On April 6, 1933, the Nazi Student Union ordered cleansing their nation of un-German spirits by burning books authored by Jews, liberals, homosexuals, and Communists. The first of the many book-burning ceremonies occurred later on Bebelplatz, Berlin, led by Propaganda Minister, Joseph Goebbels – whose notorious quote, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it", still holds notable American adherents.
The large cobblestoned Bebelplatz surrounds a square glass window, revealing below white empty library stacks. A bronze plaque nearby quotes the 19th century poet Heinrich Heine, “That was but a prelude; where they burn books, they will ultimately burn people as well.” Today we see a fervor to “cleanse” America by banning certain books from our public libraries. Such assault accompanied by new state laws punishing LGBTQs and certain segments of voters prompted me to rephrase Heine, “That was but a prelude; where they ban books, they will ultimately ban people as well.” Please vote for honesty and compassion!
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Ke Chiang Hsieh
Midtown
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
