Analysis: American Library Association's Banned Book List

1. A book that I've read that can be found on banned book lists at some point in time is Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. I really enjoyed the book but I can why anyone would want to ban it: it is very violent and uses obscene language. The description of it on the Banned Book List site also says is was banned due to 'explicit sexual scenes' and 'contains and makes references to religious matters,' although I cannot really remember any scenes in the book that deal with that either, none that stand out at least. A book being banned means a book that is not able to be accessed in one area's due to a group of people who think it is not appropriate for the community to read.

2. The book was banned in numerous places including North Dakota, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Florida, and more. The reasons include references to religious matters, sex, violence, language, ethnic slurs, and the negative portrayal of women. As for who got the book banned, the description under the title mentions the district administrative assistant for instructional services in Racine, Wisconsin, and high school libraries in Kentucky and Louisiana. They do not mention any redeeming qualities of the book.

3. Slaughterhouse Five in my opinion is a very meaningful book. Its meaning outweighs all of the deemed inappropriate content of its story, actually such content helps to add edge to the novel. The cons of the book are first of all the crude language used. Not only certain words which are considered vulgar or profane, but also ethnic slurs and negative portrayals of women. This can probably be seen when the army men talk of women. Another touchy topic of the book is sex: explicit sexual scenes or references (there is one sentence in the book that refers to “Magic Fingers” attached to the protagonist’s bed to help him sleep) and the alleged promoting of deviant sexual behavior. The third reason for the banning of the book is due to the violence, which is understandable. The descriptions of the burning at Dresden as well as other scenes in the book can be seen as too intense for younger readers. The fourth reason involves the book reference to religion, although I can’t recall such references. One sentence mentioned in descriptions why the book should be banned is “The gun made a ripping sound like the opening of the fly of God Almighty.” This sentence demeans the sanctity of God and is an example of why some schools want the book banned. However, the book demonstrates very efficiently the effect that war and mindless violence can have on the soldiers in the war, and I feel it is important for teenagers in high school to read, for we can sometimes be impervious to the struggle of soldiers in our country. I think that the sex, violence, and language in the book make the overall effect of the message greater and are therefore necessary.