The view that harry potter is a threat to religion is not a new concern, as columnist daniel nexon wrote in new republic in 2007. Harry potter books banned from catholic school in the us due to curses and spells 272 shares. Harry potter expelled from uae schools books the guardian. The harry potter series frequently tops lists of banned books, but not always for such a literal reason.
Jul 30, 1997, harry potter and the sorcerers stone book published. Edward catholic school, recently banned all seven harry potter books in the beloved series from the schools library. Harry potter and the sorcerers stone banned showing 123 of 23. At that time, the final installment of the book series was being. Censors of the 1990s are concerned about the magical spells harry potter casts. However, because harry potter is an orphan, he lives with his muggle non magical relatives. The alas oif defines a challenge as a formal written complaint filed with a library or school about a books content or appropriateness.
The argument that the books are anti family can be valid, depending on your point of view. Opinion harry potter and the poorlyread exorcists the new. As the daily telegraph notes, the books were repeatedly banned by schools and targeted by church. The alas oif defines a challenge as a formal written complaint filed with a library or school about a book s content or appropriateness. And tango makes three, by justin richardsonpeter parnell 5. China cracks down on foreign childrens books world news. By reading banned novels like persepolis by marjane satrapi, i was. The harry potter books have been removed from a schools library in nashville. Boston, ma 2007 series removed from a catholic school when pastor of the school claimed that it was his job to protect the weak and the strong. Why a nashville catholic school just banned all the harry.
Rowling about a young wizard and his friends has been taken off library. Out of all the books people would want to ban, they pick one that is kid friendly, no bad language for the most part, have good morals to them, and are big books to read as well, so it will keep people interested for a while. Harry potter and 20 years of controversy intellectual. Ever since becoming popular, the harry potter series has been among the most frequently challenged books, as measured by the american library association. A catholic school has banned harry potter books because a pastor at the school believes that the magic described in the books is real. Harry potter is one of the most banned books ever youtube. Pat peters in the twenty years since harry potter first arrived on the publishing scene, j.
Harry potter tops list of banned books the new york times. Supporters of the series have said that the magic in harry potter bears. Well, to be extremely nitpicky, harry potter by itself, is the name of a character, the titular one, and the protagonist of the series. Harry potter has been on of the most banned book series in the u. The sevenpart series has been banned in numerous schools across the country due to accusations that they promote witchcraft and go against. Is it a story about a boy wizard and his battle against evil or propoganda aimed at the indoctrination of innocent children to a life of satanism and the occult. In a number of states, there have been attempts, some successful and some unsuccessful, to have the harry potter books banned in classrooms, and banned or under severe restrictions in school libraries.
Harry potter books banned at us school after pastor. Reverend at nashvilles st edward catholic school consulted several exorcists who recommended removing the books. Its not because of what you interpret from the book, it is what the book contains. Jul 15, 2011, harry potter and the deathly hallows part two movie release date. Places of censorship and challenging the harry potter witch. Rowling are based on claims that the novels contain occult or satanic subtexts. Harry potter books banned from school for risk of conjuring spirits. Books open us up to new worlds, new personalities and new perspectives. Religious debates over the harry potter series of books by j. In a different decade, harry potter might not have suffered from such a ludicrous backlash. It respects kids intelligence and motivates them to tackle its greater length and complexity, play imaginative games, and try to solve its logic puzzles. It is undeniable that themes of death and resurrection abound in the stories, as well as detailed depictions of potions and other hocus pocus. Harry potter is one of the most banned books ever fact fiend.
Harry potter books banned from catholic school in the us. If you think were a bunch of squibs, you get to rerank them. Catholic school in tennessee bans harry potter books for. The books were a worldwide success, and went on to sell more than half a billion. Sep 03, 2019 harry potter is a series of fantasy childrens novels written by jk rowling and published between 1997 and 2007. Harry potter and the order of the phoenix is the longest book in the series, at 766 pages in the uk version and 870 pages in the us version. A number of protestant, catholic, and orthodox christians have argued against the series, as have some shia and sunni muslims. I know why the caged bird sings, by maya angelou 7. Its banned books week more evidence that banning books is about as useless as trying to ban air.
The schools pastor argues that the books references to magic are a. It is a magical beast that is bred by dark wizards. Oct 02, 2017 as the image at the top of this page notes, in 2000, the harry potter series was literally the most challenged book in the states with more people complaining about it finding its way into school libraries than they did about a book about terrorism in a school, called the terrorist. The harry potter books have been banned from a catholic school in tennessee because the fictional magic within are actual curses and spells, according to a pastor who described the beloved. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, harry potter, and his friends hermione granger and ron weasley, all of whom are students at hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. Harry potter is now the most banned book in america, according to the american library association. Rowlings harry potter books gave censorship a new target, but. There are currently six foreign titles on listed in the top10 best sellers list by amazons chineselanguage website, including harry potter and sam mcbratneys picture book guess how much i. Opinion harry potter and the poorlyread exorcists the. Supporters of the series have said that the magic in harry potter bears little resemblance to occultism, being more in the.
The practise can be hidden when the department for regulation. Harry potter complete book series special edition boxed set by j. While the series has been welcomed by many parents and teachers for getting children interested in reading, not to mention being a good story, others feel that the series presents dangerous ideas and attitudes that are bad for readers. Harry potter books have been banned by a school in nashville, tennessee for putting readers at risk of conjuring evil spirits.
Harry potter books banned from us school library because they. The first harry potter book was released in 1997, more than two decades ago. Bestsellers on chinas shopping website are the british peppa pig series while jk rowlings harry potter and the deathly hallows features in the top ten on amazons chinese website. Religious parents want harry potter banned from the classroom. What you need to know about fantasy books and movies to warn parents about the dangers of the harry potter books. Harry potter is a series of fantasy novels written by british author j. But harrys official numbers in 2000 probably reflect only the tip of the iceberg of complaints against the potter books. He hates those practices because they blind us to his loving ways, then turn our hearts to a. Catholic school in tennessee bans harry potter books for containing. Sep 02, 2019 a catholic school in nashville, tennessee has banned the harry potter series because a reverend at the school claims the books include both good and evil magic, as well as spells, which, if read. Places of censorship and challenging the harry potter. Religious parents want harry potter banned from the.
But for most of the entire first half of the book, harry and hermione are on a. God shows us that witchcraft, sorcery, spells, divination and magic are evil. Rowlings widely acclaimed book series harry potter attracted millions of young minds to explore the fictional world of hogwartss school of witchcraft and wizardry. Schools and classrooms across the united states, england, and other countries. A school in nashville has removed harry potter books from its library, citing the spells used in the book as real. For example, in gwinnett county, georgia, a parent challenged the harry potter books on the grounds that they promoted witchcraft. Harry potter book series 7 books harry potter and the sorcerers stone by j. Harry potter and the sorcerers stone banned showing 1. The main story arc concerns harrys struggle against lord voldemort, a dark wizard who intends to become immortal, overthrow the. His many fans will likely mark the occasion by rereading a. Most of the books on this list are added by severe overthetop religious groups not necessarily denominations, but groups claiming to represent them. Rowlings boy wizard series has faced more than its share of attempts to see the books limited, banned or even burned in case youve been hiding under a rock or sworn off reading since 1997, rowlings sevenbook series features harry potter, a boy who finds out he is a wizard at age 11. Rowling fans pick up their new copies of harry potter and the deathly hallows in 2007. However, inferring the meaning of your question, yes, the harry potter series is a very wellwritten collecti.
Here are 10 beloved books that have been banned in schools and what made them so controversial. Harry potter and 20 years of controversy intellectual freedom blog. Tennessee school bans harry potter books because the. But harry s official numbers in 2000 probably reflect only the tip of the iceberg of complaints against the potter books. Feb 14, 2002 harry potter expelled from uae schools.
The harry potter books were banned in schools across the united arab emirates uae in 2007. Book banning gained new momentum as groups and individuals publicly imposed their punitive opinions. In the series, harry is treated as a slave or maid by his relatives. Harry potter books and movie release dates timeline. Aug 28, 2017 author richard abanes wrote harry potter, narnia, and the lord of the rings. On monday, june 26, 2017, the story of harry james potter the worlds most famous wizard will celebrate its 20th anniversary. Nov 8, 2005, harry potter and the goblet of fire movie release. A catholic school in nashville has banned the harry potter books on the advice of several catholic exorcists.
The first book, harry potter and the sorcerers stone, was published in 1997 and was an instant success. Nov 19, 2010, harry potter and the deathly hallows part 1 movie release. Elliott in his book, abanes makes a distinction between the christian allegories of c. Harry potter has been on the recommended banned book list since it was published. It is not hating on the fact that the book could contain morals and life lessons, it just goes against in what they believe in. When we ban books like harry potter, students lose out on more. The book, which is branded as the official eighth story in the harry potter series, was published sunday to all the midnightrelease and nerdsdressingincloaks fanfare of yesteryear. Sep 10, 2008 why would harry potter books be banned.
But while there are christians who decry the celebration of witchcraft, there are other christians who. On one side of the harry potter controversy are those who say that j. The harry potter controversy has gone on, in one form or another, for years, particularly before the series ended. As the image at the top of this page notes, in 2000, the harry potter series was literally the most challenged book in the states with more people complaining about it finding its way into school libraries than they did about a book about terrorism in a school, called the terrorist. My friends mother threw out his harry potter books when she found out the books contained magic, witchcraft, and any relation to it. Mar, 2017 there are currently six foreign titles on listed in the top10 best sellers list by amazons chineselanguage website, including harry potter and sam mcbratneys picture book guess how much i. Dec 16, 2015 religious parents want harry potter banned from the classroom because it glorifies witchcraft headteachers have said if concerns are raised, schools should stop using the childrens book in class. Rowlings harry potter books are wonderful fantasy novels with powerful messages for kids and the ability to make even reluctant readers eager readers. Harry potter and the goblet of fire was published on 8 july 2000 at the same time by bloomsbury and scholastic. The series is obviously filled with witchcraft, as the main character himself is a wizard. It was published worldwide in english on 21 june 2003. Censorship was mostly dormant until the election of ronald reagan in 1980. There have been no reported cases of the books being used to. One book editor, who wanted to remain anonymous, said the crackdown was disastrous for the industry with some planned book releases left in limbo.
The series concluded in 2007 with harry potter and the deathly hallows, the seventh installment. Harry potter books banned from catholic school because. A catholic school in nashville, tennessee has banned the harry potter series because a reverend at the school claims the books include. Religious parents want harry potter banned from the classroom because it glorifies witchcraft headteachers have said if concerns are raised. A catholic school banned harry potter books because they. Nov 15, 2016 in addition to its expected young adult audience, the novels drew in readers of all ages as the books gained global popularity. Parents need to know that harry potter and the sorcerers stone is a thrillaminute story, the first in j. The basilisk is a giant serpent, also known as the king of serpents. Harry potter tops list of banned books the new york. Rowling, mary grandpre october 1998 order in the next 7 hours 26 minutes and get it by tuesday, march 03. Here are some other reasons they should totally, definitely be banned. As it happens, this is banned books week in the united states, so the timing of father rehills ban is richly ironic, but harry and his friends are no longer the chief targets of bookbanning.