Following a post from a couple of weeks back, I thought I'd lay out which books I'm all but certain couldn't get published in today's increasing shrill and politically correct environment. Seeing as there are books on such "controversial" topics as make believe witches and heroines having the audacity to live in a world where slavery still exists(as it did in most of the world until about 200 years ago), I'm sure that the following books would never work today.
1. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Never mind that this was already one of the most banned books in the nation prior to the current trend of woke-scolds, Twain's use of racial language, appropriate at the time but verboten today, would never get past the censors. Never mind that it's actually a story about overcoming racism - this classic wouldn't get past an agent's desk today, much less past a publisher's.
2. To Kill A Mockingbird. When I was a kid, this Harper Lee classic was far and away one of my favorites. The story it wove about a small southern town gripped by racial fears and one man's quest to overcome that environment captivated me. Of course, in today's climate, the tale about a man being falsely accused of rape so the woman involved could hide her affection for a black man would be immediately denounced as victim blaming. Again, two pieces of scorn from the woke-scolds - common racism and some people lying to cover up other stuff, especially involving sexual assault - would be banned before it ever hit shelves.
3. The Scarlet Letter. There's a disconnect in today's society between sexual liberation and sexual victimhood. We are supposed to see women as both sexually independent and hiding from potential rapists around every corner. The Scarlet Letter stomps on this concept by showing the way the Puritans shamed women who strayed outside of the bounds of what they saw as "moral." That the novel is about the overbearing nature of puritanical society, as well as its critique of only one sex standing up against such a burdensome society, would be overlooked by the "shaming" aspect. It would be seen less as a morality tale about one woman standing strong, but rather as "victim shaming."
4. Guns Of The South. I decided to look at a "modern" book(if a novel more than 25 years old can be seen as "modern"). Harry Turtledove is one of my favorites and is a master of alternate history. That said, his use of racial language alone would be enough to get this incredible sci-fi novel banned. Then there's the not-woke-enough concept of the South winning the Civil War(never mind that the only way they were able to do so was through the use of AK47s brought in by time travelers who ended up being the book's main villains). After the controversy surrounding the potential(not-even-seen-yet) series called Confederate, the mere concept would bring out pearl-clutchers of every stripe.
These are just some of the books I don't think could get anywhere close to being made today. What books do you think would get beaten down?
1. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Never mind that this was already one of the most banned books in the nation prior to the current trend of woke-scolds, Twain's use of racial language, appropriate at the time but verboten today, would never get past the censors. Never mind that it's actually a story about overcoming racism - this classic wouldn't get past an agent's desk today, much less past a publisher's.
2. To Kill A Mockingbird. When I was a kid, this Harper Lee classic was far and away one of my favorites. The story it wove about a small southern town gripped by racial fears and one man's quest to overcome that environment captivated me. Of course, in today's climate, the tale about a man being falsely accused of rape so the woman involved could hide her affection for a black man would be immediately denounced as victim blaming. Again, two pieces of scorn from the woke-scolds - common racism and some people lying to cover up other stuff, especially involving sexual assault - would be banned before it ever hit shelves.
3. The Scarlet Letter. There's a disconnect in today's society between sexual liberation and sexual victimhood. We are supposed to see women as both sexually independent and hiding from potential rapists around every corner. The Scarlet Letter stomps on this concept by showing the way the Puritans shamed women who strayed outside of the bounds of what they saw as "moral." That the novel is about the overbearing nature of puritanical society, as well as its critique of only one sex standing up against such a burdensome society, would be overlooked by the "shaming" aspect. It would be seen less as a morality tale about one woman standing strong, but rather as "victim shaming."
4. Guns Of The South. I decided to look at a "modern" book(if a novel more than 25 years old can be seen as "modern"). Harry Turtledove is one of my favorites and is a master of alternate history. That said, his use of racial language alone would be enough to get this incredible sci-fi novel banned. Then there's the not-woke-enough concept of the South winning the Civil War(never mind that the only way they were able to do so was through the use of AK47s brought in by time travelers who ended up being the book's main villains). After the controversy surrounding the potential(not-even-seen-yet) series called Confederate, the mere concept would bring out pearl-clutchers of every stripe.
These are just some of the books I don't think could get anywhere close to being made today. What books do you think would get beaten down?
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