Banned Books Night in Exeter

Last night at  Water Street Books  in Exeter, the ACLU hosted an event featuring readings of books which have been banned from various locales, including libraries, bookstores and school systems. 

This was the fourth annual event, and this one including Peyton Place, Howard Zinn's history of  America, Lillian Hellman's play, "The Children's Hour" and other pieces.

Excerpts were read from each. Renny Cushing read the splendid opening paragraph of Peyton Place and he gave some of the history of the storm it provoked, including the remarks from the Manchester Union Leader's William Loeb who said it was a harbinger of the imminent  end of Western Civilization.  Cushing read the description of Dr. Matthew Swain's confrontation with the reality of incestuous rape and the need to respond with an abortion.  There are many other passages he could have read from Peyton Place, which addressed the damage done by organized religion, the oppressive class structure in the town, and  the tension between prim and proper church going Norman Rockwell small town values and the hot sensual desires percolating unseen beneath.  Much of the book is an effort to show the Chamber of Commerce image of small town New England is a lie, but the abortion passages may have been chosen because of the congressional hearings on Planned Parenthood which were held that same day.

I suppose nothing quite undermines the notion that you can keep the lide on basic human drives more than abortion. If everyone could or would just say "No" then there would be no abortions--but people are not saints. 

A history and social studies teacher from Portsmouth High School read Howard Zinn's description of the murderous fury Christopher Columbus unleashed on the people he found living in Haiti, from whom he demanded gold which they did not have and could not provide. The atrocities were motivated by a capitalist drive to make the capital invested in the expedition pay off in gold, a harbinger of what was to come in the history of the United States. 

The head of the drama department at Phillips Exeter Academy read from the Lillian Hellman play, "The Children's Hour," which concerned two women teachers who have been accused by a student of having a lesbian affair.  The lie carries weight and it doesn't matter it's a lie because, as Shakespeare said, "In speech, there is logic."   It doesn't matter whether the statement is groundless, or the videotape photo shopped--all that matters is the accusation.  Scoundrels from Joseph McCarthy to Jason Chaffetz have known this--true is in the eye of the beholder and often it is simply what you claim it is, no matter how absurd.

It was wonderful to be among friends at the bookstore.  The readings remind us of the power of an idea, and the anger and desperation of those who want to try to kill ideas.