Banning books, so popular now, and so popular often, is really just a race to the intellectual bottom.
The Nazi Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbells urged the German people to say no to “decadence and corruption” and instead follow the Nazi lead. This sounds a lot like modern American conservatives. After all who is in favor of decadence and corruption?
The Nazis were not satisfied with their achievement in creating a bonfire of books they had to convince people this was done in the name of real freedom. It is amazing how often and in how many different places around the world, freedom is attacked in the name of virtues, even in the name of freedom.
This reminds me of the words of George Orwell in his magnificent novel 1984 where he talked about the slogans of the totalitarian Party in power:
“War is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is Strength
There was also “the Ministry of Peace which concerned itself with War.” And of course in the novel the most frightening ministry was “The Ministry of Love.” As Orwell wrote, the people were given a new language, called appropriately, “Newspeak” which was designed “not to expand but diminish the range of thought.”
Before the German occupation, a freedom library was opened in Paris as part of the counter revolution to the book burning in Germany. As Richard Ovenden said, “ Many people realized banning books is an act of war on truth.”
That library soon contained over 20,000 books, including not just the banned books, but even Nazi books, because the agents of freedom realized it was necessary for people to understand Nazism in order to understand what an assault on truth it constituted. The library was supported by intellectuals such as Bertrand Russell, Andre Gide and the founder the Polish intellectual Alfred Kantorowich.
The Brooklyn Jewish Center in New York also made a home for Nazi banned books for the same reason in 1934 supported by world famous intellectuals, like Albert Einstein and Upton Sinclair. These are all intellectuals who understand the importance of libraries for freedom.
Freedom to read is an essential part of freedom. No freedom to read; no freedom.