The definition of banned varies considerably. The most common type of ban that I’ve seen in North America is the attempt to remove an item from a class where it would be required reading. Also, there are some efforts to have items removed from school and public libraries though this seems quite rare in Canada. As far as I know, actually banning a publication has not happened recently as that would quite explictly violate Section 2(b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (and the 1st Ammendment to the US Constitution). (Though I would add a caveat that Canada has had cases of banning something for violating the country’s anti-hate laws, but that is a different story). Resorting to banning books strikes me as a crude way of resolving the debate, a reponse that well educated people should be able to go beyond.

I’m curious to know a little more about the definition of “banned” in these cases. Was there a movement to ban, say, “Lord of the Flies” from publication entirely or simply from school libraries or school curricula.If the latter then it seems these books have become flash points in the ongoing debate between school authorities and parents as to who should dictate what literature children should be exposed to at what age. I think there are certainly books that are far better appreciated by students in older grades rather than younger ones but I do not think that school library “book bans” are the solution to this complicated debate. Rather, it seems that improved communication between teachers and parents regarding the rationale for purchases to school libraries and assigned texts in English classes would help generate thoughtful solutions to this issue.