Most people think of poetry as sonnets and Shakespeare; as romance and respects. More often, poetry offers commentary on socio-political issues. That is how Ismail Kadaré found his works banned in Albania for several years. Kadaré, an Albanian novelist born January 28, 1936, skillfully used poetry and prose to criticize […]
What is a book burner to do when that pesky United States’ Constitution gets in the way of their censorship attempts? Get laws passed that circumvent them, of course. This week is a look at some of the legislation recently enacted to take away the freedoms granted to citizens of […]
Oklahoma lawmakers have decided to limit our educational choices. HB 1380 would eliminate funding for Advance Placement (AP) U.S. History. Politicians in the state say they want to ban AP U.S. History because they don’t agree with the content (the true facts and events of history are not fitting to […]
Henry Miller is one of the most important literary figures in American history, but most people don’t even know his name. His was a true underdog story: a creative and challenging author who influenced such literary and pop culture icons as Jack Kerouac, Norman Mailer, Phillip Roth, Paul Theroux, Erica […]
Aside from the complete lack of due process and blatant disregard for religious liberty, human rights and amnesty groups continue to be baffled by the random and apparently arbitrary reasoning behind what publications are and are not allowed to be read by detainees within the walls of the United States’ […]
It’s no secret that some serious and basic human rights are suspended, deferred, and outright denied for those caged at Guantánamo Bay, the United States’ military prison where it keeps its political prisoners. These violations also include the freedom to read. Clive Stafford Smith, the director of the charity Reprieve, […]
This column has discussed book after book that has been banned and/or challenged for various reasons. Most incidents are the result of ignorance and intolerance, others may even be innocently well-intentioned; but what happens when entire libraries are threatened in order to serve the arrogant hatred of racism from ignorant […]
The Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library knows a thing or two about the controversy surrounding censorship. Vonnegut has found his novels on the banned books list repeatedly and, last year, writer Corey Michael Dalton spent Banned Books Week imprisoned within a jail cell made out of banned books at the Library. […]
The freedom of speech comes at a very high price for those few who dare to engage in their constitutional right to use it. For Justin Carter it cost him 5 months of his life- and could still cost him at least 10 more years. Now, a teenage coffee shop […]
Most people have either had the experience or been witness to the self-censorship that comes from the fear of causing offense to someone; some others may feel that over-protectiveness denies people the opportunity to decide for themselves where the moral line is when it comes to artful expression. Most often, […]
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