Bans, Challenges, and Burning
Any book considered a cultural icon is often not without controversy. "Slaughterhouse-Five" is no exception. It is on the American Library Association's list of "Banned and Challenged Classics" and includes 8 cases of challenging, 5 cases of banning, 1 case of censorship, and 1 case of book burning. The word cloud below includes the most frequently cited reasons for bans and challenges of this book.
Perhaps the most controversial challenge occurred in November, 1973, four years after the book was published. English teacher, Bruce Severy assigned Vonnegut’s "Slaughterhouse-Five" to his sophomore class in Drake, North Dakota. Shortly after, a student complained, and members of the school board (after reading the book in whole or in part) deemed the novel "profane.” The school board feared that if youth read Mr. Vonnegut’s works, with its “damns” and “mother f*ckers,” they would stray from what a local Lutheran pastor deemed, “the values of the community,” which was what the school board thought they were reflecting in their decision to destroy the books (Stevens, 1973). A custodian at the school was ordered to toss all 32 copies of the book into the furnace.
What resulted was an outcry. Reporters descended on the town of 650 people, and students petitioned for the return of the book. After reading "Slaughterhouse-five," one student pointed out, "There isn't anything in these books that we haven't heard before" (Stevens, 1973).
In a letter Vonnegut (1973) wrote to the school board regarding their actions, he addressed the profanity in his book, “It is true that some of the characters speak coarsely. That is because people speak coarsely in real life. Especially soldiers and hardworking men speak coarsely, and even our most sheltered children know that. And we all know, too, that those words really don’t damage children much. They didn’t damage us when we were young. It was evil deeds and lying that hurt us.” He goes on to say, “… books are sacred to free men for very good reasons, and…wars have been fought against nations which hate books and burn them.”
What resulted was an outcry. Reporters descended on the town of 650 people, and students petitioned for the return of the book. After reading "Slaughterhouse-five," one student pointed out, "There isn't anything in these books that we haven't heard before" (Stevens, 1973).
In a letter Vonnegut (1973) wrote to the school board regarding their actions, he addressed the profanity in his book, “It is true that some of the characters speak coarsely. That is because people speak coarsely in real life. Especially soldiers and hardworking men speak coarsely, and even our most sheltered children know that. And we all know, too, that those words really don’t damage children much. They didn’t damage us when we were young. It was evil deeds and lying that hurt us.” He goes on to say, “… books are sacred to free men for very good reasons, and…wars have been fought against nations which hate books and burn them.”