Arctic
03-03-2003, 12:11 PM
from html//:www.bookmagazine.com
2/28/03 Cuban manuscript crisis
Cuban officials intercepted a shipment of American books intended for independent libraries and other dissident groups, claiming the reason for the seizure was not the content of the books, but the intended recipients. The government claims such groups rely on American contacts to help support their opposition of Castro's policies. The intercepted books included John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, Spencer Johnson's Who Moved My Cheese, speeches by Martin Luther King, Jr. and journalism textbooks. According to Pat Schroeder, president and CEO of the Association of American Publishers, the seizure signifies the enduring power and influence of the written word. "Books represent a serious threat to all authoritarian regimes, otherwise they wouldn't go to such lengths to suppress publication and intimidate authors and publishers," she said. "Cuban officials frequently point with pride to claims that illiteracy has been virtually wiped out in Cuba. What they still doesn't get is that teaching people to read is meaningless unless they are given the freedom to read what they want."
any thoughts?
2/28/03 Cuban manuscript crisis
Cuban officials intercepted a shipment of American books intended for independent libraries and other dissident groups, claiming the reason for the seizure was not the content of the books, but the intended recipients. The government claims such groups rely on American contacts to help support their opposition of Castro's policies. The intercepted books included John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, Spencer Johnson's Who Moved My Cheese, speeches by Martin Luther King, Jr. and journalism textbooks. According to Pat Schroeder, president and CEO of the Association of American Publishers, the seizure signifies the enduring power and influence of the written word. "Books represent a serious threat to all authoritarian regimes, otherwise they wouldn't go to such lengths to suppress publication and intimidate authors and publishers," she said. "Cuban officials frequently point with pride to claims that illiteracy has been virtually wiped out in Cuba. What they still doesn't get is that teaching people to read is meaningless unless they are given the freedom to read what they want."
any thoughts?