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Askville: book banning/burning
Someone asked "Would you ban a book?.............".
Chung Kuo immediately leapt to my mind.
No, I'd never ban a book. Nor would I burn one, no matter how badly I wanted to.
Case in point: I picked up a book at a library porch book sale for ten cents. As I read it, I discovered that it was one of the most vile and hateful things I had ever seen - it felt as if the writer was a filthy, diseased child-molester trying to literally rape my brain. Although the blurbs on the covers claimed that it was the most brilliant work of all time, and compared it to the masterpieces of some of my favorite writers, not only was it nothing but torture-porn, it wasn't even well written. But the writer clearly loved his subject.
I immediately stopped reading, of course. And if I had it in me to destroy or burn a book, I would have. But I couldn't. Nor could I bring myself to give it away or donate it somewhere. Someone might read it, and I would feel responsible for that.
I want that filth out of my head. I've been working on forgetting it ever since. Can't understand why there are people who are apparently fans of that book. I guess there are a lot of sick and perverted people out there!
So it's up on a high shelf, out of sight. Some day, when my son is getting tall enough to reach that shelf, maybe I'll write a warning in permanent red ink on the cover and donate it somewhere.
And if I ever meet that writer (unlikely though it is), I'll call him a bastard to his face.
Chung Kuo immediately leapt to my mind.
No, I'd never ban a book. Nor would I burn one, no matter how badly I wanted to.
Case in point: I picked up a book at a library porch book sale for ten cents. As I read it, I discovered that it was one of the most vile and hateful things I had ever seen - it felt as if the writer was a filthy, diseased child-molester trying to literally rape my brain. Although the blurbs on the covers claimed that it was the most brilliant work of all time, and compared it to the masterpieces of some of my favorite writers, not only was it nothing but torture-porn, it wasn't even well written. But the writer clearly loved his subject.
I immediately stopped reading, of course. And if I had it in me to destroy or burn a book, I would have. But I couldn't. Nor could I bring myself to give it away or donate it somewhere. Someone might read it, and I would feel responsible for that.
I want that filth out of my head. I've been working on forgetting it ever since. Can't understand why there are people who are apparently fans of that book. I guess there are a lot of sick and perverted people out there!
So it's up on a high shelf, out of sight. Some day, when my son is getting tall enough to reach that shelf, maybe I'll write a warning in permanent red ink on the cover and donate it somewhere.
And if I ever meet that writer (unlikely though it is), I'll call him a bastard to his face.
no subject
Now, I'd have probably thrown out the book you note. But I'd not prevent it from being printed or sold, although I wouldn't (were I in a position to do so) print or sell it.