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Have you ever been captivated by the words of a book? Lost in a world created or reflected by the mind of an author? Has a book ever challenged your ideology?

A challenged book is one that has faced a great deal of discourse or received a proposition for a ban. A banned book is one that is made unavailable in libraries or stores including public libraries, school libraries, regions and sometimes even nations.

Banned Books Week 2021 was Sept. 26 Oct. 2. According to the American Library Association, Banned Books Weekis an annual event celebrating the freedom to read.

In honor of Banned Book Week 2021, the David L. Rice Library staff created displays featuring and providing infographics on banned books.

Marna Hostetler, director of David L. Rice Library, said Banned Books Week is an opportunity for authors, librarians, publishers and book lovers to unite over a common cause the freedom to read.

The most common reason for banned books today, according to the American Library Association, is the inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters and issues, alongside religious values, sexual themes, racial issues, profanity and stories being deemed inappropriate for their intended age group.

Recently, several authors of beloved books have rightfully faced criticism for insensitive remarks. This has led to question whether or not books can stand alone from their authors, or if a book with a morally wrong perspective can be appreciated for its literature without condoning its content in the modern world.

In my opinion, there are little to no books that deserve to be banned.

There are no doubt books with vile, condemnable content but simply censoring or banning them ignores the issue rather than addresses it. We can use controversial literature to better understand the past and challenging, uncomfortable ideas without the danger of bringing them into the real world.

Because book banning is a modern issue, I reviewed eight banned books to show how literature of all types is censored like classic literature. Reasons for these bans are in accordance with the American Library Association.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Reason for ban: LGBTQ+ characters, sexual content, drug and alcohol abuse, abusiverelationships, abortion, suicidal themes, sexual abuse, bullying.

Synopsis: The Perks of Being a Wallflower is told through a series of letters written byCharlie, a high school freshman who is struggling to find his place in his school and the world. To cope with his familial issues and mental health, the aspiring writer Charlie, who aspires to be a writer, writes about the upperclassman known as wallflowers who teach him about the nature of the human mind and heart.

Despite the very emotionally troubling topics the book covers such as suicidal ideation and abuse, the book was strangely most widely banned across high schools for having a homosexual character. Its a perfect example of the dangers of censoring important issues rather than addressing them.

It is important that we have conversations about the topics in the novel rather than ignoring them. This book has been a favorite of mine for many years, and I would recommend it to anyone who knows what its like to feel out of place in the world.

And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson

Reasons for ban: features a same-sex penguin couple.

Synopsis: This sweet childrens book follows two penguins, Roy and Silo, who couple up anddo everything together. One day, a zookeeper notices that another penguin couple were unable to take care of their egg, and so he gives it to Silo and Roy. The egg hatches into baby Tango, and together the three become a family. The picture book is based on a true story of two male penguins from the Central Park Zoo.

Obviously as the only picture book on this list, I doubt many college students would be interested in reading it for leisure. However, this book is important to put on the radar for potential elementary education teachers who wish to include diverse, quality childrens literature in their classrooms.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Reasons for Ban: profanity, being anti-police, racial sensitivity

Synopsis: Starr lives between two worlds: the impoverished mostly black neighborhood ofGarden heights and the rich white population of her private school. Thus, Starr has two identities. Her worlds shatter when her friend is killed unjustly by a cop. Starr can no longer pretend to be somebody shes not.

The Hate U Give released in 2017 is the winner of the Coretta Scott King and Carnegie book awards. It addresses relevant issues including police brutality and racial injustice in an understandable way. It is one of the more popular young adult books addressing serious issues, and one I think everyone can benefit from reading.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Reasons for ban: racism including racial slurs, strong language, violence

Synopsis: To Kill a Mockingbird follows a young family set in the Great Depression as theylearn empathy, humanity, and how to take a stand. While their father struggles to defenda black man accused of raping a white woman, Jem and Scout are fascinated by their reclusive, mysterious neighbor.

To Kill A Mockingbird is the winner of multiple prizes including the Pulitzer and has been a staple for classic American literature for decades. It is one of the most popular fictional narratives of what life was like in the segregated United States as well as the oppressive nature of the judicial system and society towards black Americans.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Reasons for ban: profanity, sexuality, religious conflict, political conflict, underage drinking, unsuited to age group

Synopsis: Arnold Spirit Jr. Has spent his entire life on the Spokane Indian Reservation,surrounded by the only culture and family hes ever known. Junior leaves the reservation school to follow his aspirations and desires to be a cartoonist at an all white school in a farm town. There, his efforts to fit in make an enormous impact on his peers and community.

I read this book many years ago on a whim and couldnt put it down. It is humorous and emotional all at once with characters anyone would grow to love. I personally am not familiar with many other books with a perspective on modern Native American life and feel that this book is worthy of a recommendation for that element alone. It has been in the top 5 of most challenged books for eight non-consecutive years.

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

Reasons for ban: negative family relationships, witchcraft, Satanism, occult, religious conflict, violence. Recently, the series was challenged in light of transphobic statements made by the author.

Synopsis: Harry Potter is a perfectly normal boy, living a miserable life with his aunt anduncle in a small respectable town in England. He has resigned himself to his aunt and uncles scorn and living in his cousins shadow forever until he is informed that he is actually a famous wizard. Potter is invited to attend a school that will allow him to learn magic.

Harry Potter has been controversial since its release in 1997 because of its depiction of a magical world. Despite the enormous protest that the book was met with, it has become a beloved part of popular culture and one of the largest franchises of its kind.

In addition, the Harry Potter series has fallen subject to modern day book burning due to the authors recent transphobic remarks. While I do not agree with supporting Rowling financially in light of her aggression towards the transgender community, the Harry Potter story lives in my heart.

George by Alex Gino

Reasons for ban: LGBTQ+ characters, LGBTQ+ themed childrens book

Synopsis: George features a fourth grade girl Melissa who was born a boy and known by thename George. Only Melissa knows of her true identity and is caught between the fear of being misunderstood and the desperation to be seen. A school play of Charlottes Web gives Melissa an idea for a plot to be seen by her school and community as the girl that she is.

This book is one of the most widely banned books in schools and has been at the top of the banned book list for several years. The writing style for George is simplistic, making it easier for younger children to understand but not so enthralling for adults. While I wouldnt recommend this book to any college peers, the story is important to share with children to allow them to understand and empathize with others or themselves.

The Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller

Reasons for ban: sexually explicit, vulgar language.

Synopsis: The Tropic of Cancer is a dramatized autobiography of Henry Millers life. He laments the struggles of being a writer in 1900s Paris. It follows narratives of Miller, aswell as his friends and colleagues, as they seek to find a place in the world and betterunderstand their passions.

Likely the least recognizable book on this list, the Tropic of Cancer stands out on lists of banned books as it caused a large-scale court proceeding, questioning what content America can label as obscene or pornographic. As a result, American censorship laws were challenged for years thereafter.

This story is definitely a tough read due to its explicit nature and extensive use of racial and sexist slurs, but if you can overlook those elements, Tropic of Cancer may be a worthwhile read if only for its historical significance.

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Banned Book Week highlights the dangers of censorship - Shield

The United States approach to handling COVID-19 is not balanced nor does it orient itself towards the patients best interest, since doctors have not been using available drugs to treat symptoms of the virus for patients at home and in hospitals.

Dr. Peter A. McCullough, a cardiologist, internist and epidemiologist, who has testified before Congress twice and gained national attention for his extensive work in treating COVID-19 patients, honored UD with a well-attended talk on Sept. 22. Dr. William Stigall, pediatrician and bioethicist at Cook Childrens Medical Center and UD adjunct professor of philosophy, offered a response to McCullough.

McCullough expressed concern about the lack of COVID-19 treatments, the potential risks of the new vaccines and the medical censorship and coercion.

McCullough called American doctors failure to treat symptoms of the virus therapeutic nihilism. McCullough has teamed up with other doctors to treat COVID-19 patients with a combination of drugs, including Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine.

The lack of objective clinical trials and lack of an external safety monitoring board for the COVID-19 vaccines constitute an unprecedented blunder in the medical field. McCullough explained, We always have external bodies as a mechanism of unbiased people because you can imagine how biased the CDC and the FDA [are] for a successful program just like the pharmaceutical companies.

The CDC and FDA are now recommending COVID-19 vaccines for the types of individuals who are always excluded from clinical trials, such as pregnant women.

This is concerning, especially for women of child-bearing potential. McCullough cited a Japanese study of the mRNA vaccines on rats which showed that lipid nanoparticles produced by the vaccine hyper-concentrate in the ovaries of animals, and likely in human ovaries as well.

We know the spike protein circulates in the body for two weeks after the first shot of messenger RNA. There have been no genotype studies, McCullough said.

We dont know if it changes genetic information in the human body. We dont know if it causes birth defects or cancer.

McCullough cited the CDC database, Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, VAERS, according to which there have been 14,506 vaccine-related deaths as of Sept. 9 and over 5,000 cases of Myocarditis, inflammation of the heart linked to COVID-19 vaccines.

These cases, most of them reported by doctors, have been investigated by the CDC and assigned permanent numbers in the database, McCullough said.

It is common knowledge that the new COVID-19 vaccines are dubitably effective in preventing variants of the virus, as evidenced by the Delta variant. Natural immunity is the best solution for containing COVID-19 for if vaccines still allow breakthrough cases, there is no other end in sight.

McCullough fears that medical censorship over anything contrary to the COVID-19 vaccine agenda is sucking the lifeblood of medical science.

He said, Were losing our medical freedom. Thats related to a circle of social freedom. When we break the circle of social freedom, thats related to the circle of economic freedom.

McCulloughs contract with the Baylor University Medical Center was terminated with no explanation given last January. McCullough had served as vice chief of internal medicine at Baylor University Medical Center for six years.

Despite a lawsuit from Texas healthcare giant Baylor Scott and White, aimed at preventing McCollough from associating himself with his former employer, McCullough continues to promote COVID-19 treatment and vaccine safety at great personal risk.

In response to McCullough, Stigall said,Dr. McCullough is on to something [but] theres a lot of complexity and nuance that needs to color these discussions.

According to Stigall, the COVID-19 vaccines must be safe since Pfizer is working with the FDA to design and test the vaccines.

Stigall compared the COVID-19 pandemic to the 1918 Spanish Flu, the deadliest pandemic in recent history, which killed 50 million people worldwide between 3%-5% of the worlds population and had a high mortality rate in healthy young people 20-40.

During the Spanish Flu pandemic, there was widespread medical failure in treating the disease and medical censorship of those who opposed the harmful treatments.

However, the real reason for pandemics, Stigall said, is spiritual. He said, The reason were in 1918 is because of those errors that were made in the 1500s. The reason those errors were made in the 1500s is Genesis chapters 1, 2 and 3.

While sin is truly the origin of our ills, God has given us means for treatment through the intellects of specialists like McCullough.

Charity and standard medical practice demand that no person dies on the altar of corporate interests and political correctness. If the vaccines, while failing to prevent the virus, cause many patients to die from side effects, our medical authorities and experts are failing us.

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Medical censorship and the COVID-19 vaccines - University of Dallas University News

A controversial bill that would allow parents to have online access to what their children are learning in public schools won passage on Wednesday in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

The bill, which if enacted would take effect starting next school year, would provide information about curriculum, including the academic standard to be achieved, instructional materials, course syllabus, and assessment techniques.

With its approval by the House on a 110-89 vote with all Democrats and three Republicans opposing, the bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.

The measures sponsor, Rep. Andrew Lewis, R-Dauphin County, said he seeks to standardize a practice already happening in some districts in the commonwealth that makes it easy for parents to annually review a schools curriculum materials, rather than having to visit a school or administrative building to see them.

The bill would apply to school districts, career and technical centers, charter schools and intermediate units.

It simply brings our state into the 21st Century by making sure that especially in an environment of remote learning, parents can access the information that theyre entitled to [by state law] online, Lewis said.

Pa. Rep. Andrew Lewis, R-Dauphin County, referred to his bill requiring the posting of curriculum materials online as bringing the state into the 21st Century but one critic called it "an invitation to censorship."Oct. 6, 2021Screenshot from Pa. House of Representatives website

Republicans have touted the bill as a tool for transparency. But critics said it placed an unnecessary burden on school officials and suggested hidden motives are at play in this measure.

This bill will drag education right into the middle of the culture wars, said Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Allegheny County, Your neighbor, her grandfather in Florida, your crazy uncle and his best friend in California can all weigh in on what the schools are teaching your child. Lets be clear.

Frankel said teachers are happy to share with parents what their children are supposed to learn and parents also could ask their children directly about it.

This bill isnt about transparency for parents, Frankel said. Its about bringing the fights that get started on Fox News to the kindergarten classroom near you. ... This legislation is an invitation to the book burners and anti-maskers to harass our schools and our teachers.

Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Philadelphia, picked up on that point, saying he sees it as having the potential to intensify threats and violence against teachers and school administrators already under fire over masking requirements and other matters.

It encourages certain factions in our country to be emboldened and to continue to spread lies about what is happening in our classrooms, Kenyatta said.

Rep. Aaron Bernstine, R-Butler County, countered those arguments, saying, There will be no lies because information will specifically be online so people can see it.

Referring to the bills critics, Bernstine said, Theres no reason to hide if theres nothing to be scared of.

Since broadband access is still limited in areas of the state, though, Rep. Mike Sturla, D-Lancaster County, said the only people who will be able to view the curriculum in those districts are those who are outside those areas. Secondly, he faulted the bill for failing to include private schools that receive public funding through various state programs.

This is a bad bill even if it did include those things, Sturla said. This is simply an attack on public education, plain and simple.

Lewis said the bill puts the responsibility for placing the curriculum and instructional materials online on the chief school administrator or a designee, not teachers. However, opponents argued teachers will be the ones who have to gather that information together and insisted it will be a burden for them.

The Pennsylvania School Boards Association and other public school advocacy organizations have opposed the bill.

This mandate would amount to a crushing level of work for educators at a time when they are navigating in-person instruction, addressing student learning delays, and meeting students needs during a global pandemic, said Rich Askey, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association. Its an absolutely unnecessary distraction from what is really important teaching kids.

Among other concerns, Askey and Rep. Mark Longietti, D-Mercer County, said the bill raises questions related to the posting of copy-written materials, quizzes and tests online.

Sharon Ward, senior policy advisor of the Education Law Center, agreed with opponents that the bill is burdensome and unnecessary.

We are also concerned that the bill invites censorship in the guise of transparency, Ward said.

The bill was amended on Tuesday to require schools to update curriculum information each time a new or revised curriculum is used within 30 days of its approval.

Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy.

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Pa. schools may be required to post their curriculum online. Is it about transparency or censorship? - PennLive

The recently proposed Conway School Board policy to silence parents is just another anti-American act of censorship from a cabal of out-of-control Conway school board members that include, Joe Lentini, Jessica Whitelaw, Joe Mosca, and Dr. Michelle Capozzoli. These people should never be elected again.

This same policy was rejected by the SAU 9 board recently. This is a very dangerous policy that sets the stage for further censorship from our locally elected officials.

In a lame excuse to defend the policy, Lentini stated that the meetings are contentious, and that people are not showing up. The real issue is that very few people previously attended and now this cabal does not want to take any criticism from an energized and passionate group of parents.

The Suns Sept. 30 article stated that Lentini helped craft the policy, which is highly doubtful and was allegedly borrowed from the New Hampshire School Board Association, a membership lobbying organization that rejects parents rights in favor of school boards.

Nevertheless, if Lentini did help craft this draconian censorship policy it was poorly written, where the proposed policy prohibits, obscene, libelous, and defamatory statements. If further allows the board chair to terminate the speakers privilege to speak based on the chairpersons definition of such.

Nonetheless, Lentinis proposed censorship policy is perplexing in that it prohibits libel, which according to Blacks Law Dictionary is a Defamatory statement published through any manner or media. Accordingly, my act of writing and publishing this letter could be considered defamatory and libelous according to Lentinis distorted assessment, and my and other constituents privilege to speak could be terminated.

This is a tyrannical rule organized by board chair Lentini who clearly stated on a public meeting online that he and others should not have to listen to parents. Lentinis hubris meter is now maxed-out at 100 percent, and it is unclear why he is still in this elected position when he doesnt want to hear from constituents.

Public officials cannot shield themselves from bona fide public criticism, no matter how hard they try, this has been upheld in the landmark New York Times v. Sullivan case. It is time for Lentini, Capozzoli, Mosca, and Whitelaw to take a refresher course in American Civics and First Amendment free speech.

Original post:
Kevin Clifford: School board silencing parents is just another act of censorship - Conway Daily Sun

New Delhi: In a bizarre development, Iran has banned TV makers from depicting women eating pizza on screen and men serving tea to women in workplaces.

As per IranWire report, women cannot be shown consuming any red-coloured beverages, sandwiches or pizza. Under new censorship guidelines, women on TV cannot be depicted wearing leather gloves either.

Moreover, images of men and women in domestic environments will first be specially reviewed by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) directors before they can be aired. Amir Hossein Shamshadi, the chief of public relations of IRIB, divulged that these new guidelines were imposed following a recent audit of the organization, IranWire reported.

To avoid facing backlash from the authorities in Tehran, some Iranian streaming sites will adhere to self censor.

These censorship rules could be seen taking effect after Iranian talk show Pishgoo avoided showing actress Elnaz Habibis face on camera in September. During the show, only her voice was heard which irked many viewers including veteran actor Amin Tarokh who took to Instagram to complain. "I wish the guest's name had been subtitled, at least. Because we didnt see her face at all, had the host not mentioned it [at the beginning], wed have no idea which artist was being talked about! What pleasure is derived from getting a close-up look at the creators of the program, and a far-off one at the guest, just because theyre a woman? Especially a lady like this whos very decent. All you get from the IRIB is a voice and no picture," the actor said.

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Women can`t eat pizza on TV, men barred from serving tea to ladies: Iran`s censorship rules leave citizens... - Zee News