<p><b>November 19, 2010</b>. Why would anyone want to ban a book? Can a book really be that dangerous? Some people still think so. Aldous Huxley's <i>Brave New World</i> was <a href="http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/2010/11/brave_new_world_banned_from_cu.php" target="_brave">recently banned in a Seattle public school</a>. Yes, it was actually banned. </p> <p> As the article mentions, the people who were initially offended by the book didn't appear to have read the book carefully enough to realize that the word "Savages" is used ironically in the book to illustrate the backwardness of a modern industrialized society. </p> <p>To most people, the Seattle school district that banned <i>Brave New World</i> seems a bit silly. But have there been any controversial books/statements/etc. where reasonable people would be more likely to disagree? One example from this year is <a href="http://twitter.com/sarahksilverman" target="_ss">Sarah Silverman's</a> TED talk. Read about the talk in <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2010/02/14/ted-organizer-trashes-speaker-fails-social-iq-test/" target="_tc">this scathing blog post</a>. </p> <p>So what can we as authors take from this? Well, your book, your characters, and your words have the unique ability to connect with the thoughts and feelings of a reader... At times, so much so that some readers will not like the thoughts and feelings your words engender, and may want to see your book banned. Others may fail to appreciate your use of certain words or images. So be it. We don't advocate writing controversial stuff just to be controversial, but if your story goes there, let it. After all, there is nothing remarkable for a person in today's world to hold <a href="http://twitter.com/gaberivera/status/8976199410" target="_t2">certain beliefs</a> that people seem to like to pat themselves on the back about over and over again. We believe the most dangerous thing is when people decide not to write about something because of its controversial nature, and that's one of the reasons why our glimpses are anonymous. Go get 'em.</p>

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