Author

Helen Kapstein

Helen Kapstein

Helen Kapstein is a professor of English at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

COMMENTARY
A book surrounded by barbed wire

What the US can learn from apartheid-era book bans in South Africa

By: - August 1, 2022

“Beloved.” “The Hate U Give.” “Maus.” “Burger’s Daughter.” Each of these books has been banned at some point in time, but one stands out. Instead of being banned in 21st-century America, Nadine Gordimer’s “Burger’s Daughter” was banned in 20th century South Africa during apartheid, that country’s period of official white supremacist rule. So why include […]