Reading between the lines

In 1969, American writer and poet Maya Angelou published her first book, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” The book, an autobiography, is an evocative true story of the sexual violence she endured as a child. By 1983, the book was banned for the first time—by the Alabama State Textbook Committee, who deemed the book unusable because it “preaches bitterness and hatred against whites.”

Over the next 30 years, the book was banned in state after state, from Maine to Texas, for reason after reason, but mostly because of a vividly written rape scene, something Angelou suffered at 8 years old, and went on to write about in poignant, heart-wrenching detail.

“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” is one of five titles the Center Moriches Library’s teen department put on display in honor of Banned Books Week, which took place from Sept. 26 to Oct. 2. This year’s theme was “Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us.”

“During Banned Books Week, we like to highlight some of the many books that have been challenged or banned over the years,” said Jessica Ceramello, head of teen services, Center Moriches Library.

The five books on display were chosen because they’re some of the most challenged teen books on the banned books list. Along with seeing the actual books, teens were told why the books were banned; plus, teens who read or reviewed any of the banned books were given community service credits.

The books on display included: “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie, “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson, “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You” by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou, and “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas.

Of those books, “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You” is the most recent. The book, a New York Times No. 1 bestseller, was first published in 2020. It explores racism in the United States, beginning with the history of racism and how racism became a part of U.S. society. And that topic is why the book became banned nearly immediately after being published. According to the Banned and Challenged Books website for the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom, the book was banned for its messages about racism; it remained one of the topmost challenged books in 2020.

The Banned and Challenged Books website gave this as the reason the book was banned: “Banned and challenged because of the author’s public statements, and because of claims that the book contains ‘selective storytelling incidents’ and does not encompass racism against all people.”

Another book that got banned right after being published was Mark Twain’s American classic, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” The book was published in February of 1885 and by March, it was banned for the first time—it would go on to be banned many more times. The group of public officials in Concord, Mass., who first banned the book said it was “trash” and it contained “coarse language.”

“Most of the time, books are banned by religious entities and parent/teacher organizations who contest the content to school districts,” said Ceramello.

Over the years, people and organizations have banned various titles. The reasons books get banned touch upon themes like sexuality and religion—the things people disagree on and want to censor.

“There have been many books banned throughout history for a variety of reasons, such as LGBTQ+ themes, witchcraft, occult practices, profanity, sexual content, just to name a few.  For example, the ‘Harry Potter’ series has been banned consistently throughout its publication history for mostly religious reasons pertaining to the main characters practicing ‘witchcraft’,” said Ceramello.

Ceramello said the importance of showing teens the books on the banned list is to show them how much censorship changes over the years. It’s also to “show our teens how pervasive censorship is in our society.”

“I believe they have the right to have access to any information they may need or want,” she said of a teen’s choice to read what they want.

For Marcie Litjens, library director, Center Moriches Library, unveiling banned books is about the reader seeing for themselves and making their own decisions, rather than having others decide for them.

“The library advocates for intellectual freedom. Reviewing a banned book allows the reader to have the opportunity to investigate and form their own opinions, and determine whether or not they feel the material is suitable for themselves,” she continued. “Reading a banned book is more than agreeing or disagreeing on the subject; it encourages examining the viewpoints of others and develops critical-thinking skills that aid in decision-making.”

Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” is on the list of books that have been banned. Angelou is an American poet and civil-rights activist. On Jan. 20, 1993, she performed at the inauguration of former U.S. President Bill Clinton, reading an original poem, “On the Pulse of Morning.”

Center Moriches Library’s teen department highlighted several banned books, including “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie. The library put five titles on display and invited teens to review them in order to receive community service credits.