MorguninApr 24, 2023

According to the current list of #bannedbooks as collected by #PEN, the Frisco Independent School District in #Texas has apparently banned #TheLordOfTheRings and #TheHobbit by #JRRTolkien.

It’s a mind boggling assembly of works and authors on this list. Aside from brilliant fiction like Tolkien and @neilhimself, the list includes names like #StephenHawking or #MartinLutherKingJr.

Truly, the list is an astonishing monument to willful ignorance, perfidy and malice.

https://pen.org/index-of-school-book-bans-2022/

Banned Book List: 1,648 Books in 2021-2022 - PEN America

PEN America's fall 2022 Index of Banned Books found 1,477 instances of individual books banned, affecting 874 unique titles. This searchable banned book list includes each documented book ban in the first half of the 2022-23 school year.

PEN America
Show threadAndyWApr 25, 2023
@Morgunin @neilhimself Well to be fair, Tolkien probably should be banned because he's pretty Eurocentric and patriarchal. 😉
Show threadTwigletMay 5, 2023

@andyw350 @Morgunin @neilhimself that is a slippery slope that will have us banning the likes of the Brontes, Shakespeare and beowulf.

Leaving aside material that glorifies acts that are criminally immoral, I'm inclined to think people (especially children) should have the opportunity to read widely, especially in schools where they have the opportunity to debate and discuss what it all means.

Show threadAndyWMay 9, 2023
@Twiglet @Morgunin @neilhimself I was trying to make a joke, but guess it was a fail.
Show threadTwiglet

@andyw350 @Morgunin @neilhimself ah. I think I am a bit sensitive when it comes to freedom of artistic expression.

I see now the wink on the emoji.

May 9, 2023 at 5:25amWeb