Rowling, published the first in her series of seven harry potter books in june 1997, there has been controversy over whether the fantasy tales of a boy wizard encourages children to become involved in occultism and witchcraft. Places of censorship and challenging the harry potter. Harry potter used to be the number one banned book in schools, according to caldwellstone. Harry potter books banned from us school library because. Rowlings widely acclaimed book series harry potter attracted millions. Every year, the office for intellectual freedom oif compiles a list of the top 10 most challenged books in order to inform the public about censorship in libraries and schools. As the daily telegraph notes, the books were repeatedly banned by schools and targeted by churchsponsored book burnings between 1997 and 2007, when the.
A history of harry potter books being burned and j. Book censorship is the act of banning a publication in the form of a book resulting from content that is perceived to be objectionable, incendiary, illicit, or immoral by the presiding governmental body of a specific country or nation. Book censorship is the removal, suppression, or restricted circulation of literary, artistic, or educational materialof images, ideas, and informationon the grounds that these are morally or otherwise objectionable in the light of standards applied by the censor. The novels have encouraged children to read for entertainment instead of.
Facts you must know about book censorship censorship. Prior to 1999, most challenges had to do with sex, the human body or inappropriate language dunne, with most of the books themselves falling into the realistic fiction genre. Despite its widespread popularity, harry potter, according to the american library association, is now the most banned book in america. For rowling, like harry, has named hedwig after someone she found in a book. Harry potter and other books you didnt know faced censorship as. Best quotes from censored or banned dangerous books. As the principal explained it, the school knew they would get complaints about the books so they did not. Schools and classrooms across the united states, england, and other countries why. Boston, ma 2007 series removed from a catholic school when pastor of the school claimed that it was his job to protect the weak and the strong. List of books and articles about harry potter controversy. Judge orders harry potter back on arkansas shelves april 4 00 so surely the world wants to read the harry potter books, not ban them. Book banning gained new momentum as groups and individuals publicly imposed their punitive opinions against literature, especially fantasies such as the potter novels. Harry potter and the book banning campaign theleaky.
Still three months away from the scheduled release of the fifth in the bestselling series by j. It is a little meta moment the hero echoing the action of his author and it underlines from the very start that not only are books going to be important within the world of harry potter, but they were also crucial to the creation of that world. October 22, 1999 i happened to be in london last summer on the very day harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban, the third book in the wildly popular series by j. Jk rowlings harry potter series has been banned in many schools in the us and even in one uk school. This censorship has been led by various groups who have voiced concerns about the novels contents, particularly its recurrent themes of death and frequent use of witchcraft and sorcery. Reading and censorship of the harry potter novels j.
Pat peters in the twenty years since harry potter first arrived on the publishing scene, j. His many fans will likely mark the occasion by rereading a favorite harry potter novel or rewatching one of the blockbuster films. Schafer, author of harry and history, summarizes how these controversies stem forth and how she disagrees with the protests against the potter series. I think that its foolish and misguided to ban books. Rowlings harry potter books gave censorship a new target, but they also made reading fun again for everyone. The organization is now called kidspeak and helps kids fight against censorship and know their rights. Rowlings series of books about a boys experiences at wizardry boarding school top the list of most challenged books of 2000, as tracked by the american library associations office for intellectual freedom oif. On monday, june 26, 2017, harry james potter the worlds most famous wizard will celebrate his 20th birthday. The series is currently the target of many protestors, as they scrutinize and penalize the books for their creative and imaginative topics. The american library association condemns censorship and works to ensure free access to information. Over time, some books lose their opponentsthe harry potter series, for instance, were the mostchallenged books from 2000 to 2009, but have since fallen off the top 10 list. Everything from censorship to book burning, protesting and pulling theses books from school shelves, have been done to outlaw the potter series. The harry potter series was the most challenged book last decade.
Rowlings boy wizard series has faced more than its share of attempts to see the books limited, banned or even burned in case youve been hiding under a rock or sworn off reading since 1997, rowlings sevenbook series features harry potter, a boy who finds out he. The harry potter controversy has gone on, in one form or another, for years, particularly before the series ended. Supporters of the series have said that the magic in harry potter bears little resemblance to occultism, being more in the vein of fairy tales such as cinderella and snow white, or to the works of c. Harry potter and 20 years of controversy intellectual. Harry potter is now the most banned book in america, according to the american library association. Harry potter book from their school libraries without restriction. The harry potter books have drawn censure from christians ever since the first in the series, harry potter and the philosophers stone, was released in 1997. His many fans will likely mark the occasion by rereading a. The nature of book censorship varies greatly on both domestic and.
But while there are christians who decry the celebration of witchcraft, there are other christians who. Harry potter tops list of banned books the new york. Spoiler warning if you are easily offended stop watching this video now this is the sequel to harry potter and the sorcerers stone censored. The fourth book, harry potter and the goblet of fire, registers over 700 pages, yet became the fastestselling book of all time, with the largest printing ever harry potter. Harry potter books banned from catholic school because. Harry potter and the book banning campaign by rebecca beard this essay was sparked by recent press 1 surrounding the laura mallory controversy over campaigns to. Attempts at censorship show a distrust of students and their imaginations. What do harry potter, captain underpants and huck finn have in common. Book censorship, especially of harry potter, has been around for decades. Rowlings book series about the school years of a young magician fighting against the forces of dark magic, extremism and racism in the wizardry world has faced numerous calls for censorship from some christian. In fact, when the harry potter series first came out and was challenged so much, kids and other community members protested, and an organization called muggles for harry potter was founded to help fight against the challenges. The release of each harry potter book has been controversial, with. Books such as of mice and men by john steinbeck and slaughterhousefive by kurt vonnegut have been challenged or. The banning and censorship of harry potter 732 words.
I rushed to the bookstore to buy a copy, knowing this simple act would put me up there with the best grandmas in the world. In a more ironic vein, she joked about those who destroyed her books. The harry potter books have been banned from a catholic school in tennessee because the fictional magic within are actual curses and spells, according to a. In an interesting twist, the harry potter books changed the focus of book challenges in schools and public libraries. For example, in gwinnett county, georgia, a parent challenged the harry potter books on the grounds that they promoted witchcraft. Censorship was mostly dormant until the election of ronald reagan in 1980. Rowlings harry potter series, which have reached worldwide popularity have an effect on children has not been matched by any other book. Censorship of the harry potter book first amendment. The series has faced numerous calls for censorship from some christian religious. Venezuelan scholar fernando baez, in a study of the history of censorship and book destruction commented, there is more than one way to destroy a book, upon. Censoring harry potter books only makes him more popular. A collection of harry potter books are pictured at the home of caitlin moore in washington, dc. But while there are christians who decry the celebration of witchcraft.
Rowlings harry potter books are wonderful fantasy novels with powerful messages for kids and the ability to make even reluctant readers eager readers. Petersburg times, one elementary school will not stock two of the harry potter books by j. In a number of states, there have been attempts, some successful and some unsuccessful, to have the harry potter books banned in classrooms, and banned or under severe restrictions in school libraries. Places of censorship and challenging the harry potter witch hunt. Rowling, harry potter is back in the news and topping the charts. Reading and censorship of the harry potter novels essay. More than 10 million copies of the book have been printed in at least 55 languages. Books are often challenged for the language they contain, even though profanity is often used in literature to convey social or historical context, local dialect or simply to better depict reactions to reallife situations. A surprising range of childrens books have faced censorship even in the 21st century. November 15, 2016 by jacob lattie and steven aceto censorship of the wizarding world. Harry potter and the chamber of secrets censored youtube. These days, she said, books with lgbt themes are increasingly being targeted, both with. Yet the most impressive statistic might be that twothirds of american children have read the books harry potter.
Reading and censorship of the harry potter novels 123. Censors of the 1990s are concerned about the magical spells harry potter casts. In a different decade, harry potter might not have suffered from such a ludicrous backlash. Top 10 most challenged books lists advocacy, legislation. Supporters of the series have said that the magic in harry potter bears little resemblance to occultism, being. This article, therefore, uses its anniversary as a starting point to think about some of the influences of writing about literary censorship on harry potter. One of the most challenged books on record is the harry potter series, which topped the aggregated 20002009 ranking of the decade. Harry potter controversy about banning the books thoughtco. Additionally, students participating in a parade for book week were forbidden to dress as witches or warlocks zeeland, mi 2000. It is undeniable that themes of death and resurrection abound in the stories, as well as detailed depictions of potions and other hocus pocus. Book banning gained new momentum as groups and individuals publicly imposed their punitive opinions.
The banning and censorship of harry potter essay 737. Religious debates over the harry potter series of books by j. Harry potter and 20 years of controversy intellectual freedom blog. I was in a bestseller book store recently and was surprised to see a harry potter book behind a warning sign which read. A number of protestant, catholic, and orthodox christians have argued against the series, as have some shia and sunni muslims. The antipotter sermon was followed by a nighttime book burning. Rowling are based on claims that the novels contain occult or satanic subtexts. Rowling, is about a young boy who finds out he is a wizard and uses his magic powers to vanquish evil. Since colonial times, adults have regulated what children read. Religious debates over the harry potter series wikipedia. I asked the store attendant about the censored harry potter book and she said that many parents were concerned for their children because of the witchcraft in the book. On one side of the harry potter controversy are those who say that j. They also claim its antifamily, which is ridiculous.
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