The Day They Came To Arrest The Book (1983) - Plot & Excerpts
This is a distressing book -- and I mean that in a good way. Not only does it put forth many views on "rights" and "freedom", it does it in an easy to understand, clear way. You can't miss the views this novel displays. And that's a good thing. At the beginning, I wondered how a story could be woven out of a school wanting to ban a book. By the end, I was engrossed and desperately wanting to know who would win. The way the book displays views -- without being biased and clearly stating both sides -- is easy to read and grasp. The dialogue is engaging and never dry. The book switches from many points of view -- the principal, the librarian, the history teacher, two school boys (one of whom runs the school newspaper), parents, and the chairman of the school board. Yet, the story line isn't lost and the reader is never confused as to whose eyes they're seeing through. And we read every possible side to the story. The book is excellently written. The thoughts presented here are amazing. Should classic books be outlawed and banned because of their context? Or should they be learnt from? Either way, there are few books written that don't offend anybody. As Nora Baines, the history teacher, says:"We're not talking about trash... We're talking about preventing our students from reading Huckleberry Finn! And why? Because it offends some people. Show me a book that offends no one, and I will show you a book that no one, in the whole history of the world, has ever willingly read."This is a good book for people who like to think.
When I first came across this book the title instantly had me hooked. "Why would any book be arrested?" I thought, but I soon learned that "arresting" a book meant that the book was to be censored. I think this book does a good job showing how censorship is very controversial no matter how small people think it should be. In this particular story the book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was put on trial because Gordon McLean was furious when he saw the word choice in Huck Finn by saying, "what the h*** kind of racist book is that to have in a school?"(14). When Gordon's Father heard about this awful book he immediately wanted it to be removed from the curriculum, so Mr. Moore, the principal, tried to remove it quietly so everyone could remain in the dark about the whole situation. Luckily a few teachers and the librarian stood up for the book's rights and that is what the major theme is about. All things have rights and they must have a chance to be defended. Throughout the rest of the book there is evidence that when any right is to be taken away people want to get involved even though they may not be directly influenced.
What do You think about The Day They Came To Arrest The Book (1983)?
Who would have believed that The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn could cause the worst crisis in the history of George Mason High School? Certainly not Barney Roth, editor of the school paper. But when a small but vocal group of students and parents decide that the book is racist, sexist, and immoral--and should be removed from reading lists and the school library--Barney takes matters into his own hands.When the Huck Finn issue comes up for a hearing, Barney decides to print his story about previous censorship efforts at school. He's sure that investigative reporting and publicity can help the cause. But is he too late to turn the tide of censorship? - Taken from Back Cover
—Anajoy-rusticgirl
Good, but had the potential to be great. The book centers on how the students, parents, and staff of a high school feel about having "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" on trial for potential censorship, but it didn't really touch on the personal lives of these people, or how they were being affected by it. The book mainly focused on the dialogue and the events, and only hinted at the "fluff" of the book that all of us bookworms love and thrive on, and what, of course, the plot/story needs in order to make a good book.
—Quinn
I agree with the fact that this book lets people see the two different sides to the argument of censorship. The major thing that changed my mind about censorship was when the topic of censoring the bible. In the past I never thought censorship was a big deal or why people got so upset about why it was being done. I thought if a person really wanted to read a certain book they would find a way to read it, but limiting where people can find the book is wrong. Different books expose certain ugly aspects of history and even ugly truths in today’s society and by hiding those books it is like hiding or even denying that certain thing have happened. If this book changed my mind i wonder how many others could benefit from reading it?
—jacky
