I need your help.
I’ve seen a lot of space dedicated to Banned Books Week in the last few days. Most of the titles I’ve seen mentioned were classics like the Grapes of Wrath or Huck Finn. And while I’m glad that those books have survived the times, I’m curious to know—what has been banned lately?
To be clear, I’m not interested in stories of Harry Potter being pulled from a school library. I’d like to know about books that are current and edgy and for whatever reason, have been yanked from shelves.
Also, lest this be mistaken for something it isn’t—I’m asking out of genuine curiosity, because as I work on things around the Tyrus compound, I am, unfortunately, more oblivious to the things going on in the larger publishing world. I’m a headline skimmer and a fill-the-story-in kind of guy. I’m not proud about it.
If we can’t generate a significant list of recent releases getting thrown into a fire, I think we need to ask—Are fewer titles being banned because we’ve become more permissive as a society? Or is it because publishing houses aren’t willing to risk putting out edgy books?
(And by edgy, I don’t mean manufactured controversy.)
I can already hear the wailing and gnashing of teeth from the folks who are going to tell me that there are dozens if not hundreds of small presses putting out the edgy books I want to know about. But the unfortunate reality of things is that those books will never have to be officially banned, they can simply fall victim to financial and logistical restrictions. Translated—they aren’t being bought because the shelf space is better occupied by the ninth James Patterson novel of the year.
If, as one theory might go, bannable books aren’t being published by large publishing, why is that? Is it a question of fear regarding the material? Is there something inherent in the editorial make-up of the publishing world that stops the gatekeepers from recognizing the necessary but controversial voices of the folks on the fringes? Or do people who could get it, get it, but don’t know how to market a book, or if there even is a large enough market to support the book?
As I think about these questions, I’m left asking myself what we mean by “ban” and as a follow up question--who has the power to do it. And what books haven’t been given a chance to be banned because they never were published due to lack of editorial vision?
