Katie Couric's Notebook: 'Banned Books Week' (CBS News)

[ancifiregigibow]

I still haven`t been able to publish a book in my country, because they have remembered me prevously for trying to sell my stories to a local newspaper. They have rejected me each and every time, because my stories were `too tough to handle by audiences`. Yeah, right...

[Sammygirl1231]

The only people I can think of who would try and ban "To kill a mockingbird" would be white supremacists.

[TheNerdyCanuck]

Florida tried to ban 1984 because it was PRO communist!? Did whoever challeged it even read the book!!??

And the reason behind Black Beauty being banned is hilarious.

[garylssk]

who tried to ban of mice and men?...its amazing...i remember when i read it in school i had to pretend to think it was "gay" because of my friends but i loved it.

[wecouldallbefaceless]

She makes an excellent point.

[TammyTheGeek]

It's so sad that people have nothing else to do but try to curtail other people's rights to read what they choose. Let's be honest, we know who is behind all this. And our rights to read what we choose should not be left up to someone else's religion or their interpretation of our own.

[Crimble67]

A while back I decided that people shouldn't read books anymore due to the fact that I have determined the activity to be a form of mind control.  I mean, think about it. Staring at other people's words strung together in clearly incoherent patterns for hours on end. It's just propaganda for another person's perspective on life. That's how religions are formed. It's clearly dangerous and definitely subversive.

[Chamelionroses]

Oh, no! I am being mind controlled by what I am reading in your comment. lol just kidding.

[DeathWishPictures]

Very true, but Books are based on opinion (and a common one at that)

[wemakefunofmovies]

if you dont like the book, then dont read it, simple as that.

:-|

[Jadesbooks]

To Kill A Mockingbird is an excellent work of historical fiction. It makes me laugh and also makes me cry.

[lumpagogo]

Try to guess what broadcasting school Katie went to, or Chs. Gibson, Brian William, O'Reilly, Limbaugh, Lou Dobbs, Wolf Blitzer, Keith Olberman et al, et al went to.

You can bet a $50,000,000,000 bill none of them is school-trained because not a one of them knows how to read the news.

[WeeTater]

The Catcher in the Rye was banned for a time. so was Animal Farm and even some childrens' books were questioned in the past.

[freckleforce93]

What the hell, why are they taking away legendary books. what are they going to take next, the catcher in the rye?

[BookJunkie5]

they did... =(

They take away everything. I still read them tho. =]

[TammyTheGeek]

I've got news for you, The Catcher in the Rye is on the list of banned books.

[GuacamoleKun]

lol, why? I wasn't paying much attention when we read that book in class, but I really don't remember anything except a guy with a weird hat being emo and buying a record for his sister or something. Nothing explicit, really.

[DeathWishPictures]

Dude, Catcher in the Rye is a coming of age story. It symbolizes that as Holden tries to stay young at heart and not lose his innocence. He realizes that you have to grow up sometime. and as for how he wanted to be the Catcher, that symbolizes not letting kids grow up. "catching them" He realizes that you have to let everyone grow up and not make decisions for them.

[GuacamoleKun]

Oh. Well thanks. I guess I was too young when we read it. But anyway, why did that get it banned?

[DeathWishPictures]

Because people think that it was unsuited for it's age group

[Missymgish]

Why "To kill a mocking bird"! I love that book. People who ban books just aren't smart enough to understand the deep symbolism of great books.

[alieninthecaribbean]

It amazes me no end how Christians who advocate banning fiction when it deals with certain subject matter, advocate their own children to read the bible which is rife with violence, female mutilation, gang rape, human and animal sacrifice, slavery, incest and genocide just to name a few.

In fact, one of the heroes of the bible David, acts like a peeping tom, lusts over another man's wife, has sex with her and kills her husband.

I guess there is a double standard for religious fiction.

[dotmfan24]

Because apparently gay novels are 'anti-family' content.

They're considered a hate group.

I could agree more with you. I couldn't have said it better myself.

[thetotalvidwatcher]

You have a point!

[Mattyew]

banning books is on par with nazi supremacy. and guess what? PALIN TRIED TO BAN BOOKS. if you vote for mccain you're pretty much a nazi.

[sundina501621]

i like to kill a mocking bird! why dont those overprotective parents get a life!

[navajo5150]

Literature suppressed on sexual, social or religious grounds or because some rich bitch doesn't agree with the content is a disgrace to the people who founded this country. Have we forgotten the Federalist Papers? What if it were banned? We the people should have the right to choose what we want to read.

[tom9par]

I hate to say this but Katie has become very boring to listen to.

[tawbrey863]

Read a book, Read a mother f'in book!

[putittogether]

DeadlyChinchilla--Yes they can learn how to be an ill informed, lazy, cowardly, selfish, sell out. This "girl" should not be anchoring jack shit. she has never asked the tough questions in her LIFE to anyone, and informed reasoned people know this.

[goodinohio]

She should of had an 8 year old girl crying "I just want to learn".

[DeadlyChinchilla]

I loved a poster I saw at my campus... I'd have never seen this at my high school. It said...

"READ BANNED BOOKS!"

Simple, yet effective. Gets you thinking.

[putittogether]

So sad that this girl (and I mean girl not woman, a real woman would have said something a long time ago, not just when it is politically ok to say so) has to remind us of freedom. When she is the shinning example of what not to be in the American Press.

[DeadlyChinchilla]

Riiiight, one of the best known women in media today, relegated to "girl" status because she didn't talk about something soon enough.

Get a life.

[putittogether]

If you think it is ok for this "girl" to be an example to young woman in America today, than you have a great deal to learn about.

[DeadlyChinchilla]

The young women in todays society could learn much from her success... and from the sexism that surrounds her, despite that success.

[LayneRoxxx]

If someone tries to take away our rights they deserve to be SHOT!

Censorship cannot be tolerated. The only thing missing from this is the people's faces that are trying to do this.

[caymanpeg]

Charming-another Hillary voter? you must be.

[caymanpeg]

What Freedoms Katie?, Maybe the freedom to keep our hard earned money, the same money your friend Hillary wants to take from us-You make me sick-You are a socialist "frontman" for your elite liberal socialist friends The Clinton's et al F.U.C.

[palimony]

suck my cheney CBS

[superallye]

Nice legs :)

[ziegfeldgirl12]

Wow, you watched an entire video on banned books and the injustice of the concept and all you came away from it with was her legs.

[superallye]

I didn't watch the whole video, just the legs part. Now you're too young for this things so just do you're schoolwork

[ziegfeldgirl12]

Ive read most of the books on this list kid. I think you're the one that needs to go back to school.

[ziegfeldgirl12]

Nice comeback

[superallye]

Thank you but I don't trade insults/comebacks with lil gals. You're too young for this anyways sweetie. Say what you want to say next, that'll be cute ^_^ bye

[ziegfeldgirl12]

ugh, just what I thought, your another male chauvinist.

[superallye]

I didn't watch the whole video, just the legs part. Now you're too young for this things so just do you're schoolwork

[bpCodes4u]

superallye, please watch the video over and LISTEN.

[superallye]

Sorry dude I tried very hard to do that but something in her is distracting me ;)

[bpCodes4u]

....Of Mice and Men...

[yankees12054]

mrs finger made us do this in english class

[edishh]

no book should be burned or banned. But if i could go back 2000 years and burn the bible and hence stop all the religous retards to poising our society with ther missguided hatred for freedom and common sense, i would do so in a heartbeat. EVERY TIME SOMEONE TELLS YOU WHAT TO READ, AND WHAT NOT TO READ: AIM FOR THE BALLS!

[triton609]

So you are in favor of burning books or not in favor of burning books?

[edishh]

u cant read??

"no book should be burned or banned."

and since i dont have a timetravelling DeLorean, i might have some trouble going back. And ofcourse burning the bible would mean nothing. They would probably just take some other pointless, grizzly and draconian fairytale to worship from....

[triton609]

I was just wondering. You said, "no book should be burned or banned. But" ,and that kind of confused me I guess.

[micky7215]

Well, you're just one "heartbeat" away from finding out if all tose "religious retards" are right and you are wrong. Your response makes no sense? Hatred for freedom? common sense? what religious retards are you referring to? YOu better get down on your knees and ask Jesus to Save your soul, Now. I think you mean the "liberal left" that actually "do" hate freedom, and have no common sense whatsoever.

[Parakeith]

Yeah, I can totally see where you're coming from about banning Of Mice and Men and To Kill a Mockingbird. Let's get rid of books that show how innocence is the most precious thing and discrimination is wrong. GOOD IDEA.

And people ask why racism hasn't gotten any better in these years of "acceptance".

[NCnutmeg]

Now wonder her show is in last place.

[flufbus]

People say that books should be pulled when they don't anywhere near the content as the bible does and yet nobody wants a ban on the bible.

[154421535]

I think young children should not have access to books on oral sex, or sex with animals. We need to protect children. I would have them focus on other things besides sex. Look at the books that currently trying to censor. The books are gross.

I wouldn't want my husband reading them.

[flufbus]

They have to learn sometime.

[titties100]

i cant stand people like you. lets sensor everything that isnt rainbows and happiness right? lets have our kids growing up being ignorant and not realizing thruths about the world around them. good thinking you stupid conservative

[ikbrooks]

Looks like you think with your titties. You are too stupid to see the difference between learning opportunities and trash masquerading as educational materials. Instead of throwing stones at the "stupid conservative" why don't you try being a parent instead of being your childs buddy. .

[ikbrooks]

If and when we are overrun by illegals or the jihadists those liberal peacemakers, or as Joseph Stalin believed and Lenin said, the useful idiots in Hollywood and the anti 2nd amendment pukes to include you will be the first to make your cameo on: Heads on, Heads off: The Jihadist Hour.

[ikbrooks]

Looks like you think with your titties. You are too stupid to see the difference between learning opportunities and trash masquerading as educational materials. Instead of throwing stones at the "stupid conservative" why don't you try being a parent instead of being your childs buddy.

[micky7215]

Yeah, just like you, ignorant and not knowing the truth if it hit you in the head, stupid, and you can't spell.

[ui334]

We're banning books now?!?! Next we'll be burning them!

Everyone needs to read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.

[QuasiEvilScott]

One of my favorite (read "am amused by") book banning issues was when parents tried to ban Fahrenheit 451.

Irony is delicious.

Also - No book, regardless of content, should ever be banned. Young adults need to read about things, to understand those things.

And any concerns about sex, violence, or identity - can be easily challenged with the availability of Cosmo - and grocery stores are more common than libraries.

-Qes

[micky7215]

Yes, it should if it is in public schools.

[QuasiEvilScott]

You're not serious... you cant be: such... perfect irony, being manifest would require ignorance and self-delusion on a scale I would prefer to believe is fanciful and impossible.

If however you are, I can only be grateful that you are a powerless minority in that opinion.

-Qes

[carneyobama100]

Katie Couric's Writer's Notebook. Talking dress.

[sensiblechic303]

Katie, stop trying to be someone you're not. I've tuned in on occasion and your makeup is so dramatic and eyebrows so sharp. Soften it up and just be yourself... that's how you got the job in the first place.

[dysphonix]

Edward R. Murrow's poor body is on perpetual rollover in its grave now that Couric is sitting in his chair...

[agentk1986]

Banning to Kill a Mockingbird? I read that in 8th grade and knew what racism and rape was WAYYYYYYYY before I read the book. The far-right needs to stop and take a breather. What about the film? They'll have to ban that too!

btw, Katie Couric sucks.

[arabmagic501]

Maybe a good topic, but poorly addresed, by a poor anchor, with only a far left quote.

[NearbyPlovis]

Yes, it is shocking how far left this segment is. I am amazed they were able to cram that much leftism into only one minute of television news.

[pauldstein]

So, what do YOU advocate if freedom of thought is a "left wing" idea??? oh I am SOOO curious as to your answer

[thommyutube]

Just more "dumbing down" of America. Don't think "dumb" is dangerous? Read the blog, Dumber Than Dirt? at the Peak Energy blog to find out how dangerous dumb can be!

[LovelyMalevolence]

Wtf? She's the only person I know how can make any topic an issue of how much our freedom costs.

[rchavez587]

she should smile a little bit

[sabbathmeister]

Why in the world would anybody want to ban Of Mice And Men? I know that racism is part of the storyline but that was just a product of the time that the book depicts. In my opinion it was one of the best books I ever read.