Banned Books Week promotes respect for others

When Laureen Riedesel was standing in line at the latest Lord of the Rings movie, she struck up conversation with a mother and son in line.

“I bet you’re excited for the new Harry Potter,” she said to the son.

“Oh, we don’t allow those,” the mother responded. She didn’t think it was good to expose her child to witchcraft.

Riedesel, the Beatrice Public Library director, was slightly stunned. There the three of them were, standing in line for Lord of the Rings, a film and book filled with magic potions, wizards, dead kings haunted by a powerful ring and a big evil eye.

But the woman in line isn’t the only one who wants to censor what her children are reading.

That’s why National Banned Books Week, Sept. 27 through Oct. 4, promotes reading a banned, challenged or censored book.

Amy Miller, ACLU Nebraska legal director, thinks this is a week when Nebraskans should celebrate.

“We haven’t had any cases (of challenged books) in Nebraska in the last six years,” she said.

Miller said most often in Nebraska, when parents don’t approve of a book for their child, a compromise is easily met. The sense of community and connection in Nebraska seems stronger to Miller than that of large cities.

On the other hand, she doesn’t like that there are still books challenged nationwide.

“It makes me sad that others want to dictate what everyone sees,” she said.

As Riedesel walked around the library on Thursday, she showed several books from the library shelves that many parents prefer not be there.

“Some are Newberry Award winners,” she said, heading to the children’s section. “And that just gets me, they’re censoring some of the best kids books of all time.”

Riedesel said that these books are readily available at the library, but its a personal decision as to whether they’re read or not.

Of the American Library Association’s Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2007, several are children’s pictures books. A number of the books are censored because of controversial political or religious views.

One such book is “And Tango Makes Three” by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, which is available in the Beatrice Public Library. The book tells the tale of two male penguins, who are best friends, that take care of an egg that the zookeeper gives them. Together the two hatch the egg and raise the penguin chick named Tango.

Challengers of this book dislike the promotion of alternative lifestyles.

Other books that have been challenged several times because of the same theme are “Daddy’s Roommate” by Michael Willhoite and “Heather Has Two Mommies” by Leslea Newman.

While the Beatrice Public Library doesn’t have those, Riedesel said they can easily be available for anyone who wants them.

Riedesel said the library’s policy is to order any book that someone wants to read if it isn’t available. Typically, the only reason the library will reject a suggestion is if the cost is too high.

“If we don’t have it, it just means nobody’s asked for it,” Riedesel said.

Miller said these two books caused a lot of controversy in an Omaha public library. The books are available behind the counter for reading only if they are asked for. They sit behind the counter with Madonna’s book, “Sex.”

Another challenged book wasn’t available at the library simply because of it’s popularity.

“Where’s Waldo,” a children’s search and find book, was so popular at the library that it was in horrible condition and they had to get rid of it.

That same book is on the American Library Association’s list of the 100 Most Challenged Books of all time. One of the tiny people on a beach scene is lying facedown on a towel, but her top is unfastened while she sunbathes. Miller said this book was challenged because of the possibility that, had the woman turned over, she would have exposed herself.

Neither Miller or Riedesel feel that it’s their place to tell parents not to censor their children’s books. It’s everyone’s decision to make on their own.

Miller said she understands if parents want to make these decisions for their children. It’s the right of a parent to choose what is read and what is watched on television.

“Some people may not just want to close the book for their own children, but take it off the shelves for everyone,” she said.

She hopes people will make the decisions for themselves and their families, and not for the public as a whole.

“It’s a time to celebrate,” Miller said of Banned Books Week. “It’s a reminder that we need to try to get along and respect each others ideas.”