Roaming the 'Net

I just found this wonderful site-- check out "The Censorship Pages." It has some links to articles, discussion boards, quotations, and online stores that primarily sell banned books. Here's an excerpt from the site:

As an example of a just banned book, David Guterson's acclaimed book Snow Falling on Cedars has been banned by the South Kitsap School District in Washington state as an inappropriate and obscene book. Why it was banned is much deeper, as the book is written about the racism and anti-Japanese persecution during and after WW II on the Kitsap Peninsula. The book was banned because Kitsap is still a right wing, racist stronghold and they wish to block any recognition of their bigoted past and present.

While I don't know anything about Kitsap, Washington and its reasons for banning this book from its schools, I do know that most censorship is motivated by fear. While Kitsap may have banned the book simply because it portrayed them in a negative light, they also could have banned it because the book touches on issues that may still exist in that area today. I haven't read "Snow Falling on Cedars," but I do remember my high school junior English teacher blacking out entire pages of the book with Magic Marker before letting any students read the book. I don't know about the rest of you, but it has definitely piqued my curiosity. It's on my contstantly growing list of books to read.