Unnecessary banning of books and novels in Kuwait!

Hello there!

So, our latest topic is banning books and novels in Kuwait and when I say "banning", I mean unnecessary banning! Ever since I started reading, I always had trouble purchasing a certain book due to its unavailability in Kuwait. Whenever I asked of why it is always unavailable, they always said that it was "banned" ,for some odd reason. I understand that some books should not be sold such as "Fifty Shades of Grey" because of its explicit content, but some books are totally fine and yet, they are still banned! One of the books that I was absolutely in shock because it was banned was A Thousand Splendid Suns or Lolita. I am not sure of whether these books are sold in Kuwait today or not, but six years ago, they were banned. Some may think that there are more important issues than banning books in Kuwait, but no, a lot of us bookworms suffer from finding the books we want due to its unavailability in Kuwait, especially when you are in a book club. Every time we choose a book that is unavailable in Kuwait, we try to order these books online and it takes a while till it gets here! Also, a lot of classics are banned in Kuwait, which I do not understand because they are being used in other civilized countries for educational purposes.

Explicit Kuwaiti Novels Being Sold in Kuwait 

Another important point of why it is unnecessary "banning" is that explicit Kuwaiti novels by Kuwaiti authors are being sold in Kuwait in every bookstore! So, I don't get why english novels and books are banned while worse books are being sold by Kuwaiti authors. Also, these banned books can be found online, so, whats the use of banning them if we can still get them online?

We are in desperate need of a Barnes & Noble in Kuwait!

More important things need to be banned

If they are banning books, might as well ban the Kuwaiti shows that are considered to be inappropriate and against our traditions and religion. These shows contain the worse content & are being viewed everywhere! Our government needs to seriously set some priorities right.

Here's a brief video showing what our readers think about this topic. Feel free to share yours on the comment box below!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deJ2m1mcACk

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See you on the next post!

Book Review: Lolita

Brief summary

"Lolita" is a novel that speaks the story of Humbert Humbert, a nearly forty year-old man who finds "nymphets" or little girls attractive. Humbert eventually falls in love with his thirteen year-old step daughter, Lolita. 



Book Review

“Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta. She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock. She was Lola in slacks. She was Dolly at school. She was Dolores on the dotted line. But in my arms she was always Lolita.” – Vladimir Nobakov, Lolita

A lot of critics and readers found Nobakovs novel to be obscene and inappropriate, while others thought it was a beautiful art piece worth celebrating.  Until today, a lot of readers still discuss Nobakovs masterpiece, which in my opinion, is a sign of an extraordinary and successful book. I think “Lolita” is a book beautifully written with a unique storyline. Not to mention that Humbert Humbert was the narrator of the story which he successfully deceived the reader into believing that it was pure love and affection that driven him towards Lolita. Humbert Humbert persuades and charms the reader with his charismatic personality and captivating words, forcing the reader to forget about how completely unethical it is to be attracted to little girls. He makes the reader believe that he is merely a hopeless and passionate lover, than a pedophile. A lot of critics argued that Humbert is not a reliable narrator and therefore, does not deserve sympathy. Some may criticize Lolita as being very disturbing; nevertheless, no one can deny that it is a beautifully written piece. Lolita is absolutely one of my favorite books due to the storyline as well as the rhetoric meanings behind every word written!

This book does not need anymore reviews, if any, it is challenging me to read it again!

Your opinion matters..

Since everyone has a different perspective about this book, I decided to gather your point of view on a controversial matter. Let us know your thoughts on Lolita:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FKX9JC9

Interesting facts:

• The word/name "Lolita" now has a negative connotation. 

• Several publishers refused to accept the book because of its explicit content.

• Lolita is on the List of the 100 Best Novels in the English language from 1923 to 2005.

• Lolita has been filmed more than once, been a musical, four stage-plays, one completed opera, and two ballets.

Treasures Revealed

A journey...

My first blog post is going to be about the book club I’ve been a part of for almost 6 years, “ Treasures Revealed”. Treasures revealed is a part of a bigger project that encourages reading in Kuwait called “Al-Jalees”.

Al-Jalees

Al Jalees basically means “the sitting”. The reason why it was called the sitting was because of an Arab proverb that basically said that the best sitting or company is a book. The proverb basically emphasizes on reading and its importance. Al-Jalees project consists of various book clubs, each specialized in different genres and languages.

Translation: " & the best companion is a book" -Unknown
(Arabic Calligraphy)

This reminds me of another favorite quote of mine by Ray Bradbury :” You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”

So, back to our book club, it was first established during my sophomore year in high school, when my friend and I realized how passionate we were about reading. Since her brother already owned the Al-Jalees project, she decided to start a book club under it, that specialized in English books only. So, she started as the president of the book club with myself being the vise president. What we usually do is vote with our members (10 members maximum) for a book and when we decide on one, we start reading separately and then meeting 2 weeks later to discuss the book previously chosen.

Beyond a book club

One of the great things about being a part of this book club is getting to meet bright and brilliant individuals with so much potential, of all ages and occupations. The book club also helped me expand my choices and way of thinking and it gave me new and different perspectives. With each book discussion, I realize that there is more to everything than we already know, that there is a vast world out there with infinite amount of knowledge and all it takes is to devour in a book.

Our last meeting discussing The Great Gatsby. Don't let the picture fool you, as peaceful as it looks, discussions can get pretty intense!

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