7
Realized I was collecting banned books as trophies, not reading them
Was showing off my shelf of challenged titles last month, all pristine covers and untouched spines, and my buddy from the library asked what I actually thought about the arguments in The 120 Days of Sodom. Total silence on my end. I had bought 14 banned books in the last 2 years, mostly from online auctions, but I only finished 3 of them and never looked up why any were banned in their home countries. It hit me that I was treating them like baseball cards, just owning the rebellion instead of understanding the censorship context. Now I read one before I add another, and I take notes on the cultural climate that got it pulled. Has anyone else caught themselves hoarding these books without actually engaging with the suppression stories behind them?
1 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In1 Comment
hannaht2917d ago
Saying you never looked up why they were banned is the part that stands out. Like, you bought 14 books and didn't even Google a single one? That's not collecting, that's just building a set. The reading before buying rule is good, but the notes on cultural climate part might be overthinking it. You don't need a full essay on each book, just skim the Wikipedia page for the suppression story. That way you actually get the point of owning them, not just the bragging rights.
2