Reference Reviews

Doug’s Student Reference Room

Book Banning, edited by Ronnie D. Lankford. 116 p. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2008. ISBN 13: 978-0-7377-3784-0. ISBN 10: 0-7377-3784-4. $21.20.

Of the many reading promotions the American Library Association supports every year, Banned Books Week is one of my favorites. The freedom to read is a fundamental value of the library profession; in addition, displays of books that have been challenged or removed from school libraries or classrooms unfailingly attract questions, conversations about the first amendment and curiosity about why particular books like the Harry Potter series or Of Mice and Men might be deemed unfit for adolescents. The happy result? More students read, question and make up their own minds. Book Banning is a wonderful new resource to add to such displays. Part of Greenhaven Press’ At Issue series, this collection includes sixteen brief essays that explore the wide scope of book banning. The introduction and the first chapter provide legal and historical background for the subject, with an emphasis on the supreme court’s 1982 Pico decision setting limits on book banning in school libraries. Subsequent essays argue for or against book banning, highlighting the tension between those who see a need to protect young people from certain ideas or messages and those who see book banning as an abridgment of fundamental rights. A useful overview of how teachers can prepare for book challenges is included, as are contact information for related organizations, a brief biography of suggested reading and an index. Highly recommended for middle school, high school and public libraries.
—Doug Achterman