Banned Books discussion

This topic is for discussing James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl.

Eh? This was banned? Why? Where?
You kidding me?
Due to it's unrealistic ond offensive portrayal of peaches?

Old-Barbarossa wrote: "Eh? This was banned? Why? Where?
You kidding me?
Due to it's unrealistic ond offensive portrayal of peaches?"

I am kind of surprised and amazed as well. But, come on, they have even tried to ban E.B. White's classic Charlotte's Web, so I am surprised at nothing. I think I will do some research on the web to see why James and the Giant Peach was challenged/banned; sometimes the reasons are both frustrating and hilarious.

I hope my library has this, and that it has not somehow disappeared (this has happened in the past with some controversial books, sigh). You know, I love how "promotes disobedience" and "mysticism" and anything fantastical is often an immediate reason to try to get books banned. I have to admit, I am always more than surprised that while Roald Dahl's work is so often the target of the "promotes disobedience" clowns, the stories of Swedish author "Astrid Lindgren" have fortunately escaped from their narrow mindedness. But, it is surprising, because many of Lindgren's children's novels show children being mischievous, defying adult authority, and such (I'm certainly very pleasantly surprised that the book banners have so far left Pippi Longstocking and Mischievous Meg alone, and I also hope that me mentioning them, will not cause the book banners to take notice). Anyhow, I'm looking forward to reading and discussing James and the Giant Peach and trashing any and all of the reasons why this book was challenged and is being challenged.

Some people have attacked the book because of the drinking, smoking, and the death of the parents.

Sigh. Poor Dahl.

I am personally outraged by it's obviously pro-GM crops stance, and gene spliced insects that are implied...pop! tongue out of cheek now...

Imagine, if you were terrified of spiders!

Hi folks! My first post and this is the book that brought me here. :)

I loved this book as a child, I loved reading it with my son when he was a child, I loved his reading it to me as he got older, and I loved his saving his allowance to buy it and other Roald Dahl books from the bookmobile. He's 30 now and he still thanks me for letting him read anything he wanted to read (as long as he was willing to talk about it).

I'm not surprised that there is a contingent of folks who would like to see it banned because there are always going to be people who think they know what's best for everyone else.

As for me, I'll continue to hold this book in my heart, read it to my grandchildren, and recommend it to others.

I can't believe this book has been banned! I need to read this one again because it has been forever but I used to LOVE Dahl when I was younger. People really need to lighten up!

Ha I'm reading this book to my five year old at bedtime :. There's no reason this should even be banned! Its just silly to think that it would be!

Ban a book because some of it describes life as it can be? No wonder a generation of crybabies is being raised!

Gundula wrote: "I hope my library has this, and that it has not somehow disappeared (this has happened in the past with some controversial books, sigh). You know, I love how "promotes disobedience" and "mysticism..."

Hear Hear!
I love reading this book! It is magical! I feel like anything can happen. It kind of makes me think Willy Wonka meets Jack and the Bean Stalk.

To me it sends the image to children that is okay to have an imagination, and isn't that what we want for our children?

Have seen the movie (loved it) and am excited to read the book (just arrived), but will be reading another book for another group first. Hope to pop in again next week and comment on the story.

So I saw that this group was reading James and the Giant Peach and that's when I realized I never actually read this Dahl book! I worked my way through like all of his works when I was a kid, and somehow I missed this one!! Horrible, I know!

So, I will start reading it soon and I'll post my comments either while or after!

I find it rather amusing how this book could have been banned. For no real reason, either. Kind of how like Harry Potter was banned because it showed revolt against the government. xD

30% done - I love Dahl's adjectives. And characters. And plot. So far the story is a lot more fun than the film!

Also, reading this is really fast... but I am enjoying it. It is Dahl after all. :D

(And yeah, I can understand why it was banned... just look at what James' aunts do to him!!!)

Children are far smarter than most adults think about abuse and other kids dealing with it. Its rediculous to ban it on that basis especially because the boy escapes the situation.

I can understand why the book was banned, after reading it. I think it's sad, but banning a book does make more people want to read it as well. So hey, at least Dahl's works are known and out there.

I have read this book and I can't stand it...Not really interested in reading it again...My brother loved this book with a passion...I read it in school and I had to write a book on it...One of the worst reports that I have ever written...

Dahl was my favorite author when I was a kid and I've read this book many times. I prefer the book to the movie, although the movie is pretty good. I think it's a great story about having an imagination and making the best out of a bad situation. Having this book banned because James disobeys his abusive aunts is quite ridiculous.

Caroline wrote: "Dahl was my favorite author when I was a kid and I've read this book many times. I prefer the book to the movie, although the movie is pretty good. I think it's a great story about having an imagin..."

I think part of what made the movie incredible was the fact that Tim Burton directed it. (It was Tim Burton right? It's been like 8 years since I saw it last..)

I've always adored the drawings that Dahl drew into his stories, and I feel that Burton really brought some of them to life, so there isn't too much discrepancy between the film and book. Still, I agree, the book was better than the film!

♥Xeni♥ wrote: "I think part of what made the movie incredible was the fact that Tim Burton directed it.. I've always adored the drawings that Dahl drew into his stories.."

James and the Giant Peach (1996) was directed by Henry Selick; Tim Burton was a producer (alongside several others!). The drawings often found alongside Roald Dahl's stories were drawn by Quentin Blake..

Okay, I was wrong. xD But the premise of the drawings from the book + the story + the movie being awesome still applies!

Old-Barbarossa wrote: "Eh? This was banned? Why? Where?
You kidding me?
Due to it's unrealistic ond offensive portrayal of peaches?"

If it helps anyone, I always put the reasons why a book was banned on the front page right under the book where it says, "Why we are reading this."

I read this book when I was 8 and it prompted me to write my first real, full, story (although premise horribly similar and plagiarized but I was only 8 and didn't know the term "intellectual property").

this book is so cool, great writer and there banning it! are they crazy?

Johnnybgoode wrote: "this book is so cool, great writer and there banning it! are they crazy?"

Yes they are crazy!!

james and the giant peach is like one of my favourite books ever, it's great, better than charlie and the chocolate factory even

"If it helps anyone, I always put the reasons why a book was ban..."

Where is this book banned?

I loved this book when I was younger, and I'm a little confused about why they would ban this.

Yes, there is some mysticism involved. I did a little amount of googling, and some of the reasons are kind of silly. Apparently a spider licking her lips could been seen as sexual? Oh, and I do remember the usage of the word "ass" at some point in the story. Must have read this when I was .. mm .. 8? I think I'll need to re-read it again.

Trish wrote: Where is this book banned?"

James and the Giant Peach is number 56 on ALA's list of The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2001 so there had to be many places it was banned and/or challenged. The following article gives some examples of where:

http://www.bookslut.com/banned_booksl...

I still can't believe they banned this book because of the negative views of how the adults were shown. I mean, this book was basically just showing the reality of child abuse and I don't think there was anything wrong with showing the audience about the dark side of child abuse. Besides, James' parents were kind, so it does make this reason seem invalid in a sense.

Ronyell wrote: "I still can't believe they banned this book because of the negative views of how the adults were shown. I mean, this book was basically just showing the reality of child abuse and I don't think the..."

Well, many people do not want to open their eyes to the reality of child abuse (and there are still some people who do not believe that child abuse happens, that abusive discipline is not only acceptable, but preferable). And for these types of individuals, any kind of criticism of adults, especially of family members, is considered extremely problematic.

Gundula wrote: "Ronyell wrote: "I still can't believe they banned this book because of the negative views of how the adults were shown. I mean, this book was basically just showing the reality of child abuse and I..."

That's a bit troubling because if some people do not want to see the harsh side of child abuse, then how will they know if a child is being mistreated and how can they help the child out of that situation if they don't know?

I love to teach this book in my 5th grade class, and my students love to listen to it. In a world where 11 year olds are extremely knowledgeable about sex, violence, and drugs, I hardly think some talking insects and a mutant fruit are worrysome. What a shame that people are still so narrow minded.

:')

The book is blasphemous and therefore challenged by Christians.

Gundula wrote: "I hope my library has this, and that it has not somehow disappeared (this has happened in the past with some controversial books, sigh). You know, I love how "promotes disobedience" and "mysticism..."

Gundula wrote: "Old-Barbarossa wrote: "Eh? This was banned? Why? Where?
You kidding me?

Due to it's unrealistic ond offensive portrayal of peaches?"

I am kind of surprised and amazed as well. But, come on, they ..."

I just said in another post my parents allowed me to read anything. Well, my Mum disapproved of the Pippi books because of her disrespectful ways. I did not like them anyway... In re: to James and the giant peach I laughed. My 6th grade teacher read that to us! (1970s)

Wendy wrote: "Gundula wrote: "I hope my library has this, and that it has not somehow disappeared (this has happened in the past with some controversial books, sigh). You know, I love how "promotes disobedience..."

My mother never disapproved of the Pippi books, but I never really enjoyed them as much as other books by Astrid Lindgren, simply because I found Pippi to be a bit too much of a "super hero" for my tastes.

♥Xeni♥ wrote: "Okay, I was wrong. xD But the premise of the drawings from the book + the story + the movie being awesome still applies!"

Selick & Burton also worked on Nightmare Before Christmas together, another of my favorites :)

Ronyell wrote: "I still can't believe they banned this book because of the negative views of how the adults were shown. I mean, this book was basically just showing the reality of child abuse and I don't think the..."

Agreed. The fact that the aunts were abusive was apparently "beside the point" for the parents wanting to ban this book, according to the article, and that just doesn't jive with me. It still boggles my mind that books would be banned in the first place, especially in a country like the US where we have free speech. Our children should be able to read whatever strikes their fancy.

Johnnybgoode wrote: "this book is so cool, great writer and there banning it! are they crazy?"

They're defiantly all mad. Even my (at the time ) 3 year old got her head round the aunticide. "They were horrid bullies mummy and deserved to get squashed"

Poor Dahl has been censored for a long time though. Did you know the original title of "charlie and the chocolate factory" was "Willy Wonka's Chocolate" he had to change the title because the publisher was afraid that with the American accent it would sound too much like "willy wanker" and be banned. How he managed to perswade them to keep it as a charactor name I don't know but much appreciate.

James and the giant peach is wonderful as an introduction to the concept of child abuse a sort of "it happens but don't have nightmares because, see he is saved yay!" books like this one and A Little Princess also give abused children the hope to keep going, perhaps even the courage to speak out. By banning books that hint at child abuse schools only sevre to further alienate abuse children.

Elspeth wrote: "Johnnybgoode wrote: "this book is so cool, great writer and there banning it! are they crazy?"

They're defiantly all mad. Even my (at the time ) 3 year old got her head round the aunticide. "They ..."

What gets me is that the banners and censurers basically are saying that with regard to James and the Giant Peach is that abuse is to be tolerated as so called tough love and condoned if one's family engages in it.

That's crazy, I just finished reading this for the first time! One of the prompts for my 2018 Book Challenge is "Read a book with a depiction of a type of food on the cover", James and The Giant Peach seemed like a great idea, and I LOVED the movie.

I am 100% against censorship. No one should ever be denied a book.

I love this quote from J.K. Rowling on accusations Harry Potter promotes Satanism: “A very famous writer once said, ‘A book is like a mirror. If a fool looks in, you can’t expect a genius to look out.’ People tend to find in books what they want to find. And I think my books are very moral. I know they have absolutely nothing to do with what this lady is writing about, so I’m afraid I can’t give her much help there.”

I'm immediately suspicious of people who ban or challenge books based on things like child abuse. As a parent, why would you want to hide what child abuse is? it happens, maybe if a child has a better understanding of it they may be able to recognize it if they see it and be encouraged to speak up.

In my opinion.

What do you all think of the language used in this book and Dahl's other books? Should it be censored to be more kind and inclusive? My sister was a fat child and the only problem she had was her teacher casting her as the skinny aunt and the smallest girl in the class as the fat aunt in their classroom play. I'm not sure my sister ever read the book or paid attention enough to be offended by the word fat or the portrayal of the aunt.