Notes on a Scandalous Life

A group of Evangelicals in Milwaukee, Wisconsin is plying the local government for the right to remove and burn a YA book about a gay teen (ALA). This article reminded me of a list of banned and contested books that my Adolescent Literature teacher showed the class last semester. The list also included various complaints made against the books - one individual called Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath "filth".

As someone who likes books a lot, I am strongly against the banning or burning of any work of literature, even books that I myself hate (although it would be really, really hard to resist attending a Wild at Heart bonfire). It's ridiculous that this still takes place today, but, then, I think of the fact that The Grapes of Wrath is generally considered to be pretty non-threatening, today. This book that's currently being contested in Wisconsin will eventually fall under the same category - after conservatives succeed only in making it desirable reading for young adults by drawing attention to its "wickedness".