International Banned Books
United States is not the only place where books are banned. Unfortunately this is a a worldwide phenomena. The reason for banning books are complex but there is one common element, the aim to silence speech at any cost. Adolf Hitler's Nazi burned thousands of books that contradict their politics. Writers around the worlds have been arrested, exiled or murder for their writing and their books banned or destroyed by governments afraid of the impact of their words in their country. The reasons to ban books don't need to be logical either. Some governments banned books from schools and libraries just because they feel that students shouldn't be exposed to harsh realities, or harsh words--even though they are making these decisions not based on reading the books but hearsay and political agendas.
Following are some examples of books banned around the world through time and space. Most of them are available in our libraries in English translation, so we invite you to check them out when you can and make your own decisions.
Books banned around the World
Allah, Liberty and Love by ISBN: 1451645201Publication Date: 2011-06-14Banned (2012) because officials in Malaysia said it went against Islamic teachings and led to a raid on a bookstore in the country. Activists and others said they believe Manji’s book was banned because she is a lesbian.
Open Veins of Latin America by Call Number: HC125 .G25313ISBN: 0853459916Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano's famous political and economic history of Latin America was banned during the 1970s by the three most infamous military dictatorships in South America: Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. He was also exiled from his country while the junta was in power.
Satanic Verses by Call Number: PR6068.U757 S27385 1997ISBN: 0812976711This book was banned even before was published in India and later on the Ayatollah Khomeini from Iran, issued a fatwa giving permission to all Muslim to kill Rushdie for what they considered a blasphemous book and an attack the Muslim fate. Rushie went underground for over 10 years to protect himself against assassination attempts. Even though Rushie is not actively persecuted anymore, he still is wary against possible attempts of assassinations in the future.
Cortijo's Wake / El entierro de Cortijo by Call Number: ML410.C8245 R613 2004ISBN: 0822332167Edgardo Rodríguez Juliá’s vivid description of the funeral of legendary Puerto Rican musician Rafael Cortijo. It was banned by the Department of Education of Puerto Rico, because of "coarse" language.
Fighting for Books: Censorship in Anime & Manga
Check out Toshokan Sensō (Library Wars), both a manga (Japanese comic books) and an anime (Japanese animation), based on the light novels of Hiro Arikawa. In this story, librarians are not only good with a sharp word but also with automatic weapons, all to protect the right to read and fight against censorship.
Resources Online on International Banned Book Week
- Banned Books by CountryWikipedia has a good article showing what books have been banned by governments in different countries.
