Banned Book Week

This is banned books week. That's right Banned. Books. Week.  Isn't it great? A whole week dedicated to reading books that have been banned or challenged in schools around the country. The truth is that most books that are banned or challenged aren't horrible books. In fact, a lot of them are great, thought-provoking books, and that is why people are trying to get teenagers to read them.  Sadly, most people who fight these books have never read them, and probably never will. 

Some of you may be thinking, "Well, if they have been banned we shouldn't read them. Surely they've been banned for a reason! How can we promote the reading of immoral books?" Why don't you stop for a minute and take a look at some of the books that have been challenged or banned from schools and then tell me how immoral they all are?  This is the NCTE's list of books from the last seven years. There are some great books, with great messages being challenged, and kids are missing out. People complain about a little violence or sexuality in a book but it's nothing compared to what kids are seeing on TV, in video games, and online. And, the books--the good ones at least--carry a deeper message that can promote critical thinking and help teens stop and take a look at what is really going on.  Can we say the same about what they're watching on TV? I'll take The Giver or Of Mice and Men over South Park any day. 

I believe that it takes a lot to make a book immoral.  Reading is a privilege and a way to learn about the world around you. If you want to protect your children from the bad things in the world, teach them to think critically about what they read and to learn how to recognize when violence or sex is used to teach a moral lesson or if it is just there to titillate.  My favorite response to complaints about books is one I learned from my AP English teacher who said "The Bible is the worst out there in terms of sexuality and violence, but they read that because it teaches them a lesson. Well, so can these books."

Do parents have a right to keep their kids from reading books they find objectionable? Sure, and they should, but let them read it before they decide. Do parents or committees have the right to ban books for a community or a school? I'd say that 99% of the time they shouldn't. It's a right we have and it should be a personal decision what we will and will not read. 

So, look at the list, find a book you're interested in, and read it to support good books that have been banned in ignorance and intolerance.

Here is the list again