Stephen King, The Boys, Saga, and More Books Banned by Texas Prisons

As a voracious reader and a firm believer in the transformative power of literature, I find the Texas prison book ban to be a disheartening and shortsighted policy. Having spent countless hours immersed in the pages of comics, novels, and graphic novels alike, I can attest to their ability to transport us to different worlds, broaden our perspectives, and inspire change within ourselves.

In the fictional world of Gotham City, Batman fights crime and locks up wrongdoers, but in the real-world Texas prisons, over 10,000 books have been prohibited, including popular comic books, works by Stephen King, Anne Rice, and many others. As KUT News reports, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s ban means that none of its 134,000 inmates can access these forbidden titles. You can search for the list yourself here: [link to the list].

As a gamer, I’ve stumbled upon quite a few books that have been prohibited. The reasons behind these bans generally fall under six main categories: explicit content, guides on setting up criminal activities, escape facilitation, instructions on making explosives, weapons, or drugs, and material intended to disrupt prison order through inmate unrest.

In relation to Batman, both the games “Batman: Arkham Knight” and “Batman: Three Jokers” were included in the list due to containing information about escape (for Arkham Knight) and sexually explicit content (for Three Jokers). Many books by Rice are prohibited for illegal sexual content or graphic images, as is the case with all current volumes of Image Comics’ “Saga”. Several of King’s novels are also on this list due to various forms of sexual content. The novel “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption” is banned for both its sexual content and depictions of escape. Surprisingly, books on coding, tax preparation, and other similar subjects have been added to the list as they fall under the category of setting up and operating criminal schemes. However, a representative from Texas’ Department of Criminal Justice stated that just being on the banned book list now does not guarantee it will remain there forever. The department has approved previously rejected books and intends to continue evaluating their processes for improvement.

Amanda Hernandez stated that TDCJ will keep refining their procedures for the benefit of the people they serve, all while ensuring the well-being and protection of their staff and those under their supervision.

As reported by KUT News, a significant number of prohibited books on the list are comic books such as graphic novels and manga. Frequently, it’s the artwork that leads to these bans, a point emphasized by Brian K. Vaughn, author of “Saga” and the fifth most banned author on the list, who pointed out that this format is often singled out due to its visual nature.

Vaughn stated that graphic novels have a broad appeal to many readers because they are: “At the same time, quite captivating.” Additionally, he mentioned that it is simpler to quickly scan through them and point out elements like: “Oh, look, there’s an exposed part of a body.

Regarding items not explicitly listed and thus allowed, books like Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf”, works by former KKK grand wizard David Duke, and even “Saga” can be found on the approved list. However, some critics argue that the process of deciding what is banned or not, such as the banning of certain books for “racial content”, seems more arbitrary to others like Vaughn, suggesting a degree of unpredictability in the selection process.

He mentioned that this particular tale, focusing on themes such as redemption, forgiveness, and the strength of non-violence, resonates deeply with those fortunate enough to discover it.

Previously, the ban on books in Texas prisons has been scrutinized, as reported by The Dallas Morning News back in 2017. At that time, it was found that certain materials were prohibited in Texas prisons, while books like those by Hitler and Duke were approved, despite the fact that Where’s Waldo? Santa Spectacular and Homer Simpson’s Little Book of Laziness were banned – these latter two books have since been removed from the ban list. Furthermore, Texas has faced criticism over book banning and censorship issues in a broader context. In Llano County, Texas, a legal battle concerning library books has been ongoing for over a year, following seven library patrons suing county officials after they ordered the removal of 17 books from the library due to concerns about race and LGBTQ identity. A lower court had mandated that the books be reinstated, but the county appealed, leading to some books being returned but not all – prompting another appeal by the county. Depending on the outcome of this appeal, the case may reach the Supreme Court.

2024-09-27 01:41

Read More