We’d like to take a moment to recognize our regular gallery of posters here at The Beat, and commend them for their insightful and informative postings on a variety of topics. If you are not reading the comments here you are missing out; rest assured, we do not allow idiocy to run rampant here, and although we leave the occasional dopey remark up for humor value so far the community has remained top notch.

Which is a roundabout way of saying, we appreciated librarian Kat Kan’s comment on the constant battles that libraries have against people who want to remove controversial books from the shelves.This is not a one time thing — it’s an ongoing struggle. And as we mentioned yesterday, the books that people want taken off the shelves are in some cases literary classics.

Several book blogs linked to the Marshall, Missouri story yesterday, most of them erupting into geysers of snark at the stated belief among citizens of Marshall, MO that reading FUN HOME would attract wandering bands of pornography-reading weirdoes who would hide behind the library beating off into their ratty ols raincoats. Behere’s a sampling:

PowellsBooks.Blog:

Sometimes you need to keep an even keel about an issue. You need to look at a controversy from both sides, try to empathize with those whose opinions you don’t necessarily agree with, and reach some informed compromise in order to achieve a greater understanding of one another.

And other times you realize people are just idiots.

YA Literature Censorship

This statement is just silly. I have viewed the pictures that are in question and in my opinion, there are far from pornography. Her comment about drawing clientele from the porn shop is, at least, discriminatory. Not only does she want to decide what books are allowed in the library, she wants to decide who is allowed in the library.

Edward Champion:

Okay, so some of the people of Marshall (and it’s important to note, not all; a brave man named Dave Riley spoke in favor of the two graphic novels) consider illustrations of naked people lying in a postcoital position — a form of illustration, mind you, that goes back to the Paleolithic era and the Moche of Peru, something relatively tame compared against a distinguished history going back centuries before Ms. Miles’ birth — “obscene.� Personally, I found both Bechdel and Thompson’s respective illustrations quite beautiful. But that’s just me.

BookBlog:

Typical. I wrote a post the other day dissing Banned Books Week, and then Edward Champion finds this article on a hearing to remove two graphic novels from a public library in Missouri. The titles in question are Blankets by Craig Thompson and Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel.

I’m not really against having a Banned Books Week; I just don’t go for its overemphasis on challenges in schools. Parents should question what their children are taught and have every right to voice their opinions on required reading. Pointing fingers, as if their concerns are akin to book burning, can easily turn into a means of intimidating them out of speaking up. Isn’t fighting the suppression of ideas exactly what Banned Books Week all about?

A few items that have drifted in over the day regarding the library cencorship story that everyone is tracking.

One of our correspondents notes that Marshall, MO is where WAITING FOR GUFFMAN was filmed, although it was called “Blane, MO’ in the film. We’re the center of a stool boom, indeed.

Another correspondent points us towards a similar story regarding Asimov’s SF Magazine.

An earlier post on the controversy at GalleyCat points out that last week wa,s ironically enough, Banned Books week. There is no rest for the “wicked”, it seems.

More commentary: Tom , Kevin Melrose @ Newsarama (check out the comments), and Alison Bechdel.

Yesterday we told you about an attempt in Marshall, MO to remove FUN HOME and BLANKETS from the shelves of the library. Now via comments and email, the followup report on a library board hearing. The room was packed, and people talked for TWO HOURS. Reporter Zach Sims gives a very thorough account on the hearing and what was said, saying that only one quarter of the speakers were in favor of keeping the books. Part of the worry was that public funds should not be spent on the kind of material that would draw the wrong element:

“I don’t want seedy people coming into the library and moving into our community,” Aulgur said.

Some of the speakers requested removal of the books in question, others suggested a special section for books with what may be deemed “adult” material. Some suggested the books be kept behind the library counter or someplace else where they would not be within the reach of children.

“This is a clear-cut case of common sense,” said Mark Mills, husband of Louise Mills.

Some were more positive about the material.

A small number of citizens at the meeting spoke in support of the library, including Claudia Milstead. Milstead said that there are people who want to read the books in question.

“I want to thank the Marshall Public Library for acquiring these two books and I hope that you find a way to keep the two books without offending the people who have expressed what I think are some very heartfelt concerns,” Milstead said.

Well, we’ve all been waiting for something like this. Obviously, it’s still small at this point. As one of our commenters pointed out, imagine if Mills had come across a REALLY explicit comic, like Crumb or S. Clay Wilson. Or Phoebe Gloeckner or Gilbert Hernandez. Or LOST GIRLS.

It’s not just comics, of course. At this very moment, parents are trying to ban Fahrenheit 451 (for bible burning and foul language) and Harry Potter. In fact, Harry Potter is the most banned — and popular — book of the 21st century. Here’s the complete Top 10:

1. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

2. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

3. Alice series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

4. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

5. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

6. Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers

7. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris

8. Scary Stories series by Alvin Schwartz

9. Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey

10. Forever by Judy Blume

Thus far, comics have come under remarkably little attack in libraries and elsewhere. There have been a few worries over manga, but parental concerns have stayed local for the most part, with nothing gaining much traction. Is this just luck? Maybe. Watchdog pressure groups are really good at mustering support, and mobilizing phone calls and letter writing campaigns. It’s probably only a matter of time before some national crusader gets wind of yaoi and gets a grassroots campaign under way. And then, all hell will break loose.

Libraries are the first best defense of keeping a free flow of ideas. Librarians and library boards in America have a pretty decent track record of defending their right to shelve controversial material. Some battles are lost, of course. And America right now is losing endless battles of common sense on a depressingly daily basis.

Is this a tempest in a teapot? Yes and no. It’s a small town library board meeting, after all. Defending award-winning, best selling books like BLANKETS and FUN HOME is easy. Other books aren’t going to have that critical back-up. They’re more like the slow moving wildebeest in the herd: vulnerable.

Comics and graphic novels may continue their free ride of approval for quite some time. Or the storm cloud we’ve feared may bust wide open at any time. I no longer believe that common sense will prevail in America, so there may be tough battles, if they come. There may be casualties. I think we’ll win in the end, but…don’t take any of this lightly. Be mindful.

A Marshall, Missouri woman has requested that FUN HOME by Alison Bechdel and BLANKETS by Craig Thompson be removed from the library shelves, because she feels they are inappropriate, writes the Marshall-Democrat News. A library hearing was held last night to examine the issue with a decision expected on October 11th.

The Marshall Public Library Board of Trustees will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 4, to hear a request to remove material from the library.

Louise Mills of Marshall is requesting that two graphic novels — “Fun Home,” by Alison Bechdel and “Blankets,” by Craig Thompson — be removed from the library because she feels that the books are inappropriate. Mills has filed forms with the library to request the removal of the books. Mills could not be reached for comment Tuesday, Oct. 3.

[snip]Marshall Public Library Director Amy Crump said that almost any book in the library can be seen as “offensive” to someone.

“Any time a person or one group of people are allowed to mandate what information is available to an entire community, you find yourself on the slippery slope of censorship,” Crump said.

In the story Crump invited member of the community who are anti-censorship to come to the hearing.

Are you in the mood for something salty? Because you’re going to have to take a grain or two with this one. A story emanating from WENN, the news service that takes out of context quotes and writes news stories about them, claims that a comic about 9/11 aimed at children has outraged Muslim groups. It kind of vaguely sounds like it might be the best-selling THE 9/11 REPORT, but there’s not enough sourcing to know. Either way, it’s kind of funny:

A US children’s comic book based on the events of 9/11 has sparked outrage among religious groups, who have dubbed the cartoons “far too violent”. The comic has been created to be as true to the real-life events as possible, complete with bad language and graphic violence so children can learn what happened during the terrorist attacks. The Muslim Association Of Britain says, “This will promote ill-feeling towards Muslims - the only way we are portrayed is as terrorists. It shows physical violence as well as bad language. “Young children should not be subjected to that kind of material. The attacks on that tragic day are an important part of history. “They must not be trivialised in this way.” But the comic has the full support of officials heading the US probe into the attacks. Commission bosses THOMAS KEAN and LEE HAMILTON say, “Both of us hope these pages inspire the younger generation to learn more about the events of 9/11.”