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Censoring Imagination: Why Prisons Ban Fantasy and Science Fiction LitHub
"As PEN America’s new report Reading Between the Bars shows, #books banned in prisons by some states dwarf all other book censorship in school and public libraries. Prison censorship robs those behind bars of everything from exercise and health to art and even yoga, often for reasons that strain credulity
"The strangest category of bans however, are the ones on magical and fantastical literature"
https://lithub.com/censoring-imagination-why-prisons-ban-fantasy-and-science-fiction/
Eternal shame on these totalitarian garbagios and on anyone who is trying to control access to books. SHAME.
@CitizenWald there was an article about prisons banning MTG and coding manuals
https://www.wpr.org/magic-gathering-manuals-books-banned-wisconsin-prisons-expo-reading
but browsing through the Marshall Project's database could yield even stranger results
https://www.themarshallproject.org/2022/12/21/prison-banned-books-list-find-your-state
@alks Ah, my old native WPR!--thanks very much for sharing
@CitizenWald Unbelievable! What do they think prisoners are going to try and resurrect Voldemort in their cells so he can lead them to freedom?
@TheVoiceGuy I know, right? A mentality I will never understand
@CitizenWald It’s like they’re just twisting the knife.
@TheVoiceGuy
Saying: you cannot even imagine being free. Literally.
@CitizenWald Fair enough there are some nasty people behind those walls but give them something to do and something to read for god sake.
I just cannot wrap my head around America.
No offence.
@TheVoiceGuy I was agreeing with you (sorry if I was unclear).
And yes, we are a very strange country! Many good traits--but some others that are disturbing (periodic mass shootings is on that list), as well as a few that are only peculiar
@TheVoiceGuy Exactly. That's what I meant.
@CitizenWald Absolutely understand what you’re getting at.
The name "Correctional Facility", used by some of these institutions, is a fantasy itself.
They're actually "Cruelty and Pain Centers".
@CitizenWald Evangelical Xians (plus Mormons, and likely others) have latched onto Isaiah 8:19, "wizards that peep and mutter." Yes, they believe that Bilbo and Gandalf are conduits for Satan.
@CitizenWald deeply, deeply horrifying. thank you for writing about it.
@CitizenWald er.. for sharing the article (we checked the byline right after saying that)
@irenes Thanks, though I did not write it--just sharing the news report