Banned Books
I know I say a lot of the topics that get picked for us are interesting so add this topic to the list because I found it rather fun to read about. Especially coming from Sweet Home, I remember when the first story was published about students reading, 'The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian' and thinking how silly it was.
When I was a senior in high school, my language arts teacher actually had us read only banned books so we could analyze what it was that got them on the banned list and it was probably my favorite semester to date. The way I see it is, these books won numerous awards. The material is educational and the things that may be 'controversial', sometimes make the best discussions. The material read in books, is the same material that comes across on TV and even commercials sometimes. I don't like to pull the ignorance is bliss card, but in this case, ignorance is not bliss. Teens are exposed to inappropriate, sexual, and crude language throughout their middle school and high school years so it's not like they aren't aware of the content being addressed. Maybe it's because I am not a parent, and my parents were always the communicative type who made us aware of things always happening. They signed 'Yes, my child can view/read this' on every single permission slip. We knew the awful history of racism, we knew about violence and sex from movies, newspapers, and just things that happened around school itself, we heard crude language again and again. None of these were things were swept under the rug for our protection.
Looking at the ALA list of popular banned books, I noticed I've read a few of the titles listed in school and on my own time. The ones that some teachers chose for us to read in class, I'll forever be grateful for because there are so many things I would have never noticed or considered if I would have simply read them on my own time. For example, To Kill a Mockingbird will forever be one of my favorite books. The content itself is important and very well written but what made me really enjoy this book was the room it made for discussion. The content deemed inappropriate in this book had important aspects of the case itself featured and made this book so moving and powerful.
When reading a book, you form a picture of a scene or the era. You make up this whole world in your thoughts as you flip through each page. The wording and content makes every page, scene, and ending count. Harper Lee could have chose to replace the rape content with kissing or small foul play, but it wouldn't have made a case. She could have chose not to focus on racial inequality or she could have just made an entirely different story. But she carefully wrote and published To Kill a Mockingbird. And there is a reason it became a classic book for American Literature and teachers all over the United States pick it to analyze in their material.
The same thing goes with other books such as Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck or the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The purpose of having students read and discuss these books is to give students a foundation of literature for the rest of their lives. They will understand certain writing styles and the importance of various types of literature through out the world. The content both needs to interest and teach students, which is what many of these banned books possess.
Just because people don't like or agree with something, isn't a good reason to do away with it. Not everybody likes seeing bad things happen on the news, but some viewers change the channel or turn off the TV. The information is still out there for those who want to stay informed and see what is happening. Whether you chose to consume that information or not, is a personal choice. Students should be able to have access to material to learn. In the Democrat Herald article covering The True Story of a Part-time Indian dispute, quoted by a Sweet Home parent, Tara Vian, "If you don't want your child reading it, then they don't have to. But why take it upon yourself to not have any child read it? Its not up to you if its not your child." If parents say they can't learn the controversial content in the classroom, they should still be able to access books at their library or online. In this day of age, they can go home and look it up online and form their own thoughts and opinions on the material. At least in a classroom or a school setting such as a library, they have access to instructors and peers who can discuss and help understand controversial topics.
A few other banned books I read outside of the classroom, The Hunger Games trilogy, The Harry Potter series, Fifty Shades of Grey, Thirteen Reasons Why, My Sisters Keeper, The Earth, My Butt and Other Round Things, Scary Stories series, Forever, and the Bible. My school district did not have us read any of these other books in class like they did Huckleberry Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird or Of Mice and Men. I was part of a small book club that chose to explore the content of some of the series I listed and I'm grateful for that. For example, I really didn't have an interest in The Hunger Games series, but after reading them and discussing them with other people who were also hesitant, it made me appreciate the novel more because there were certain things my peers noticed and important points I hadn't even picked up on, that they did. In Regan McMahon's 2017 article, 'Why your kids should read banned books', she touches on five important points for the never ending argument. Today's edgy is tomorrows classic. If you look back at most of the banned books from years ago, most of them touched on important topics or had certain language that nobody wanted to acknowledge or want their kids to hear. She uses the example of the alcohol content in The Great Gatsby but I think of 13 Reasons Why and how controversial it is right now among my peers. It tackles many aspects of high school and suicide a lot of previous novels didn't quite touch on before which make it so talked about today. Books like that are ahead of their time and stay in our minds for an entire lifetime. There's more to a book than a swear word in it. This ties back to books like To Kill a Mockingbird who include swear words and racial slurs. The content is what's important. The words add to the story. Substitute them, ignore them, do what you need to do. But the content should not be altered to fully understand. Kids crave relatable books. Kids want content that interests them. Don't you like to relate things to your own life? Kids do too. That's why young adult novels staring other young adults are so important. They can offer guidance, answers, and knowledge that a child may not be able to get elsewhere. On the other side of the spectrum, controversial books are a type of virtual reality. I like this point because as a kid and a teen, I either grabbed for the relatable book or the wild fiction one, such as Harry Potter or The Hunger Games. Am I ever going to have to cast a spell on my class mate or fight to the death with my peers? Probably not, but that's what makes these books so fun! It's amazing to know there are other individuals out there who have such an outstanding imagination that they chose to write their thoughts and dreams down and share them with the world. Plus, many of these type of books become films that kids have easier access to. I had many friends in elementary school who were not allowed to read or watch the Harry Potter films but would ask me to sneak my book series or have my parent take us both to the movies. They'll kick off a conversation. I love all of McMahon's points equally, but this one is so important to me. I know I talked about it a few times above, but seriously. Controversial topics are open doors for growth and awareness. Discussing ideas, opinions, and story plots can make a world of difference on books. Certain things you may not have noticed, somebody else did.
That's what I think it really comes down to with banned books. As a parent signing 'No' on that waiver for explicit content, you are choosing to have your child opt out of an opportunity to learn material that may shape literature for them that teachers specifically handpicked for learning purposes.
https://democratherald.com/news/local/sweet-home-parents-protest-part-time-indian/article_b572074e-8a0e-11e3-8033-0019bb2963f4.html
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/why-your-kid-should-read-banned-books
When I was a senior in high school, my language arts teacher actually had us read only banned books so we could analyze what it was that got them on the banned list and it was probably my favorite semester to date. The way I see it is, these books won numerous awards. The material is educational and the things that may be 'controversial', sometimes make the best discussions. The material read in books, is the same material that comes across on TV and even commercials sometimes. I don't like to pull the ignorance is bliss card, but in this case, ignorance is not bliss. Teens are exposed to inappropriate, sexual, and crude language throughout their middle school and high school years so it's not like they aren't aware of the content being addressed. Maybe it's because I am not a parent, and my parents were always the communicative type who made us aware of things always happening. They signed 'Yes, my child can view/read this' on every single permission slip. We knew the awful history of racism, we knew about violence and sex from movies, newspapers, and just things that happened around school itself, we heard crude language again and again. None of these were things were swept under the rug for our protection.
Looking at the ALA list of popular banned books, I noticed I've read a few of the titles listed in school and on my own time. The ones that some teachers chose for us to read in class, I'll forever be grateful for because there are so many things I would have never noticed or considered if I would have simply read them on my own time. For example, To Kill a Mockingbird will forever be one of my favorite books. The content itself is important and very well written but what made me really enjoy this book was the room it made for discussion. The content deemed inappropriate in this book had important aspects of the case itself featured and made this book so moving and powerful.
When reading a book, you form a picture of a scene or the era. You make up this whole world in your thoughts as you flip through each page. The wording and content makes every page, scene, and ending count. Harper Lee could have chose to replace the rape content with kissing or small foul play, but it wouldn't have made a case. She could have chose not to focus on racial inequality or she could have just made an entirely different story. But she carefully wrote and published To Kill a Mockingbird. And there is a reason it became a classic book for American Literature and teachers all over the United States pick it to analyze in their material.
The same thing goes with other books such as Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck or the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The purpose of having students read and discuss these books is to give students a foundation of literature for the rest of their lives. They will understand certain writing styles and the importance of various types of literature through out the world. The content both needs to interest and teach students, which is what many of these banned books possess.
Just because people don't like or agree with something, isn't a good reason to do away with it. Not everybody likes seeing bad things happen on the news, but some viewers change the channel or turn off the TV. The information is still out there for those who want to stay informed and see what is happening. Whether you chose to consume that information or not, is a personal choice. Students should be able to have access to material to learn. In the Democrat Herald article covering The True Story of a Part-time Indian dispute, quoted by a Sweet Home parent, Tara Vian, "If you don't want your child reading it, then they don't have to. But why take it upon yourself to not have any child read it? Its not up to you if its not your child." If parents say they can't learn the controversial content in the classroom, they should still be able to access books at their library or online. In this day of age, they can go home and look it up online and form their own thoughts and opinions on the material. At least in a classroom or a school setting such as a library, they have access to instructors and peers who can discuss and help understand controversial topics.
A few other banned books I read outside of the classroom, The Hunger Games trilogy, The Harry Potter series, Fifty Shades of Grey, Thirteen Reasons Why, My Sisters Keeper, The Earth, My Butt and Other Round Things, Scary Stories series, Forever, and the Bible. My school district did not have us read any of these other books in class like they did Huckleberry Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird or Of Mice and Men. I was part of a small book club that chose to explore the content of some of the series I listed and I'm grateful for that. For example, I really didn't have an interest in The Hunger Games series, but after reading them and discussing them with other people who were also hesitant, it made me appreciate the novel more because there were certain things my peers noticed and important points I hadn't even picked up on, that they did. In Regan McMahon's 2017 article, 'Why your kids should read banned books', she touches on five important points for the never ending argument. Today's edgy is tomorrows classic. If you look back at most of the banned books from years ago, most of them touched on important topics or had certain language that nobody wanted to acknowledge or want their kids to hear. She uses the example of the alcohol content in The Great Gatsby but I think of 13 Reasons Why and how controversial it is right now among my peers. It tackles many aspects of high school and suicide a lot of previous novels didn't quite touch on before which make it so talked about today. Books like that are ahead of their time and stay in our minds for an entire lifetime. There's more to a book than a swear word in it. This ties back to books like To Kill a Mockingbird who include swear words and racial slurs. The content is what's important. The words add to the story. Substitute them, ignore them, do what you need to do. But the content should not be altered to fully understand. Kids crave relatable books. Kids want content that interests them. Don't you like to relate things to your own life? Kids do too. That's why young adult novels staring other young adults are so important. They can offer guidance, answers, and knowledge that a child may not be able to get elsewhere. On the other side of the spectrum, controversial books are a type of virtual reality. I like this point because as a kid and a teen, I either grabbed for the relatable book or the wild fiction one, such as Harry Potter or The Hunger Games. Am I ever going to have to cast a spell on my class mate or fight to the death with my peers? Probably not, but that's what makes these books so fun! It's amazing to know there are other individuals out there who have such an outstanding imagination that they chose to write their thoughts and dreams down and share them with the world. Plus, many of these type of books become films that kids have easier access to. I had many friends in elementary school who were not allowed to read or watch the Harry Potter films but would ask me to sneak my book series or have my parent take us both to the movies. They'll kick off a conversation. I love all of McMahon's points equally, but this one is so important to me. I know I talked about it a few times above, but seriously. Controversial topics are open doors for growth and awareness. Discussing ideas, opinions, and story plots can make a world of difference on books. Certain things you may not have noticed, somebody else did.
That's what I think it really comes down to with banned books. As a parent signing 'No' on that waiver for explicit content, you are choosing to have your child opt out of an opportunity to learn material that may shape literature for them that teachers specifically handpicked for learning purposes.
https://democratherald.com/news/local/sweet-home-parents-protest-part-time-indian/article_b572074e-8a0e-11e3-8033-0019bb2963f4.html
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/why-your-kid-should-read-banned-books
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