More Banned Books

Absolutely incredible. In the comment I left for the secret poster on banned books, I wondered if Lord of the Rings had ever been banned. I decided to search & this was the first thing I found:

Lord of the Rings, By J.R.R. Tolkien: 2001 - Burned in Alamagordo, New Mexico outside Christ Community Church along with other Tolkien novels as satanic.

The same site had this:

American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: 1976-Removed in school libraries in Anchorage, Alaska, Cedar Lake, Indiana, Eldon, Missouri (1977), and Folsom, California (1982), due to “objectionable language.” 1993 - Challenged, but retained, in the Churchill County, Nevada, school libraries. The controversy began after another dictionary was removed due to “objectionable language.” It was removed from, and later returned to, classrooms in Washoe County, Nevada.

Burning Lord of the Rings? I don't know, maybe Tolkien would have gotten a kick out of it. And banning a dictionary. That's really amazing, do people just not have enough to do?

I think this wasn't on the list I originally posted but I found it on another list: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: Challenged at the Baptist College in Charleston, SC (1987) because of "language and sexual references in the book."

And as the moon rose higher the inessential houses began to melt away until gradually I became aware of the old island here that flowered once for Dutch sailors' eyes--a fresh, green breast of the new world. Its vanished trees, the trees that had made way for Gatsby's house, had once pandered in whispers to the last and greatest of all human dreams; for a transitory enchanted moment man must have held his breath in the presence of this continent, compelled into an aesthetic contemplation he neither understood nor desired, face to face for the last time in history with something commensurate to his capacity for wonder.

While I disagree with the last time in history part, you don't ban someone who writes like that. What do you think, is fresh green breast a sexual reference? Interesting how I found that so easily!

Why, you may wonder, do I disagree with that last time in history part? Or you may not wonder, but it's late (or early depending on your perspective) and I'm bored so I'm going to tell you. I love looking at pictures of galaxies and planets. If you go to Nasa's site you can see some great pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope.

When I look at them I'm reminded of those words from the Great Gatsby - face to face for the last time in history with something commensurate to his capacity for wonder. I wouldn't go so far as to say for the last time because who knows what the future will turn up. For now, these, along with everything I saw in England, will do for me.

Robin, the blog queen (what do you think of that for a new title?)