>Ten Most Harmful Books?

>I had never heard of “Human Events Online: The National Conservative Weekly Since 1944” (created, perhaps, to mourn the death of Germany’s Nazi Party?) until my sister passed along this little tidbit: The Ten Most Harmful Books of the 19th and 20th Centuries.

The concept alone is peculiar and fascist. Can books even be harmful? People can be evil, I’m sure of that; political movements and fundamentalist religious groups can be dangerous; but books? Once you accept that books can be harmful, it isn’t hard to buy into book banning and book burning, and that is something that those of us closer to the other end of the political spectrum would probably not advocate. So no alternative lists for me, as horrible and hateful as this one is. Rachel Carson, for crying out loud? Ralph Nader? Why would distinguished academics even participate in this nonsense?

On the plus side, this looks like a pretty good reading list for anyone desiring a decent education.

About the author

I am the author of three novels--THE LAST BIRD OF PARADISE, OLIVER'S TRAVELS, and THE SHAMAN OF TURTLE VALLEY--and three story collections--IN AN UNCHARTED COUNTRY, HOUSE OF THE ANCIENTS AND OTHER STORIES, and WHAT THE ZHANG BOYS KNOW, winner of the Library of Virginia Literary Award for Fiction. I am also the co-founder and former editor of Prime Number Magazine and the editor of the award-winning anthology series EVERYWHERE STORIES: SHORT FICTION FROM A SMALL PLANET.

Comments

  1. >AH! The burning of books! What ever happened to, “Nah, that’s not a read I would like and thus the money still “burns” in the pocket!
    I get so confused over the “real” issues in life as opposed to those who have nothing better to do then find a ban for bans and their bannings! Alas, I am just one small rectal orifice in the world of hemorrhoids! But then again, what do I really know!

  2. >I now have a new writing goal. There was no fiction on the list, but I hope that someday I’ll be the writer to change that. I’d consider it the highest honor.

  3. >Interestingly disturbing. I can’t help but wonder what a liberals’ list of harmful books would come up with.

  4. >I like to think a liberal wouldn’t try to do something as foolish as make a list of harmful books.

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