You Can't Read This: Forbidden Books, Lost Writing, Mistranslations, and Codes

by Val Ross

Wherever people can read, there are stories about the magic, mystery, and power of what they read. Val Ross presents a history of reading that is, in fact, the story of the monumental, on-going struggle to read. From Enheduanna, daughter of Sargon the Great, the world’s oldest signed author to Empress Shotoku of Japan who in 764 ordered the printing of one million Buddhist prayers; from the story of Hulagu, Ghengis Khan’s nasty brother who destroyed the library of Baghdad to Bowdler and the censorship of Shakespeare, there have been barriers to reading ranging from the physical to the economical, social, and political.

Written for children ages ten and up, You Can’t Read This explores the development of alphabets, the decoding of ancient languages, and censorship in Ancient Rome and modern America. It's about secret writing, trashed libraries, writers on the run, writers in hiding, books that are thought to have magical powers and mistranslations that started wars. It's about from the American slave Frederick Douglass to girls in Afghanistan in the year 2001 who defied laws that prevented them from learning to read.

What do all these stories have in common?

They’re all about how texts contain power – and how people everywhere throughout history have devoted their wills and their brains to reading and unleashing the power of the word.

With lavish illustrations and an index, this is history at its finest.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Books About Books

152 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[AdiTurbo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enlightening short history of reading and writing, and the politics thereof. I learned a lot I didn't know, especially about the Far Eastern history of reading and writing. It was amazing to discover the amount of power these so-called 'simple' actions give people, and how much governments and societies are afraid of this power. A good and interesting read.

[Alberto Tebaldi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely little book about the story of coding information into letters during human history.

[Ay Oh Be · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really surprised to find this book in the local library. The book was sitting on a small display case - its title and overall presentation caught my eye and I opened it to read the introduction. The introduction is very well written and it instantly made me interested in the book. I thought about the book for several days before deciding to bring it home.

Being a fan of both history and young adult books I was delighted to find a book that combines both and a little surprised by its existence.The writing was clear and concise but I think my favourite part of the book was the introduction because the writer has a strong and engaging voice that took a back seat to the mini histories that she recounts later in the book.

The book is organized chronologically and thematically - each chapter is a step in time that focuses on the evolution of reading and those who would try to stifle it. I appreciated the tastes of history that Ross presents. She tells each story through a character; sometimes through the eyes of that characters and sometimes by recounting the life of the person but each change in style makes sense with the historical context.

I refer to her chapters as “tastes” of history because that is what they are. She presents the theme/story in a straightforward and simplified manner so that they are easy to understand and enjoy. These tastes could easily inspire a young reader to look further into that time or subject. By presenting excerpts from different time frames all gathered together by a single theme - love of reading - the author gives the reader the chance to experience all sorts of different eras. It allows the reader to pick and choose which are the most interesting and will hopefully encourage them to seek out more information on the given topic or period.

Overall, I was really impressed by this book. It was simple without being insulting. The content was interesting and once I started it I felt compelled to finish it.

[Elizabeth Bunce]

Fascinating and kid-friendly history of reading and, more specifically, the *right* to read, told in anecdotes from ancient Baghdad to Renaissance Europe to modern-day Afghanistan. Entertaining and timely.

[Jaclyn Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing quick read about how those in power have constantly attempted to prevent those less powerful from education. Take away the people's ability to read and write and they have no power. The pen really IS mightier than the sword.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each chapter discusses different topics, all related to reading, such as: the first poem to be written and signed (Iraq, 4,000 years ago); languages lost and found again; William Tyndale, Thomas More and the publishing of the Bible in English. Fascinating glimpse into the history of reading through the ages.

[Kevin Waggoner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engrossing details about some of histories most enthralling atrocities to books. I learned details about some of histories most atrocious literature events, some I did not know, some I didn't know all the details. I would highly recommend this book to all literature lovers.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subject matter was very interesting. However, there were several grammatical errors throughout the book, which deterred my enjoyment. I hope that the errors were from a poor transfer from book to e-book, and were not in the original copy.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had some fun facts but wasn't the most cohesive of histories.

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

From ancient Sumerian cuneform to the enigma code machine of World War II, this book is full of fascinating trivia about words. A junior non-fiction.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the way this read and gave me great history and insight. Everyone that reads will appreciate it.

[Mark Flowers · Rating 3 out of 5]

eh.

[Donna F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Words are powerful... and it is fear that makes others censor them.

[Pam Klassen-dueck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kid-friendly history of reading the forbidden.