Sookie Stackhouse Novels Banned
Yea, you read that title correctly - Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampire Series has been banned from libraries all over. According to various library associations’ Most Challenged Titles lists, this vampire series is high on the big bad book list. No joke.
Just like so many others, I am beyond upset over this. It doesn’t make any kind of sense. I’m assuming the folks banning the Sookie Stackhouse books are doing it because of True Blood, the show based on the novels. You see, the show is full of porn-worthy sex scenes, copious amounts of blood and gore, gay relationships and so many more supposedly sinful things. But - the books aren’t. Yes, the books are totally for adults, but compared to the show, they are quite tame. These overly conservative folks need to pick the books up and actually READ THEM before they consider banning them, because it sounds like these people are watching the show and assuming the books are just as naughty. It is completely unfair to Charlaine Harris, who is having her work criticized over a show she has no control over.
Personally, I think any kind of book ban is just ridiculous. Last time I checked, we lived in a modern world where we were free to read whatever we want. But apparently if you want to read something to your liking you have to go somewhere else. It’s bullshit. If libraries keep this up their book selection is going to be pretty minimal seeing how the majority of books aren’t about sweet virgins that cuddle kittens, frolic in the flowers and stare at rainbows. What the hell do they expect? Books are meant to entertain you, to teach you, to show you a new world. What one person finds unorthodox and insulting, another person may find life-changing and moving. We have the right to read whatever we choose, and no one should try to take that right from us. Libraries should be a magical place for every bookworm to feel safe and free in, not a place where they feel judged and wronged.
UPDATE: You are asking for more info on the matter and here it is - The Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris are on the top of Canada’s most challenged list (a challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group). Here is the CLA’s official report on it.
As the report says, “Library materials were retained in 41% of the 2009 challenges, relocated or reclassified in 32% of cases, and removed in 25%.” So, some libraries banned the books. Most kept the books, which is a good thing, but the fact that some of them did remove them is ridiculous.
As for America’s most challenged list, the Sookie books are not on the top of it. The ALA’s website appears to only show the top ten most challenged books of 2009, so all I know is that Charlaine Harris’s books aren’t on the top ten. Oddly enough though, Twilight is on the top ten list of most challenged books in the USA. Now that's just insane.
- Moonlight
do you have any further information about specifically where these books are being banned? a search only turns up your link. it’s a little less effective to shake my fist at “libraries all over” when i don’t know if they are the ones doing the banning or not.
They are on the top of Canada’s most challenged list (a challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group). Here is the CLA’s official report on it.
As the report says, “Library materials were retained in 41% of the 2009 challenges, relocated or reclassified in 32% of cases, and removed in 25%.” So, some libraries banned the books. Most kept the books, which is a good thing, but the fact that some of them did remove them is ridiculous.
As for America’s most challenged list, the Sookie books are not on the top of it. The ALA’s website is only showing me the top ten most challenged books of 2009, so all I know is that Charlaine Harris’s books aren’t on the top ten.
Tha is so weird. In the US their not band as far as i know
sorry typo (that)
I read it and didn’t even notice the typo until i read the correction lol
But I agree as far as I know its still good in the US.
I don’t like the sookie stackhouse novels, but this is beyond ridiculous
I’ve read some of them and that is where you set the bar!?
Thousands of “paranormal romance” books and sookie stackhouse is unethical!? Sookie stackhouse which is one of the best modern day looks at racism!?
This is beyond stupid
This makes me ashamed of the library system
well i think it’s retarded to ban them….they’re no worse than twilight….so….
*Looks at list*
How on earth is Twilight considered ‘sexually explicit’? O.o…
Anyway, yeah, any book being banned, especially now days, is ridiculous. There were worse things in the past, and all of it is just fiction.
And why the Hell TWILIGHT became this controversial and fashionable-to-hate? I think that´s sickening , and I am not even a fan!
TWILIGHT?! That’s the most child-friendly book ever! They wait until they’re married to have sex [which would be fine for all those crazy religious people] and they BARELY have any make-out scenes. WTF?!
I totally agree! This is BS man! Libraries shouldn’t be full of conservative books. They should be full of all kinds of books. Books are meant to show us new things, to broaden our horizons, not constrict them to make the world seem like a happy go-lucky place where everything’s perfect and full of sunshine and rainbows and unicorns. These people need to see that these books are FICTIONAL!!!!!!! Vampires, as much as I would want them to exsist, do not exist. They’re not saying they DO exist, they’re merely showing us a FICTIOUS world where they do. However, people DO have sex, make-out and get into bad situations sometimes – as Sookie does often [haha]. Wake up people! Vamps = fictional and you can shelter your kids from that but you can’t shelter EVERYBODY from it. It’s ALL people can talk about nowadays. They talk about vampires on freaking Disney Channel ALL the time now just so they can reach out, minimally, to the young fanpire audience.
In addition, the Sookie Stackhouse series is an ADULT series, we all know that people have sex and nobody’s advocating that children should read the series. Not at all! Therefore the ban is completely ridiculous because children do not read the books, adults do.
I hope this rather large comment isn’t a completely jumbled mess. haha I tend to rant sometimes and they don’t always come out completely coherent to the reader. =P
During book banned month I saw how silly book banning can be. From the Bible to the Lord of the Rings. No joke alot of classics were on the banned list such as Huckleberry Finn. Books should not be banned. If someone writes a smutt book it can put in a back section for adults (the books I listed were not even smut). Though I sometimes wondered if the book band is a consppiracy to make the book popular. Banned movies appear to be a more serious subject matter.
I totally agree with you! Libraries are there to keep books that not only educate yhe public but entertain it as well! So I think any book band is garbage!
This is great news!
It means that more young people will read them, and in so doing, many will discover for the first time that reading can be a fun activity, as opposed to a chore or punishment.
Reading them could lead to those same impressionable young people reading MORE books, pondering them, forming their own opinions, in some extreme cases, possibly even experimenting with independent thought.
A few will spiral out of control, and end up reading newspapers from all over the world!
Which is most likely the cultural sub-text of the reasoning behind banning them, a desire to protect youth from “gateway” books.
They’re already wildly popular, so it’s unlikely that the publishers would spend money to have it done for publicity purposes.