Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita was first published in France in 1955, and has remained arguably among the most controversial books of (at least) the late 20th century.  It has been banned in France and Britain, and repeatedly challenged in the US.

On the surface, the novel is a confession by Humbert Humbert, a man imprisoned for murder–the confession, however, is not for the murder, but rather in regards to his love for, seduction of, and involvement with, an under-age female named Dolores Haze (nicknamed ‘Lolita’).  It is the confession of a rapist, of a child molester, and it is so well-written and beautiful that it challenges almost all traditional notions of right and wrong.  It is also the story of the child who is the victim of this crime, and what happens to her as a result of Humbert’s crimes, which is an aspect of this book that goes understudied.  Granted, it’s a pretty subtle aspect of the book that Nabokov himself discussed rarely–but it’s a critically important aspect that he did recognize.  You can see that in this letter, which we quote in part below, as well as in the text itself, especially in the final scene between Dolores and Humbert, which Nabokov urges us all to read.

Nabokov’s 1956 letter is to his friend and fellow scholar Morris Bishop, and notes the growing furor over Lolita.  It also makes note of Nabokov’s view of the books difficult subject matter.  As he notes, the novel is about exploitation and manipulation, about power and corruption and pain.  Although it features descriptions of sexual acts (without actually referring to ‘sex’, or the use of any language that might in any way be construed as lewd), it is not a ‘racy’ book.  It is a tragedy, in the most profound sense of the word.

The whole letter is taken from the wonderful people over at Letters of Note, and you can read it here.  Just to note, Nabokov taught literature in a number of universities in the United States, including Smith College, Mount Holyoke, and Cornell.  His Lectures on Literature and Lectures on Russian Literature are absolutely fascinating, and give a beautiful glimpse into the way his mind worked, and what kind of a reader (and writer) he was.

I have just learned that Gallimard wants to publish LOLITA. This will give her a respectable address. The book is having some success in London and Paris. Please, cher ami, do read it to the end!

Frankly, I am not much concerned with the “irate Paterfamilias”. That stuffy philistine would be just as upset if he learned that at Cornell I analyse “ULYSSES” before a class of 250 students of both sexes. I know that LOLITA is my best book so far. I calmly lean on my conviction that it is a serious work of art, and that no court could prove it to be “lewd and libertine”. All categories grade, of course, into one another: a comedy of manners written by a fine poet may have its “lewd” side; but “LOLITA” is a tragedy. “Pornography” is not an image plucked out of context; pornography is an attitude and an intention. The tragic and the obscene exclude each other.

Here’s yet another reason why we support Banned Books Week, and the reading of books that challenge us all.  Lolita is a remarkable, a difficult, and a deeply affecting work of fiction, with themes that resonate today–perhaps even more so than when it was first published.  It deserves to be read and discusses, hated and loved, and, most of all, available to any and all who want to read it.  That’s why we’re here, and that’s why we do what we do.

Happy Banned Books Week, beloved patrons!

Every year, the American Library Association observes Banned Books Week, a week of advocacy and education that united the entire book community — librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.  By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship.

Banned Books Week began in the 1980’s following the 1982 Island Trees School District v. Pico Supreme Court case, which ruled that school officials can’t ban books in libraries simply because of their content.  That same year at the American Booksellers Association (ABA) BookExpo America trade show in Anaheim, California, a display of banned books were showcased at the entrance to the convention center.  Enormous padlocked metal cages held in some  500 challenged books, and a large sign overhead proclaimed the books to be dangerous.  Since then, the ALA and ABA have set aside one week in September to recognize the books that are frequently challenged or banned, in the hopes of raising awareness about the power of words, stories, representation, and discussion that can often seem challenging, subversive, and scary.

We here at the Library are big fans of Banned Books Week, and constant supporters of your right to read whatever you so desire.  As such, you can look forward to enjoying some themed blog posts this week, starting with the ALA’s list of most challenged books of 2017, and the reasons for these challenges.  The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 354 challenges to library, school and university materials in 2017. Of the 416 books challenged or banned in 2017, these titles were the most challenged:

1. Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher
   Originally published in 2007, this New York Times bestseller has resurfaced as a controversial book after Netflix aired a TV series by the same name. This YA novel was challenged and banned in multiple school districts because it discusses suicide.
2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
   Consistently challenged since its publication in 2007 for acknowledging issues such as poverty, alcoholism, and sexuality, this National Book Award winner was challenged in school curriculums because of profanity and situations that were deemed sexually explicit.
3. Drama written and illustrated by Raina Telgemeier
   This Stonewall Honor Award-winning, 2012 graphic novel from an acclaimed cartoonist was challenged and banned in school libraries because it includes LGBT characters and was considered “confusing.”
4. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
   This critically acclaimed, multigenerational novel was challenged and banned because it includes sexual violence and was thought to “lead to terrorism” and “promote Islam.”
5. George, by Alex Gino
   Written for elementary-age children, this Lambda Literary Award winner was challenged and banned because it includes a transgender child.
6. Sex is a Funny Word written by Cory Silverberg and illustrated by Fiona Smyth
   This 2015 informational children’s book written by a certified sex educator was challenged because it addresses sex educationand is believed to lead children to “want to have sex or ask questions about sex.”
7. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
   This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, considered an American classic, was challenged and banned because of violence and its use of the N-word.
8. The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas
   Despite winning multiple awards and being the most searched-for book on Goodreads during its debut year, this YA novel was challenged and banned in school libraries and curriculums because it was considered “pervasively vulgar” and because of drug use, profanity, and offensive language.
9. And Tango Makes Three written by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson and illustrated by Henry Cole
   Returning after a brief hiatus from the Top Ten Most Challenged list, this ALA Notable Children’s Book, published in 2005, was challenged and labeled because it features a same-sex relationship.
10. I Am Jazz written by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings and illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas
    This autobiographical picture book co-written by the 13-year-old protagonist was challenged because it addresses gender identity.

As we reiterate around this time every year, at our Library, you–and everyone else who visits us–have the right to read whatever you like.  We are honored to help you access the stories, information, and resources that you need, without judgement.  And we are also huge fans of Banned Book Week.  So stay tuned this week for more celebrations of our right to read!

In 2014, Librarian Emily Knox set out to understand why people challenge, and attempt to ban, books, as part of her research for the book that would become Book Banning in 21st-century America.  She sat down with people who challenged books, and got them to discuss what drove them to make a case for banning a book in a public library.  Some of her finding, broadly speaking, were not that surprising.  As she noted in an interview with a blog called The Censorship Files: 

Censorship tends to track with whatever is causing concern in a particular society. For example, in 21^st -century America, books on diversity are often targeted for challenges….Censoring allows people to both work out these anxieties and also work to protect the morals and values that they believe are important in their own communities.

But what does the fact that “books on diversity are often targeted for challenge” mean?  According to an article published by Knox in School Library Journal:

One of my research questions focuses on the stated reasons for challenging diverse books and the relationship of these reasons to the diversity of the characters. I decided to start with the ALA’s annual top 10 challenged book lists from 2001–2015.  Twenty-nine diverse books appear a total of sixty-three times on these lists.

I found that many of the reasons given for the challenges centered on topics that were essential to the diverse characters in the titles…I also found the three most frequently stated reasons for challenging diverse books: for containing offensive language (36 instances), being sexually explicit (35 instances), and being unsuited for age group (36 instances). As I wrote in my own book …these familiar reasons seem to be related to the nature of truth and realism in fiction and to what extent fiction, especially fiction for youth, should mirror the human experience. These challenges ask us to consider the place of naturalistic fiction in the juvenile and teen sections of the public library or in the school curriculum.

Our country and our world is a big place, with lots of different people, an infinite range of beliefs, an incredible number of languages, and an enormous range of traditions, family structures, clothing choices, practices, and behaviors.  And thanks to the internet, to a wide range of media sources, and enhanced mobility for many, we are brought into contact more and more often with people who don’t look familiar, or don’t sound familiar, or who may act in a way that is unfamiliar or initially strange.  And our lizard brain, the part that has been part of our make-up throughout our evolution as a species, has us on the look-out for differences, in order to help us make sense of the world.  So difference can sometimes feel uncomfortable.  And often times, as Emily Knox explains, these are the reasons that books are challenged–the differences in them, the acknowledgement that other people’s lives are different from your own, makes people uncomfortable.

But this is where communication is so incredibly vital.  We cannot make difference go away, no matter how much we might try.  We cannot wish away the things that make us uncomfortable, or feel strange and different.  The only cure?  Listening and learning.  Reading is a form of listening, of taking in someone else’s words and world views, and feelings, and perhaps empathizing with what they have to say.  Reading helps us to acknowledge other people’s humanity in a unique, complex, and wonderful way.  It also helps us to expand our understanding, so that the things that once seemed strange and different are now…not quite so strange anymore.  Our lizard brain may react in funny ways, but it can evolve, just like the rest of us.

Another very important issue in terms of book banning is that many challenges involve children’s or young adult books, largely because parents are uncomfortable exposing their children to aspects of the world that may harm their ‘innocence’, or somehow incite unwanted behaviors.  Again, these emotions stem from inherent, protective instincts that are part of our makeup.  But there is almost no way to prevent people–young or old–from accessing the world and all the beauty and ugliness it contains.  Instead, we also recommend communication.  Talk with younger people (and older people.  And people your own age) about the books they are reading, about what they liked about them, about how those books made them feel.  Let them ask you questions about what words mean, about an odd grammatical choice in the text, about a character’s motivations or decisions.  Read books with other people.  I promise you, you’ll be surprised and impressed by the results.

We need diverse books because everyone deserves to recognize themselves, or a part of themselves in a story.  But we also need diverse books because it helps us grow to read about someone who is nothing like us.  We become better humans by understanding the stories that make up the people in this world of ours, not by shutting them out.  And we need to prepare our young people to inherit this world by helping them realize its diversity and its wonder, and to find themselves in their own place in it.  And that is why we celebrate diverse books, and also seek to reclaim those books that people want us not to read.  Because the answer is never silence.