TWISTING FACTS TO SUIT THEORIES: BANNING SHERLOCK IN AMERICAN CLASSROOMS
On November 23 we had the pleasure of meeting Professor Alicia Defonzo from Old Dominion University, VA. The conference was held in Palazzo Battiferri at 9 A.M. She presented a very fascinating Presentation about the sterilization of literature in United States, analyzing one of the most famous cases of literary censorship against Sherlock Holmes on religious grounds. US courts have banned this book because it is considered to be unsuitable for children as it gives negative representations of the Mormon faith and covers serious issues such as mental disorder. However, students are struggling to get free access to information: if a novel is unorthodox or unpopular doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value. According to Mrs. Defonzo, a student has the right to read and to learn from any type of book, especially considering that nowadays young people in the US are losing interest in reading.
I admired how fiercely she introduced this topic to the audience and I think she has a point: knowledge might scare sometimes, but shouldn’t we be more afraid of ignorance instead?
Laura Palermo
Click on the following link to read the Presentation of Professor Alicia Defonzo