Of course, you can buy them anywhere but this Web site points out that they have been banned and challenged by some institution, which makes them much more enticing.

I recommend the book that recently made headlines in Ankeny, Iowa. The book is called “And Tango Makes Three.” It is a children's book that some parents are trying to ban from the Ankeny school library.

This is Wikipedia's description of the book: “The book is based on the true story of Roy and Silo, two male Chinstrap Penguins in New York's Central Park Zoo who for six years formed a couple. The book follows part of this time in the penguins' lives. This book aims to send the reader the message that it is okay to be in, or know someone who has, a 'non-traditional' family.

“The pair was observed trying to hatch a rock that resembled an egg. When zookeepers realized that Roy and Silo were both male, it occurred to them to give them the second egg of a mixed-sex penguin couple, a couple which had previously been unable to successfully hatch two eggs at once. Roy and Silo hatched and raised the healthy young chick, a female named 'Tango' by keepers, together as a family.”


Bunny Suicides Beats Ban and Burning

Stepping up beside the likes of Voltaire's Candide and Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, Andy Riley's 2003 The Book of Bunny Suicides (Plume) has narrowly avoided being banned at a Portland, Oregon school. From Oregon's Fox12:

"The Book of Bunny Suicides," by British humorist Andy Riley, follows 100 rabbits as they search for new ways to commit suicide. It has been the focus point of a long-running debate among the school board members since October, when parent Taffey Anderson threatened to burn the book after her 13-year-old son brought it home from school.

Back in 2003 The Book of Bunny Suicides was one of those books that made it into the January Magazine stacks, but didn't make the cut for review. And why? Well, certainly not because we didn't want you to know about it. Honestly: the book just seemed too stupid to bother with. The kind of book -- hmmmm -- a 13-year-old boy might think was deeply funny.


Beulah school board to meet on banned book tonight

The Beulah School Board will hold a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. tonight at the board room in the high school to discuss last week's decision to ban a book from the high school library.

Board chairman Phil Eastgate said the book removal will be the only item on the agenda.

The board voted 4-3 Thursday to remove the book "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" from the school library.

The board was acting on a request and appeal made by Keith Bohn, a Beulah High School teacher, and Kathy Bohn, a school librarian, after their son brought the book home as part of accelerated reading program.

The Bohns said the book was unsuitably pornographic for a school library.


Newman trustees defer decision on banned book

After 70 people packed the Newman-Crows Landing Unified School District meeting Monday to hear discussions about a banned book, trustees said they will decide next week whether to return it to the curriculum.

All but one speaker defended "Bless Me, Ultima," a book by Rudolfo Anaya about a Latino boy reconciling his thoughts about American Indian religious traditions and Roman Catholicism. Critics say it's anti-Catholic.

Tony Spears, president of the local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said "I can't think of a book, I can't think of a newspaper article that's not offensive to some people."

In October, Superintendent Rick Fauss banned the book at Orestimba High School without reading it after one parent complained.