When Mrs. Edward Beecher reflected on writing to her sister-in-law, the seventh child of a Protestant preacher and the wife of a clergyman, upon the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, she said this to that sister-in-law's son, Charles Edward:

"I remember distinctly saying in one of [those letters], 'Now, Hattie, if I could use a pen as you can, I would write something that would make this whole nation feel what an accursed thing slavery is.' . . . When we lived in Boston your mother often visited us. . . . Several numbers of 'Uncle Tom's Cabin ' were written in your Uncle Edward's study at these times, and read to us from the manuscripts.'"

The sister was Harriet Beecher Stowe, the book was Uncle Tom's Cabin, and the serial novel began its 10-month run in National Era on this date in 1851.

I was doing research on an article I was going to write on banned books week, I thought a good place to find out why people hate Salinger, Steinbeck, Vonnegut and others would be to go to the source...Conservapedia...

More below the fold...

Tomorrow, September 29th, marks the beginning of Banned Books Week. This event, brought to you by the good people at the American Library Association, should be celebrated by everyone who believes in freedom of speech and democracy.

Currently, the most challenged book in the US seems to be "And Tango Makes Three", a childrens book about two male penguines who raise a baby penguin together. Yes, folks, that's the biggest issue we face today.

Here are a list of the most banned books of 2006! Do yourself a favour...read them! In fact, read anything you don't agree with this week. Something you hate or don't believe in. It will do you nothing but good!

While browsing the 'net for the latest headlines, I came across this article on Yahoo. Madeleine L'Engle, author of numerous books including the Newbery Medal winner A Wrinkle In Time and its sequels, has died today at the age of 88. Another sorrowful loss to the artistic world, especially following so closely on the heels of the death of Luciano Pavarotti.

Yes, book burnings sometimes happen in America.  Far more often, there are efforts to ban books from school and public libraries by various groups trying to suppress access to ideas of which they do not approve -- from Harry Potter to Huckleberry Finn.

Many of those responsible for efforts to ban books from schools and libraries are groups and individuals affiliated with the religious right, particularly in recent years as the American Family Association, among others, have whipped up-fears about Harry Potter books and films.

Fortunately, for more than 25 years, the American Library Association and the American Booksellers Foundation for Freedom of Expression, among others, have sponsored Banned Books Week to highlight the importance of the Freedom to Read. This year, Banned Books Week runs from September 29-Oct 6th.

Banned Books Week is coming - September 29 through October 6, 2007 - and even though that seems a long way off, it's never too early to read a good banned and/or challenged book.

NEW YORK — Inmates at the federal prison camp in Otisville, N.Y., were stunned by what they saw at the chapel library on Memorial Day _ hundreds of books had disappeared from the shelves.

The removal of the books is occurring nationwide, part of a long-delayed, post-Sept. 11 federal directive intended to prevent radical religious texts, specifically Islamic ones, from falling into the hands of violent inmates.

Three inmates at Otisville filed a lawsuit over the policy, ..."The set of books that have been taken out have been ones that we used to minister to new converts when they come in here," inmate John Okon, speaking on behalf of the prison's Christian population, told a judge last week.

Whenever I hear about a school district banning books, I always think it must be in some "red" area of the country. Not so this time. No, this time it's the Bay Area.....

Citing his concern for "the morals of our society," Burlingame schools Superintendent Sonny Da Marto has stopped four eighth-grade classes from reading "Kaffir Boy," an award-winning memoir of growing up in a South African ghetto during apartheid.

Da Marto had banned the book from the Burlingame Intermediate School late last month when the 13- and 14-year-old students were nearly halfway through it, said their English teacher, Amelia Ramos, who was required to take the books back from 116 students.

"The kids were angry," Ramos said. "They were frustrated. They were appalled. And some were so upset that they couldn't muster any type of verbal response. They were very quiet."

It seems in this case, it only took 2 families out of 116 & a scared Superintendent to have the book pulled without even a discussion.....

In yesterday's diary I pointed out that our country has made great strides from it's era of literary censorship, although one comment did bring up a very good point:  we are just 20 years removed from Edwin Meese's obsession with rooting out 'filth'.  In fact, one of the contributing members to the Meese Report was James Dobson.  While I believe that my commentor from yesterday had a good point, I would also like to point out that today's diary is about 'fight[ing] to preserve that [freedom of literary expression] freedom' (the concluding section of that sentence).

The title of that book struck me while I was looking through one of my family's many bookcases while I was looking for our copy of All the Kings Men.  It was completely out of place, and not even remotely close to the other language books, so naturally I did what any sensible person would do, I opened it.  And let me tell you that I am glad I did, because imagine my surprise when I found that the book was actually a copy of Tropic of Capricorn.  Albeit a hidden one.

"Why would a false book cover be on this book?" I asked myself, and it was at that moment that I began to do a tiny bit of research, both on the internet, and within my family.

Alton Verm filed a "Request for Reconsideration of Instructional Materials" Thursday with the district regarding "Fahrenheit 451," written by Ray Bradbury and published in 1953. He wants the district to remove the book from the curriculum.

continued...

"[I]t's not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will never be written. The books that will never be read. And all due to the fear of censorship. As always, young readers will be the real losers." -- Judy Blume

A change of pace from one of my normal diaries.

Harry Potter creator JK Rowling has been voted the author Americans most want to ban from libraries over fears that her books promote witchcraft.

The American Library Association (ALA), who compiled the list for their Banned Book Week, said there were more than 3,000 attempts to remove the books from libraries and schools between 2000 and 2005.

Now, it would be unfair to suggest our leaders would go to such lengths to tread upon democracy in the name of consolidating power or to suggest that our political leaders would lean on a publisher to influence the publication of information.

Banned Books Week emphasizes the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one's opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them.

This is not directly about the Mexican election, but it reminds us what is at stake. It also shows some disturbing mirroring of American political waves in Mexico.

Guanajuato substitutes middle school textbooks with study guides.

The textbooks are not linked with moral principle, said the Catholic Church.

 Sustituye Guanajuato libros de primero de secundaria con guías de estudio

Los textos están desvinculados de los principios morales, afirma la Iglesia católica

MARTIN DIEGO RODRIGUEZ Y JUAN CARLOS GARCIA PARTIDA CORRESPONSALES

http://www.jornada.unam.mx/...

1. The Communist Manifesto
2. Mein Kampf
3. Quotations from Chairman Mao
4. The Kinsey Report
5. Democracy and Education
6. Das Kapital
7. The Feminine Mystique
8. The Course of Positive Philosophy
9. Beyond Good and Evil
10.General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money

More below.