Banned Books discussion

This thread is for discussing the autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, if possible focusing the discussion on it being banned, but any discussion of it is fine.

I read this several times, in grade school and probably college. I have no memory of overtly s-e-x-ual or violent content. His mother lived away and came to see him once he was in bed once a week or something like that and this focuses on his early life. Everyone needs to read this and other slave narratives. It's history. We can't change that but we can move forward and acknowledge it happened, make amends and begin to heal. Censoring it doesn't mean it didn't happen.

Are they confusing Frederick Douglass with Solomon Northrup Twelve Years a Slave? If they want to talk about obscene content - violence against women - try Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Then if they really want to get their knickers in a twist- Our Nig or, Sketches from the Life of a Free Black which is actually fiction but based on the realities of being a woman of color in New England just after the Civil War. I didn't read that one until graduate school. I need to catch up and read The Bondswoman's Narrative. These should all be read and taught in schools! Education is knowledge and knowledge is power.

Those could have been banned, too. We don't know everywhere or what things are banned. :(

Kelly (Maybedog) wrote: "Those could have been banned, too. We don't know everywhere or what things are banned. :("

We do with official bans and challenges in schools but not soft censorship and not as much in public libraries. I'm keeping track of the children's and YA books and staying on top of the news stories.

The preface to the Signet edition of this book states Douglass's father was a white man which could be why they think it might be explicit.

Banned in Oklahoma along with other Black authors because "it teaches Critical Race Theory and, therefore, violates state Law 1775."

Probably also censored in Arkansas, North Dakota, Mississippi, Texas, Virginia, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Utah, Iowa, Idaho, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, South Carolina and anywhere else on this map

https://www.edweek.org/policy-politic...

https://pen.org/event/black-book-bans/

Also banned in prisons
https://eji.org/news/banning-books-in...

https://www.gq.com/story/illinois-pri...

https://scalawagmagazine.org/2021/09/...

We know public US places and sometimes Canada and Australia. It's so sad how many we're missing.

This was banned? Wow. For...? Sexuality? Maybe the whipping of slave women descriptions? The author was circumspect and it seemed he took great pains to remain factual and impassive even in discussing his own painful life, likely too much so, but given the times, I might be able to guess why. But the history was good. Why wouldn't parents want children to know these realities when modern numbers of human slavery are higher than ever?

The people who challenge books never actually read them. That's probably the case with this early slave narrative. They want to ban anything they consider "Marxist Critical Race Theory" something they don't even know how to define. They fear it will make their children hate America!?

I think right away they object to Mr. Douglas speculating on the identity of his father being his enslaver, a White man. They might also object to the reality of enslavement being far different from the myth of the happy slave.

There's far worse slave narratives and post-slavery stories and even real life atrocities committed by the U.S. Army to fuss about. My paperback copy of this book still has lines underlined from when I read it in school, probably college. I know I read it before then though.

If they want s-e-x-ual content in a slave narrative to ban try Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl! And don't even think about reading the novel Crossing Ebenezer Creek which has flown under the radar but the companion, Inventing Victoria is on the hit list.

And of course the moron book banners would not even understand that Marxism would actually be considerably later than Frederick Douglass. They would even call social conscious scenarios from the Middle Ages Marxist because let's face it, they ALL have the collective IQs of mosquitoes.

Manybooks wrote: "And of course the moron book banners would not even understand that Marxism would actually be considerably later than Frederick Douglass. They would even call social conscious scenarios from the Mi..."

I highly doubt they even know who Frederick Douglas was or when he lived or what a primary source is. Yet the state education commissioner in Oklahoma, where this book is banned, wants to blow the budget putting Bibles in every classroom.

QNPoohBear wrote: "Manybooks wrote: "And of course the moron book banners would not even understand that Marxism would actually be considerably later than Frederick Douglass. They would even call social conscious sce..."

That is both sad and hilarious. (view spoiler)[You know, if I were teaching in Oklahoma, I would specifically use the Old Testament warts and all so to speak to show students just how violent much of the stories of the Bible are. (hide spoiler)]

The point of having Bibles in the classroom is to understand the foundation of history and literature but it's a fine line between teaching religion and teaching history. Most teachers and parents are opposed to the rule. Everyone except the censors is well aware of the Bible being more explicit than the books they want to ban.

Here's the official reason for Frederick Douglass ban: Critical Race Theory
and the law
House Bill 1775 bans schools from teaching that suggest people bear responsibility for past actions committed by those of the same race or sex.

Oh it was sneak attack banned in Marietta, Georgia Middle Schools too. More precisely on a list of NOT approved books.

Superintendent Grant Rivera claims it’s not about the law passed in Georgia in 2022. “These specific books are not about divisive concepts whatsoever,” said Rivera.

Instead, Rivera said the district has had a process in place for years.

“We have a curriculum review process and in that process, we ask teachers as well as a committee and central office staff and others to look at novels who are age and developmentally-appropriate,” explained Rivera.

And when it came to The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas, “Would that book potentially be invaluable resource for potentially students in ninth through twelfth grade? Absolutely. There was simply a concern about that text given the s-x and the graphic violence for eighth graders.”

https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/cobb...

The Los Angeles Review of Books writer Robert S. Levine has a good piece on Frederick Douglass and the Trouble With Critical Race Theory
https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/f...

So far, Douglass hasn't mentioned any specific brutality against female enslaved people. He's careful because of his time and his audience of middle class/elite White people. He isn't writing this for his own people- they KNOW this stuff already. They lived it or their families did. Of course some probably have been free for so long they don't know what's happening but they're not the ones Douglass has to convince to end slavery. His people don't have the right to vote.

I'm guessing perhaps someone did a keyword search and the word "naked" came up and the book was flagged for removal because of it even though naked is used in conjunction with backs and the lash and not as in naked people joining their flesh together. And yes this sort of keyword ban happens. A book was banned simply because the author's last name happens to be Gay.

The end of Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 are pretty brutal but related in a non-emotional way. Douglass quotes the cruel overseer who brings it right to the point - Control brings rule and order to the plantation (society). If the Black people aren't controlled, it leads to freedom of the slaves and enslavement of White people. And there Douglass hits upon the real reason this book is banned. Certain people still fear that happening and don't want to acknowledge who created the conditions that might lead to that situation.

My paperback copy shows the underlines I made when I read this in school. I'm pretty sure I read this and other adult classics in 8th and 9th grade (I did a summer high school program at an Ivy League University) and again later on in college (not the Ivy!)