Stephanie's comments (member since Mar 30, 2008)

Stephanie's comments from the Banned Books group.

I haven't read the book myself, but I've heard about it.

For me, if it's based on a true story, then make of it what you will, but it's not like the authors trying to send out scary, bad messages or anything. They're just saying what happened.

It's crazy, the reasons people try to ban books. And the story sounds so sweet. I'll have to make a trip to the picture book section of the library and get it out.

Have a stupendous day.

That librarian's amazing. I mean, seriously, standing up to her like that. Way to go!

But I get scared when I think that if Sarah Palin is in the White House, she controls the country, not just her small Alaska town, so what if he tries to do that on a large scale? What if she tries to ban books nationwide? That would be so bad - I can't express it in words.

...scary thoughts...

Anyway, have a magnificent day.

It's like the abridgers (for lack of a better word) undersestimate how many people would love to read the whole book. They think they're doing us a favor by shortening the books, so we can still enjoy them, without having to read as much.

I take it somewhat as an insult because, I mean, hey, I love to read, and I can read. I feel like abridging books, besides going against an author's rights (which I'm not sure it does techinally, but in my mind it totally does...) it makes me feel like they think we're illiterate or something. Or, you know, just plain stupid.

I apologoze. That was a bit of a rant...

Goodday, all!

That is so cool. *Build a library, not a bonfire* - I love that. It is amazing how stupid some of the reasons are. I heard of a picture book in which everyone was portrayed as animals that was banned because the police were pigs. Yeah, pretty sad. And since when was the giving tree sexist?

Sleeping Beauty? Really? I have to say, that rather surprises me. Or are we not talking of the Disney version?

I hate to say I've only read two or three of the books on the list, but there are many on that list that float around in the back of my head as books to look for sometime when I'm in the library or a bookstore.

And I am very upset with our narrow-minded world.

Sean: I'm pretty certain the the Barnes & Noble Classics (including The Counte Of Monte Cristo) are abridged. They just don't say so on the cover. It's on the title page.

Sometimes it reminds me of ads for alcohol, where they put the percentage of alcohol in tiny letters that blend in with the background. I have an abridged book that I didn't know was abridged until a friend pointed it out. It said "Abridged Copy" in the tiniest letters in a ghostly white color on the bottom edge of the cover and no where else. It's as if the book is ashamed and trying to hide the sad truth of its abridgment.

I'm aware that abridging a book and banning a book are two different things, but my mind puts them right next to each other.

To me it seems that abridging a book is another way to keep someone from reading a book, or at least parts of it. One could argue abridging hurts more than banning. If it's banned, everybody reads it. If it's abridged, everybody reads the abridged copy instead of the original.

Does anyone else feel like more abridged books are creeping onto shelves, replacing originals?

For example, I've been looking for an unabridged copy of the Count of Monte Cristo in libraries and bookstores I go to for a while, but I've succumbed and I'm reading the abridged copy right now.

I feel like abridgment (not sure if that's a word) is hurting the literary world, and I was wondering if anyone agreed with me.

I would suggest that your class of fourteen-year-olds read Places I Never Meant To Be: Original Stories By Censored Authors.

The stories in that book mostly don't fit the mold (as far as I remember) and the author writes a page or two about what they think of censorship after their story. There is also a very helpful intro by Judy Blume explaining censorship, which was what opened my eyes to the world of challenging and banning books.

That was a great poem, for lack of something better to say. It was beautiful and true.

If I were a published author (but I'd rather say when become a published author) I would be proud that my book had been great and powerful enough to stir feelings, but I would be angry at the banning itself. I would be upset that I wouldn't be able to reach those people, too.