Madeleine L'Engle: Banned, Challenged, and Censored

Authors of Banned Books

by Marilyn McClellan

Examines the life of Madeleine L'Engle, her most famous literary works, and the controversy her literatures has created in schools and libraries.

Genres: Banned Books, Nonfiction

160 pages, Library Binding

First published February 1, 2008

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marilyn McClellan's Madeleine L'Engle: Banned, Challenged, and Censored has proven to be a both enlightening and infuriating reading experience. While it does indeed provide a thorough and very readable introduction to Madeleine L'Engle's life and oeuvre, nothing too involved or overly academic in scope and thus perfectly suited for older children above the ages of eleven or so (and for interested adults as well, of course), the main and most important part of Madeleine L'Engle: Banned, Challenged, and Censored is the sad and disgusting piece of vomit-inducing truth that some seemingly consider Madeleine L'Engle's work (although it is often if not usually imbued with concepts, with themes of both Christianity and spirituality) as promoting and pushing a pagan and/or New Age philosophy. But instead of simply amd intelligently choosing not to read L'Engle's novels, far far too many of these "persons" have asked, have like typical Stalinists and Fascists loudly demanded that the latter be banned, that Madeleine L'Engle's novels categorically be removed from schools and libraries (mostly in the USA, and naturally in the so-called Bible Belt areas).

And to the book banners and their acolytes, their supporters, I say this. ANYONE who even remotely considers this type of censorship, this type of nanny state interference and over-reaching in any way acceptable really needs to give his or her head a massive shake and to realise that this type of behaviour and reaction is against basic democratic freedoms, basic human rights and also, truth be told, against the very tolerance practiced and preached by the historic Jesus Christ himself. Book censorship, book burnings were gleefully and regularly engaged in and used by the National Socialists, by Stalin and behind the so-called Iron Curtain, but sadly, it is also very much alive and well in the United States of America of today, with the saddest and most worrying scenario being how often school boards etc. seemingly cave in to the demands from censorship and book banning intent individuals and special interest groups, a truly frightening and chilling state of affairs.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have very strong feelings about banned or censored books. I feel that one of our main freedoms is the right to choose. I find it funny that Madeleine L'engle is so often censored for not following the teachings of Christ, yet when I read her stories I am always more convinced of God and the hand he has in everything.