# Banned Books **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 4, 2002, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books/127017 "2002-09-04T19:37:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![crazy4chaucer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5e925/32.png) [@crazy4chaucer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazy4chaucer)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2002, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books/127017/1 "2002-09-04T19:37:36Z")
Since September 22-28th is Banned Books week, I thought I’d turn to you awesome dopers for some ideas. I’m having a chicks-only banned book party on the 28th. I’m going to have a bagful of banned and/or challenged books to give away to the people who come. And I thought I’d have a note about why that particular book was banned or challenged tucked into it. I’m thinking about renting the movie “Fahrenheit 451” to kind of lead into things. And for refreshments I’m trying to find ideas that will fit in with the theme. Like, uncensored salsa, things like that. Any ideas? (I’m Mormon, so there won’t be any alcoholic stuff) 🙂 And also, I’m wondering what you’re going to do for Banned Books Week. I always like to steal a good idea when I see it! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2002, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books/127017/2 "2002-09-04T20:07:52Z")
Why is it “chicks only”? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![crazy4chaucer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5e925/32.png) [@crazy4chaucer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazy4chaucer)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2002, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books/127017/3 "2002-09-04T20:29:26Z")
Because my husband was unbelievably bored at the thought. My best friend’s husband was unbelievably bored at the thought. My sister’s boyfriend doesn’t think it’s a party without booze. And my other best friend is single, yadda yadda. It really wasn’t originally going to be chicks only, just kind of seems to be turning out that way. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2002, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books/127017/4 "2002-09-04T22:44:36Z")
Brazil nuts are sometimes referred to as “Nigger toes.” Based on the controversy regarding _Huckleberry Finn_ and other books regarding that word, they would be a good snack to serve. ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books/127017/5 "2002-09-05T03:59:46Z")
My mom, nor my step-dad, could figure out what they were _actually_ called… since they grew up calling them Nigger-toes ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books/127017/6 "2002-09-05T04:42:59Z")
Well if you’re going for chicks only, The Scarlet Letter was banned. Or Anis Nin. Or another work by a female author, The Story of O. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books/127017/7 "2002-09-05T04:46:17Z")
Well, you could always burn a pile of effigies of notable book burners/censors etc. (Make sure to burn a [Will Hays](http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0823065.html) effigy, too. [Here’s](http://www.fatchucks.com/z4.bb.html) a site with some banned books listed, as well as the reasons for the banning. [this one,](http://title.forbiddenlibrary.com/) too. Have fun! Ranchoth ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books/127017/8 "2002-09-05T05:04:25Z")
\ You know, I did a search for “banned books” threads, and the hamsters must be comatose, since not even this thread popped up. I wonder if we ought to do another thread to discuss which banned books we’ve read? In my case, I know it’s more than the 100 greatest novels lists! \ I don’t know if they’re the same thing as nigger-toes, which I’ve never heard of before now, but when I was young I was offered something that I seem to remember being like a donut hole (coffee flavored?) that was called “nigger nuts”. If that isn’t an offensively named food item, I don’t know what is! ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books/127017/9 "2002-09-05T07:03:45Z")
My grandma always called those chocolate-covered creme drops “nigger toes.” Horrible name, but damn tasty candy. You could also watch _The Color Purple_. The whole lesbian thing ought to work for a chicks only party :biggrin:. (Sorry, just couldn’t stop myself.) Oooh, and how about a penis cake to go with books that are banned for sexual content? Everyone loves an excuse for serving penis cake. Besides, it’s not there’ll be any guys there to be offended. ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books/127017/10 "2002-09-05T07:06:07Z")
Instead of (or in addition to) _Farenheit 451_, you should try to get a copy of _Song of the South_ as well. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books/127017/11 "2002-09-05T22:20:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SolGrundy \* > \*\*Instead of (or in addition to) _Farenheit 451_, you should try to get a copy of _Song of the South_ as well. \*\* Won’t find one in America-Disney’s never released it here due to fears of racism cries. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2002, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books/127017/12 "2002-09-06T00:28:09Z")
I once read a book entitled, _The Day They Arrested the Book_, about a school that banned _Huck Finn_ (which, btw, was one of my all time favorites in high school.) The principle in the story actually cuts pages out of Bibles in the school library-because he considered those stories _obscene_! ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2002, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books/127017/13 "2002-09-06T00:30:51Z")
Ah, here we go from one of the sites above: > [@](#): > > Val A. Browning Library, Dixie State College of Utah > The holy book of Christianity, it was claimed in Minnesota that its “lewd, indecent and violent contents are hardly suitable for young students.” Damn, I don’t know about you, but maybe I should sign up for a Bible study!!! 😃 > [@](#): > > Translations of the Old and New Testament were banned in Turkey (1986). Challenged by an atheist “seeking to turn the tables on the religious right,” but retained at the Brooklyn Center, Minn. Independent School District (1992). The challenger stated “the lewd, indecent, and violent contents of that book are hardly suitable for young students.” Challenged as “obscene and pornographic,” but retained at the Noel Wien Library in Fairbanks, Alaska (1993). Challenged but retained in the West Shore schools near Harrisburg, Pa. (1993) despite objections that it “contains language and stories that are inappropriate for children of any age, including tales of incest and murder. There are more than three hundred examples of ‘obscenities’ in the book.” ---
**Author:** ![DeepPurple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@DeepPurple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeepPurple)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2002, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books/127017/14 "2002-09-06T05:52:10Z")
I made a Banned Book shirt a few years back, it’s not food, but it was fun. I just wrote titles on a white shirt with fabric markers. Words that were colors I wrote in that color, like Red Badge of Courage. BFG I put on the pocket like it was a monogram. The Bible, the Koran & the Torah I put in the middle of the back of my neck, because in a Christian church where the clergy wear vestments, there’s an item with a cross on it that is in the same place. I only put books on that I’d read, excepting the Torah & the Koran, I exempted them just 'cause I didn’t want the Bible to be lonely. I get lots of people asking about the shirt when I wear it. People are always shocked about what’s been banned or challenged. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2002, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books/127017/15 "2002-09-06T06:57:45Z")
I’m sorry, but I cannot recommend any of the _hors d’vours_ from _The Anarchist’s Cookbook_. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2002, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books/127017/16 "2002-09-06T21:53:53Z")
Waitamoment, **DeepPurple** , do you mean to say that _The BFG_ is banned? As in, the Big Friendly Giant, by Roald Dahl? Or is there some other book out there by that name? Aside from all the references to “music”, I can’t honestly think of anything which could be considered offensive in that book. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2002, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books/127017/17 "2002-09-07T00:13:18Z")
Lorax. Lorax Lorax Lorax Lorax Lorax. I realize that this post is totally unproductive, but I don’t care. Lorax Lorax. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2002, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books/127017/18 "2002-09-07T00:19:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mobo85 \* > \*\*Won’t find one in America-Disney’s never released it here due to fears of racism cries. \*\* Yes you can. I saw it on video once. Granted, this was around 1987-1989, so the censors may have yanked it out of the stores and eaten it since then, but I have seen it. In NC, no less. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2002, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books/127017/19 "2002-09-07T00:42:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chronos \* > \*\*Waitamoment, **DeepPurple** , do you mean to say that _The BFG_ is banned? As in, the Big Friendly Giant, by Roald Dahl? Or is there some other book out there by that name? > > Aside from all the references to “music”, I can’t honestly think of anything which could be considered offensive in that book. \*\* Well, the movie version had some nudity, not to mention the child-eating trolls. Not that I’d ban it for those, but SOME people might (And they know who they are). Another part I liked about that movie is that, unlike most U.S. cartoons, not only were the authorities helpful and understanding, they sent a platoon of _Royal Marines_ to defeat the bad guys! You’ll not see THAT on “Care Bears” anytime soon. Ranchoth ---
**Author:** ![DeepPurple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@DeepPurple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeepPurple)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2002, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books/127017/20 "2002-09-08T06:08:00Z")
Ok **Chronos** I can’t find a reason it was banned but here’s a link [http://www.libsci.sc.edu/miller/Banned.htm](http://www.libsci.sc.edu/miller/Banned.htm) so yes, I do mean Dahl’s BFG I looked these up like 15 years ago or so & have since forgotten a lot of the reasons for the challenges. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banned-books/127017.md?page=2)