Lord of the Rings; The Hobbit
Date: 2001
Region: North America
Subject: Religious
Medium: Literature
Artist: J.R.R. Tolkien
Confronting Bodies: A local church group
Date of Action: 2001
Location: Alamagordo, New Mexico, USA
Description of Artwork: J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy epic, set in a time "Between the Dawn of Færie and the Dominion of Men", The Hobbit follows the quest of home-loving hobbit Bilbo Baggins to win a share of the treasure guarded by the dragon, Smaug. Bilbo's journey takes him from light-hearted, rural surroundings into darker, deeper territory.
The Lord of the Rings tells an epic tale of good against evil, spanning three volumes - The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. The story begins at Bag End in the Shire, at the home of Frodo Baggins. Frodo is a Hobbit - a small creature with hairy feet and a large appetite, not normally prone to adventuring. Frodo has a gold Ring given to him by his Uncle Bilbo, who had 'found it' after its loss by a creature called Gollum, in the course of a previous long journey recounted by JRR Tolkien in The Hobbit. Frodo's task is to return the ring.
The Incident: A local group claimed the books were satanic and promoting witchcraft, and consequently, set about burning a large cache of the books outside the Christ Community Church.
Results of Incident: The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings remain favorites of readers worldwide.
Source: http://world.edu/worldedu_posts/banned-book-awareness-lord-rings-jrr-tolkien/
