After drawing national scorn for their book review policy the board of Hamilton East Public Library has reversed their decision to transfer more than 1,300 books out of the Young Adult section of the library on the grounds of objectionable content. This was in many ways the brainchild of Micah Beckwith who is currently seeking office for the Lt. Governor of Indiana. This debate connects with a 1959 conversation held between Mike Wallace and the Publisher President of Random House, Bennett Cerf spoke out against censorship and stood up for the good taste and individual choice of readers everywhere.
You can hear the full interview published on Tubi for the full context.
https://tubitv.com/tv-shows/200002038/s01-e22-bennett-cerf?start=true
Highlights included an emphasis that book readers are not usually the source for social ills and societal decay. It is also important to remember that censorship doesn’t end strictly with objectionable material it quickly expands to include censorship of more fundamental ideas in an ultimate effort to moralize over your life and determine what you’re allowed to think. Check out the conversation on this week’s episode of Saturday Night on the Circle!
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