Ursina's Shelf - Banned Books
Issue 39
Dear Newsletter Readers,
Today I would like to speak about banned books. A resurgence of recent decisions to ban books, take them off library shelves, and strike them from school curricula has necessitated a public discussion on banning books. As a firm believer in the importance of books, learning through storytelling, and the freedom of speech, I am firmly opposed to banning books, regardless of whether the motivations align with my political beliefs or not—and yes there are calls to ban books coming from across the entire political spectrum. I certainly believe, some books deserve a warning. For example, I am quite glad I knew about the subject of Nabokov’s Lolita before starting it (and not finishing it), but I value the freedom to read. I am just as shocked at the removal of classics such as Morrison’s The Bluest Eye or Atwood’s Handmaid’s Tale as more recent books about police violence against people of color, discrimination faced by LGBTQ community members, and other essential topics of our time. Thus, I would like to cover a few books that have been banned that I recently appreciated.
Banned books
The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman (published in serial issues 1980-1991)
Description: The author recounts his parents’ experience as Jews in Poland leading up to and during the Holocaust as told to him by his father. The medium is a black-and-white graphic novel in which all the Jews are depicted as mice, while the Nazis are drawn as cats.
My take: While a comic serialization may feel like a light-hearted approach to a subject, this could not be further from the truth with Maus. While the reader knows from the beginning that the author's parents survive the genocide (well, except that Spiegelman's mother later commits suicide), we get to see, read, and feel the emotions of that experience, including fear, the loss of disappearing friends and family members, the anxiety of hiding, and finally the deportation to Auschwitz and later Dachau. For anyone trying to look history straight in the face and confront the past, this is a must read.
Banned for: Curse words and nudity (and yes, we are speaking about nude mice here). See this New York Times article for more background.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (2017) (previously published in Issue 36)
Description: This fast-paced young adult novel centers around the experiences of a teenager who witnesses her best friend’s murder at the hands of a police officer. She is struggling with the aftermath of this event and to continue living in the diverse neighborhood where it took place, while attending a mostly white private school.
My take: Thomas is both a musician and an author. The lyricism of her writing pulled me in to this story that transformed my understanding of police violence, the fear of the police that people of color face, and the emotions that come along with it. I could not put this book down and felt I learned more from this emotionally intense storytelling than from the factual non-fiction books I have read about racism. I also loved discussing the book with my 16-year old cousin Basil, who also thought it was great.
Bonus tip: I do also recommend reading those non-fiction books, here some books that I shared in issue 31 earlier in the year as part of my journey to better understand and tackle racism.
Banned for: "pervasive vulgarity and racially insensitive language" which angers me, especially because I felt I gained a lot of understanding from this book and its characters' experience and emotions.
I call on you, dear readers, to keep your ears and eyes wide open, join the discussions, and throw your support behind these important topics and bold authors by giving banned books a try as they cover topics that are so worth our attention and discussion. To learn more about which books have been banned recently and historically, have a look at these articles in the Atlantic and Variety. I am personally excited to read Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi and Melissa (Formerly Published as George) by Alex Gino from these lists.
Currently reading: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, also a banned young adult novel that I am highly enjoying.
Thank you for reading this issue. Please forward this newsletter on and support the writers tackling these heart-breaking topics and necessary discussions. As always, please share any feedback and reading suggestions. Have a wonderful weekend.