F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby was an influential book for me in high school. It started me on the path to writing just for the enjoyment of doing so. I’m fortunate not to have been in a place that would have banned it over its content.

That and other works have been banned or challenged over the years. The roster of authors reads like a recommended reading list: Ernest Hemingway, Harper Lee, Toni Morrison, John Steinbeck. As a high schooler I probably would have agreed with a ban on “The Grapes of Wrath,” I have to admit.

To highlight these works, Google, the American Library Association, and libraries and bookstores will observe Banned Books week later this month. Leslie Burger, president of the American Library Association, discussed the banned books efforts on the Official Google Blog:

When Apple Computer launched its personal computer line, the company released a now-famous TV commercial where a woman smashes a massive TV screen image of Big Brother with a sledgehammer. Big Brother was essential to the plot of George Orwell’s 1984, a book read by countless high school audiences.

If 1984 had been banned, Apple’s Super Bowl ad could never have resonated with so many people. Granted, there are plenty of reasons to remember a classic work besides a TV commercial, but it is a very public example of the breadth of reach of a memorable book.

—

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg | Yahoo! My Web | Furl

Bookmark WebProNews:

David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business.