10 Most Harmful Books

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marvin:
I don’t think any book(s) is/are harmful. I’m always a little uncomfortale when I see this kind of list put out there. Some people think the Bible is harmful. I say, let everyone write whatever they want. How will you know what people are thinking unless they are free to make it known? I want to know what people are thinking; especially those that don’t agree with me and especially those who are downright hostile.
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I tend to agree with you, Marvin. I have read lots of books that would not be considered ‘good’ in terms of Catholic Theology. I have to admit that none of them impacted me as much as really, really good books. I can still remember what it was like to read To Kill A Mockingbird for the first time but can’t really remember being impacted at all by the drivel I read in Holy Blood, Holy Grail. In fact, Harriet the Spy had more of an impact on me than that drivel. And while the Harry Potter books were great none of them will ever equal Gone With the Wind.

However, I must tell you that I had excellent schooling from a wonderful woman at my grammar school, Christ the King, in regards to reading. Mrs. Fader taught our ‘advanced reading group’ and she really guided our discussions and helped us look at literature in an objective, but Christ-centered way. I think that is why books that might be considered ‘dangerous’ have never had an adverse affect on me.
 
No books by Satre made the list?

This is the guy who, along with Foucault, laid the groundwork for relativistic morality. Or at least made it look cool, cigarettes and coffee, big philosophical words thrown haphazardly together on a Friday night, ohlala, oh oui oui!

pilchard said:
Idiot’s Guide to Plumbing
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Fwwaaaahahahahah!!!
 
Bobby A. Greene:
Personally I cannot understand how anybook could be banned in a country which advocates free speech and an educated public?
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The link you gave has a generous view of the word “ban” to the point of being a lie. Removal from on library or from the reading list of one grade in one school. is not the same as "banned in America. There were many books I did not let my children read including one school assignment that required substitute assignment. (the book was rank with new age spiritualism and anti-Catholic)
 
pilchard said:
Idiot’s Guide to Plumbing
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Walking magazine. I mean really, do we need an entire line of monthly periodicals discussing the most mundane topic on the planet? Are they going to come out with Breathing magazine next?
 
I always get a kick out that that list
Code: 
 I mean to put Kinsey, Freidan, and Keynes on the same list as Marx, Hitler and Mao!?!?!?!:eek:

 Have the compilers no sense of proportion? 

  It’s not even a question of being in a different league….they’re not even playing the same game
 
I think a book may be considered harmful :eek: if it harms in any way the reader’s relationship with God.

Jesus talked about ‘little ones’ that can be affected by scandal (in Lk 17,1-3) and I guess this applies also to readers. There are many ‘little ones’ that can be easily affected by harmful books. Some people are candid enough to believe anything they read in a book.:whacky:

My grandmother used to tell me that in her school library every book had this phrase printed on the first page:
Code: 
       'If this books upsets your soul do not read it."  :tsktsk:
But I guess it is necesary that a person learns to read any ‘harmful’ book with a critical eye in order to be able to detect and comment -with a teacher or a discussion group- what is wrong with it. :hmmm:

Alma
 
I don’t think any books on that list are truelly harmful. It’s one’s intention when reading the books that can be harmful.

I know Mein Kampf and The Communist Manifesto at one point were required reading for OCS and Spec. Forces in the military.
 
The only really harmful books in my view are pornography books. I think they can really do some harm to a young child if they accidently browse through some of the hard core stuff (bondage, torture, etc.).

A kid might find a bunch of porno books in a back alley or barrel or dumpster, and they can do more harm to a child’s psyche than if he found a copy of Mein Kampf or A Catcher In The Rye.
 
Bobby A. Greene:
How about all the ‘banned’ books in America?

banned-books.com/bblista-i.html

Personally I cannot understand how anybook could be banned in a country which advocates free speech and an educated public?
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I was really suprised some of those books were banned, especially From Here To Eternity and* Farenheit 451.*
 
Back to the original intent of the thread, which is that some books harm many people because they are uninformed or not discriminating readers.
I am not in favor of banning any books, rather, I’d INFORM the reading population of opposite, moderating or Catholic interpretation of a book. If the book contains lies and calls them truth, the truth must be taught.
Having said all that,The DaVinci Code was not on the list. It should be, and SERIOUS catechesis should have been done from every Catholic pulpit in the country regarding its content.
 
Steve Andersen:
I always get a kick out that that list
Code: 
 I mean to put Kinsey, Freidan, and Keynes on the same list as Marx, Hitler and Mao!?!?!?!:eek:

 Have the compilers no sense of proportion? 

  It’s not even a question of being in a different league….they’re not even playing the same game
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Are you aware of the things Kinsey DID? Not only was he sick, sick, sck, but, for the reasons noted in my above post, the influence of his two books has probably affected more people negatively than Marx And Hitler together.
Similar damage has been done by Freidan and Keynes.
You see, people believe this dross. :banghead:
EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION!
 
Bobby A. Greene:
The only really harmful books in my view are pornography books. I think they can really do some harm to a young child if they accidently browse through some of the hard core stuff (bondage, torture, etc.).

A kid might find a bunch of porno books in a back alley or barrel or dumpster, and they can do more harm to a child’s psyche than if he found a copy of Mein Kampf or A Catcher In The Rye.
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I agree, if you can truly call it a book, “Playboy Magazine” and its kin began the mainstreaming of pornography and sexual license in American culture.

Why is Catcher in the Rye mentioned in the same thought as Mein Kampf? I thought Catcher was pretty good, not appropriate for children or teenagers who might latch on to all the cynicism, but entertaining nonetheless.
 
I would also add Atlas Shrugged or The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. Her “philosophy” is kind of an unconscious regurgitation of Nietzsche, and is antithetical to Christianity. But I knew some wannabe-intellectual kids in high school who read this stuff, and thought it was so profound. It’s like pop-philosophy that justifies being a selfish egotist.

Another pop-pseudo-philosopher that should be avoided is Robert Pirsig (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and Lila). Probably not as harmful, but another one that people read, and suddenly fancy themselves to have deep and profound metaphysical thoughts.
 
I think Mein Kamph doesn’t belong on the list. At least not if the list doesn’t include works by Hegel. Hegel was so much more influential than Hitler’s book. It’s not like Hitler’s book was necessary to cause the war, not that I know of?? Though, maybe the key books by Hegel were just outside of the time bracket?

I think problems with books like Atlas Shrugged could be forestalled if someone gave the kids something of weight to read philosophically before someone has them read Atlas Shrugged. Part of what impresses could easily be that it is thought, and high school is not filled with much thought, so it impresses.

Of course the first “philosophy” type book anyone gave me to read was Atlas Shrugged, but fortunately for me, I thought it was too thick to bother with. Hence, I ended up reading Plato first instead.
 
Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda.

He taught that Jesus was merely an advanced “master” and not divine. Also taught reincarnation and self-realization.
 
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