Was The Wizard Of Oz Banned Because It Promoted ‘Girl Power’?
BY
SA'IYDA SHABAZZ
PUBLISHED JAN 16, 2020
L. Frank Baum's book 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' has been banned in certain places because people didn't like the main character Dorothy being a hero
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz book cover
It's hard to believe that there are people out there who ban books. Books are made to inspire and encourage readers to think of worlds outside of their own. Whether those worlds are real or made up, books are meant to unite people. But there are some stories that really get under people's skin for various reasons. Sometimes it's hard to believe certain books have been banned, especially when you find out why. Can you believe The Wizard of Oz was banned in places?
Even if you've never read the book, which is actually called The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, you've certainly heard of it. Most people know it because of the 1939 movie starring Judy Garland as Dorthy Gale. Dorothy is actually one of the reasons the book has been banned since its release in 1900. People were actually mad that Dorothy was the hero in her own story and banned the book as a result.
Way back in 1928, which is 28 years after the book's release, all public libraries banned the book because they felt it was "ungodly." And what exactly was ungodly you ask? They didn't like it “depicting women in strong leadership roles." Seems ridiculous when you think about it, but back then that was a totally valid reason. The fact that a teenage girl was the hero in her own story bothered ministers and educators throughout the 1950s and 1960s too. Apparently only men can save the day.
Dorothy Dodd, a Florida librarian, publicly denounced the book series in 1952. She called the books "unwholesome for young readers." Something similar happened in 1957 when the Detroit Public Library banned the books. The people in charged claimed that the books had “no value for children of today," saying the characters and storylines displayed “negativism and brought children’s minds to a cowardly level."
Thankfully Dr. Russell B. Nye from Michigan State University responded to the Detroit Public Library's accusations. Nye said “if the message of the Oz books- that love, kindness, and unselfishness make the world a better place- has no value today, then maybe the time is ripe to reassess a good many of other things beside the Detroit Library’s approval list of children’s books."
But the most publicized banning of The Wizard of Oz was in 1986. Seven Fundamentalist Christian families in Tennessee wanted the book banned in public schools. They filed a lawsuit against the schools because they didn't like the novel's depiction of nice witches. Their argument was “the novel’s depiction of benevolent witches and promoting the belief that essential human attributes were ‘individually developed rather than God given’." Who knew that nice witches were such a problem? Certainly not us.
In spite of people trying so hard to get rid of the books, there's a reason The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is still a favorite among kids over 100 years later.
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