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Mein Kampf is just the most stark example of a book that is forbidden, but very significant to read if you want to understand WWII history. Uncle Tom's Cabin is

Mein Kampf is just the most stark example of a book that is forbidden, but very significant to read if you want to understand WWII history. Uncle Tom's Cabin is another example of a book you wont see but is another piece of literature you should read if you want to understand the ideology of a given time period. You don't have to agree with a book to read it. Another commenter pointed out the anarchist's cookbook, which is another great book to read.

cycomanic 2y ago
> Another commenter pointed out the anarchist's cookbook, which is another great book to read. Again why is it a good example, it's not banned in any meaningful sense of the word. I can get onto Amazon and buy it right now. Calling it a good book to read is quite a stretch as well. It's a poorly written assembly of instructions for bomb and drug making (written by a 19 year old). Many of the instructions being outright dangerous, so much so that it has been suggested that the book was actually a plant by the CIA, FBI... (not that this is a very credible conspiracy theory). If you want to learn about bomb making better just pick up a chemistry textbook.
dhosek 2y ago
I’ve only read excerpts from it, and frankly, you don’t need to read it to understand WWII history. The important bits are well covered in any decent book on the subject and you won’t get any deeper insight by reading the source material.
- pclmulqdq 2y ago
  Yeah, reading the whole thing is a bit excessive.
  - greenavocado 2y ago
    It's really not because the historical context is laid out in the early chapters.
- greenavocado 2y ago
  Nothing could be further from the truth. Read the Dalton translation. Reading excerpts is borderline useless because so much builds upon earlier chapters.
ants_everywhere 2y ago
As far as I know, it's never been banned in the US which makes it an odd choice to focus on. Nazi material is generally banned in Germany and probably some other European countries. And this has been a point in the culture war for years.
- rufus_foreman 2y ago
  >> As far as I know, it's never been banned in the US The question is not if it is banned. The question is if it is general circulation in public libraries. This is motte and bailey. If a school library decides not to include a book in their library, that's curation, if it is a book you don't like. If it is a book you do like, it is censorship. If you walk into your public library and browse the shelves, is the Anarchist Cookbook there? Mein Kampf? If they're not, does that mean they are banned? I go to my public library quite often, and the books I am interested in are most often not on the shelves there, and the books that are on the shelves there have a political slant towards a politics that I detest. Librarians are in fact dangerous. Now, that doesn't mean the books I want to read are banned, I have to put a hold on them from the stacks at central and they will ship them over, but they will never be on display at my local library. They're not banned. But the books on display at my local branch library are curated by dangerous librarians I want nothing to do with.
  - amanaplanacanal 2y ago
    I would much rather have a person who has gone to school to study childhood education and library science choosing books for the library, than randos trying to force their religion on everybody else's kids.
    - rufus_foreman 2y ago
      I'm an adult. I don't need someone who has studied childhood education to tell me what books to read, for fucks sake.
      - amanaplanacanal 2y ago
cycomanic 2y ago
Incidentally Mein Kampf often is available in libraries in Germany (in a commented version, here for example https://www.provinzialbibliothek-amberg.de/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=alma991001835949508306&context=L&vid=49BVB_RSB:SAM_VU1&lang=de&search_scope=SAM_PERIODIKA_PLUS_SCOPE&adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&tab=LibraryCatalog&query=sub%2Ccontains%2CPolitische%20Theorie%2CAND&mode=advanced&offset=10 https://www.provinzialbibliothek-amberg.de/discovery/fulldis...), and was never banned in the sense that people understand banned. You could always own and sell old versions however, printing and distributing new uncommented versions could be deemed Volksverhetzung. It's also a crappy text and definitely not necessary to understand WWII, there are better texts.

cycomanic 2y ago

> Another commenter pointed out the anarchist's cookbook, which is another great book to read. Again why is it a good example, it's not banned in any meaningful sense of the word. I can get onto Amazon and buy it right now. Calling it a good book to read is quite a stretch as well. It's a poorly written assembly of instructions for bomb and drug making (written by a 19 year old). Many of the instructions being outright dangerous, so much so that it has been suggested that the book was actually a plant by the CIA, FBI... (not that this is a very credible conspiracy theory). If you want to learn about bomb making better just pick up a chemistry textbook.

dhosek 2y ago

I’ve only read excerpts from it, and frankly, you don’t need to read it to understand WWII history. The important bits are well covered in any decent book on the subject and you won’t get any deeper insight by reading the source material.

pclmulqdq 2y ago
Yeah, reading the whole thing is a bit excessive.
- greenavocado 2y ago
  It's really not because the historical context is laid out in the early chapters.
greenavocado 2y ago
Nothing could be further from the truth. Read the Dalton translation. Reading excerpts is borderline useless because so much builds upon earlier chapters.

ants_everywhere 2y ago

As far as I know, it's never been banned in the US which makes it an odd choice to focus on. Nazi material is generally banned in Germany and probably some other European countries. And this has been a point in the culture war for years.

rufus_foreman 2y ago
>> As far as I know, it's never been banned in the US The question is not if it is banned. The question is if it is general circulation in public libraries. This is motte and bailey. If a school library decides not to include a book in their library, that's curation, if it is a book you don't like. If it is a book you do like, it is censorship. If you walk into your public library and browse the shelves, is the Anarchist Cookbook there? Mein Kampf? If they're not, does that mean they are banned? I go to my public library quite often, and the books I am interested in are most often not on the shelves there, and the books that are on the shelves there have a political slant towards a politics that I detest. Librarians are in fact dangerous. Now, that doesn't mean the books I want to read are banned, I have to put a hold on them from the stacks at central and they will ship them over, but they will never be on display at my local library. They're not banned. But the books on display at my local branch library are curated by dangerous librarians I want nothing to do with.
- amanaplanacanal 2y ago
  I would much rather have a person who has gone to school to study childhood education and library science choosing books for the library, than randos trying to force their religion on everybody else's kids.
  - rufus_foreman 2y ago
    I'm an adult. I don't need someone who has studied childhood education to tell me what books to read, for fucks sake.
    - amanaplanacanal 2y ago

cycomanic 2y ago

Incidentally Mein Kampf often is available in libraries in Germany (in a commented version, here for example https://www.provinzialbibliothek-amberg.de/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=alma991001835949508306&context=L&vid=49BVB_RSB:SAM_VU1&lang=de&search_scope=SAM_PERIODIKA_PLUS_SCOPE&adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&tab=LibraryCatalog&query=sub%2Ccontains%2CPolitische%20Theorie%2CAND&mode=advanced&offset=10 https://www.provinzialbibliothek-amberg.de/discovery/fulldis...), and was never banned in the sense that people understand banned. You could always own and sell old versions however, printing and distributing new uncommented versions could be deemed Volksverhetzung. It's also a crappy text and definitely not necessary to understand WWII, there are better texts.