The Forbidden Library
UPDATE: A reader has informed us that this was a hoax. I can't find proof either way, but it's a nice idea, isn't it?
A high school student who goes by the alias "Kat Atreides" (she's either a big fan of Dune or Greek mythology) claims to have started an unusual library. Her strict school banned a long list of books, so she's decided to keep a selection of the titles in her locker to lend to her classmates.
She now has over 60 banned books available to her fellow students, including:
His Dark Materials
The Divine Comedy
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
Animal Farm
The Holy Qu'ran
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Slaughterhouse-5
Lord of the Flies
Bridge to Terabithia
Catch-22
The Brothers Grimm Unabridged Fairytales
What do you think? Is Kat a hero or a criminal? (I'm sure you know how I feel about this. Who bans the Brothers Grimm, anyway?)
Read the post that caught people's attention here.
posted by Kirsten Miller at 7:12 PM
50 Comments:
i say shes a hero, i mean any girl who stands against coformity and harsh rules is ok in my book
awesome!!!!!!!!!!! thats weired though that animal farm would be banned, cause at my middle school, its required in 8th grade
Hero! Books should not be banned for giving an alternate point of view.
There is nothing in those books worth banning! The Holy Qur'an, Come On! And half of those books are either required or recommended books at my school.
She's deffinatally a hero. Who has rules against books? And she's standing up for something she believes in, and is helping fellow classmates to do the same. She's a real-live hero.
I have read some of those books and there is nothing wrong with them. If being sad or having magic is wrong then those people are crazy. The Dune series is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Of course she's a hero. But I don't get the name thing... I'm kinda tired and don't want to think, so does someone else want to explain this to me?
I think it's cool what she's doing. I love the Brother's Grimm stories they're so much better than your typical fairy tales.
This story is so amazing that I really wish it were real. But I doubt it. I think she took it down now, but when this question first became popular, you could see the other questions she asked before this one, one of which was "can someone give me a list of banned books from their school? because my school doesn't ban any." gah. pretty sloppy hoaxing.
However, I hope this story, real or not, inspires someone else to be just as awesome!
Banning books is a bad idea.
1. It gets people interested in WHY the book is banned. Is it interesting/
2. It's fuzzy legally.
3. It's likely to get people up in arms about it.
4. It's mean! I mean, BANNING books? Banning BOOKS?
5. If this girl is accurate about the reason for the banning, then I would like to ask the school to point out exactly what is "anti-Catholic" about any of those books. Some of them are valuable additions to a good writer's or debater's repertoire. If you're going to ban a book, at least tell us why.
6. If you don't want your students reading a book, then don't ban it--that will draw attention. Ignore it completely. Most of those books I first heard about in school. There are easier ways(than banning) to make a book...disappear.
--EQ
This girl is SO COOL. I read the post and am very glad she decided to exclude Twilight :D
And out of the books on this list that I've read, all of them are amazing.
Well, some of the Grimm Brothers' stories are pretty gruesome (people chopping off body parts) but I think high schoolers could probably handle it. I've never read "His Dark Materials" but apparently they are anti-Catholic, (the bad guys are called the Magisterium, the "Jesus figure" is evil and gets killed).
Frankly, I'm surprised that the Bible isn't on the list. I've heard it's the most frequently banned book in the U.S..
Anyone read "The Day They Came to Arrest the Book"? It's pretty interesting.
what library is the one in the picture? its look familiar, but i'm not sure.
definetly a hero. Some of those books are really great/freaky/deep... which are the best kind ;)
And the picture totally looks like The Silent Library on Doctor Who! lol sorry, fav show :P
It was a hoax? Oh. Well, I'm going to say what I think anyway. :P It *could* happen....
I think that:
A) She should not be breaking school rules;
but
B) I don't think banning books is very nice;
also
C) they should not ban the Qu'ran.
i say shes a hero and also im a muslim its not fair that the quran should be banned especially if its not a catholic school and since when was bridge to terabithia hazardous to kids? the grimm brothers are grim but as long as like 2nd graders aren't reading them they shouldn't be banned! oh really that is just LAME and you cant keep kids from reading books they'll find a way to anyway.
Well, a few things-
a)there is no good reason to ban books that have any ideals you don't like in them!
b) what IS in the school's library anyway, just Dr. Seuss? (Actually, one of his books referenced the Cold War, so probably not.)
c) on whether Kat is a hero or criminal-well, yeah, she did break the rules. But as I said before, these rules are totally not logical at all. So I would say she is more of a hero, wouldn't you?
d) I gotta admit, this DOES sound quite a bit too amazing to be true. How can you fit over 60 books in a locker along with your other stuff anyway???
just watch sooner of later we're not going to be allowed outside because we might (and i emphasize might) by stung by a bee.
so recently in South Ogden they passed a law were you could only skateboard in skate parks or in your driveway. because skateboards are dangerous, no more dangerous than a bike, or scooter, or car, or plane. it makes me so mad. and it's not because I'm a skater it's just not right or fair
HERO! I hate people who ban books.
who bans bridge to terabithia????
and my school is studying animal farm lol so it definitely isn't banned :P
I've read His Dark Materials! Who would ban those??? And anyway, MAYBE KIDS WAN TO READ THOSE BOOKS!!!!! (Even if this is a hoax i still say that she's a hero!)
actually (not that i think it should be banned) i relly don't like bridge to teribithia its a good book but i can't get past the fact that as a small child it was the first book that made me sob so hard it hurt
I am surprised that some of those books are on the list I have been required to read Animal farm in my 9th english and The Brother's Grimm stories in german class and neither are that bad since the grimm stories are what so many stories are based on and Bridge to Terabithia!!! That is a little kids story my sister read it in 5th grade... people just love to control others
That's cool! But, I have to wonder, why would Bridge to Terabithia be banned? I read it when I was in the sixth grade.
The Divine Comedy (danet-Hell-Purgatory-heaven) needs to be read. even if you don't understand ANY of it. And the Fairy Tales...? Come on. And Hitchhiker's Guide to Galaxy is just hilarious. I recommend it strongly to anyone, even the movie.
That picture is sooo cool!!! It looks ancient, mysterious, interesting, scary and sooo awesome!
Wow, she is so cool. I have a feeling that the fact that she's getting other students to enjoy reading, her punishment would not be as harsh.
Two people in my school got the swine flu! I think if one more person gets it, they're closing it down... So many people aren't going to school, and we have EXAMS.
I LOVE the brother's grimm! We havea cartoon version of the originals, it's amazing! (pretty gory though) My little sister read them..... she's 9..... she read them when she was in 2nd grade.... xP
I think that's ridiculous.... If this isn't a hoax, it's awesome.
seriously, what kind of school BANNS the brothers grimm?! That is synical.
Total criminal, I've read most of those books.
i don't get it! i mean, she is a total hero, but i don't know why she would even NEED to be a hero! why would BOOKS,of all things, be banned?! those books seem perfectly fine to me!
whoever banned books totally doesn't have their brain wired right! (if they even have a brain...) the girl who fought against it totally rocks! she's got my vote for president!
whoever banned those books totally doesn't have their brain wired right! (if they even have a brain...) the girl who went against that rocks! she has my vote for president!
omg! South Ogden? Reel Dancer, i think we are in the same state! is your state's name 4 letters and end with an H? :} wow another kiki fan in my state... maybe anyway still cool!
-LD
Hero. That is totally great.
The reason they ban His Dark Materials is because it says that God was actually just the first angel who said he was more powerful than the other angels and so took over them. It says that the angels who faught against God (fallen angels) were right in doing so. If your not strictly Christian or something, it is an AMAZING AMAZING AWESOME AWESOME BOOK!
All the books on that list that I've read are fab. I bet a few are banned because they have magic, the Qu'ran is banned for religios reasons (which is stupid, since America has freedom or religion) etc. ect. The only one I can't figure out why it's banned is Bridge to Teribithia. Mabey beccause it encourages imagination? (I know,that's a stupid reason, but the other banned books have stupid reasons too!) I really don't know.
UU: "Maybe because it encourages imagination?"
I totally agree with that. A lot of people so totally hate imagination, and that drives me crazy. Whatever. Reality is for people with no imagination.
Hang on, it may not be against the rules to have them in schools, just in the school library. Like you can pray in public school, the school just can't run it.
That is such a long list of books to be banned! I looked at the original post. i really think that Kat is giving kids a chance to read books that they might not read otherwise. i think that this is not a hoax, it could be real! but then again, i have an amazing imagination,[after reading kiki strike #1, i began dreaming of adventure myself! Has anyone else had that experience???]! just because one person does not agree with the ideas in these books, do they hav to force everyone else to do the same??? Please tell me what you think. I agree with Peacey! reality is for people who have no imagination...
Tell me what you think!!!!
Durn, too bad this is a hoax ;-; But it reminds me of the uncovered works of william morris thingy I found on Lace Peacock:
http://lacepeacock.blogspot.com/2009/01/uncovered-works.html
definately a hero!
i dont understand why they banned Bridge to Terabithia. We read it for Grade 5 novel study!
HERO!!!! thats all I have to say
Hero. Definitely :)
Anonymous i do live in a state with 4 letters and it ends in "H" that's makes me happy!
"Bridge to Terabithia" is really, really sad. I guess that's the reason. Highschoolers should be able to handle it though. I actually think that a better strategy than banning books would be to read them, study them, and have a civilized discussion about the wrong ideas in them. I actually think it would be a good idea to read "Mein Kampf" in schools, and discuss it. Exposing yourself to bad ideas is a way to learn how to recognize them, understand why they're wrong, and learn to help others understand why they're wrong.
THAT IS INTERESTING
She is totally a hero. All books should have place even if it is in a locker.
What in the world with Mort! Discworld books aren't really bad! They're awesome and really funny! They do have cussing though. They probably thought that it was against Catholicism to allow a book with a Death figure. You know, with the robe and scythe and that.
totally a hero and a total bookworm!!She has a good heart and mind.....:D
Banning books!!!! come on!!!!!!
the brothers grimm isnt a book of fairytales. its THE book of fairytales.
who in their right mind would ban it.
run away, kat. run away.
I say that she's a hero. many of these books are my favorites. did you know that Harry Potter was banned from some libraries in the U.S and the U.K? To Kill a Mocking bird was too. stuff like that makes my blood boil. arg.
speaking of books; i recently raved about Kiki on my blog-
Fantasticallytrue.wordpress.com
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