“Each year, the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF), Chicago, Ill., receives hundreds of reports on book challenges, which are formal written requests to remove a book from a library or classroom because of an objection to the book’s content. There were 346 recorded attempts to remove materials from libraries in 2010, and more than 11,000 attempts recorded since OIF began compiling information on book challenges in 1990…” (USA Today, 2011, p.13)
Slaughterhouse Five is joined by ‘ttyl’ by Lauren Myracle – a book fully written in online chat lingo. The latter was facing immense pressure from conservative groups that belittle it for loose grammar and foul language. The Ponus Ridge Middle School Library in Norwalk, Connecticut, was the scene of censorship in this case. Again, in what must count as testimony to the power of collective public action, the school officials decided to keep the controversial novel for young adults in the library. Author Myracle’s defense of her project is equally applicable to the persistent onslaught on Slaughterhouse Five too: “Library collections should reflect the diverse viewpoints of our nation…we may not share the same viewpoints, but we cannot live in a free society and develop our own opinions if our right to access information freely is compromised.” (USA Today, 2011, p.13)
Works Cited
“Book Banning Reaching Fever Pitch.” USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education) Dec. 2011: 13.
Boston, Rob. “The Public School Bashers.” Church & State Oct. 1998: 4+.
“Missouri School District May Reconsider Vonnegut Book Ban after Protests.” Church & State Oct. 2011: 17.