The buzz about Banned Book Week has begun, even though officially the week doesn’t start until September 30th. Search the topic, and you’ll find websites, readings, and other events to promote books that have been banned or restricted from schools. At first I thought, “What’s the big deal?” Then I saw the lists of titles that have been challenged and/or banned.
You won’t believe this list!
I expected to find Huckleberry Finn, but not so many of my favorite reads, including:
- Harry Potter
- Bridge to Terebithia
- To Kill a Mockingbird
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
- A Wrinkle in Time
- The Outsiders
I had to learn more.
Why are books banned or challenged?
According to the American Library Association website, groups or individuals request restrictions on books with the intention to protect children. Frequently, complaints are made based on offensive language or sexual content. For example, To Kill a Mockingbird uses “the n word”. Holden Caulfield swears his way through Catcher in the Rye. But why Harry Potter? If Ron swears, I don’t know it (I’m not up to date on my English cursing- can someone please tell me what “bloody” equates to in American English?). I’m guessing HP makes the list because of the whole sorcery business.
Now I’m upset about banned books too
I’m a conservative mother, and I vigorously filter content. My 12 year old hasn’t read The Hunger Games yet because I think its themes too violent and disturbing. However, this information about banned books has me riled up. I limit exposure to racy pop songs and violent TV shows because the whole point is sensationalism. But Harper Lee didn’t use the language in To Kill a Mockingbird to promote sales; she used it to describe attitudes and perceptions about prejudice.
So now I wonder, how can I think that offensive content in books is acceptable when I don’t tolerate it in other media? I’ve come up with three main reasons:
- Inherent value– Does the book offer something relevant that overshadows the offensive material? For all of the titles I’ve listed above, YES! If the book as a whole explores relevant themes or issues, I can’t condemn it for a few ugly words or scenes.
- Audience– Is the group reading the book mature enough to handle the content? Books like To Kill A Mockingbird and The Chocolate War tackle difficult topics- racism, abuse, sexuality, bullys. Do they belong in an elementary school library? Probably not. But can they be used with older students? Yes. See next point.
- Accessibility– Not all kids have word nerds for parents. Or money to buy books. So if they don’t read these books in school, they may never see them. And that would be sad. Well written literature can trigger insightful classroom discussions. If the “n word” offends, let’s discuss why it offends.
Honestly, I have reservations about some of the books on the list, like Beloved. When I read it, Toni Morrison shoved me into the shackles of slavery; I could feel the raised scars from whips on my back. After one disturbing sexual scene, I closed the book and refused to pick it up again. But I felt the horror of slavery more than I ever had before. There’s value to that.
Here’s what it comes down to. As a mother, I must look out for the best interests of each of my children. So it’s my job, not the government’s, to monitor the books my kids open. (Tweet this if you agree!)
Should I have the right to decide what your child reads? No.
Whew, this is a tough topic! I welcome your response in the comments below. Come back during Banned Book Week (Oct 5) when I’ll post a review of The Kite Runner, a challenged title. If you leave a comment on that post, you could win a free book off of the banned list! If you are a blogger and want to post something on Banned Books Week, join the celebration with Book Journey.
Julia
This is what we need – an insight to make evoreyne think
Thanks for this thoughtful and interesting discussion!
“Should I have the right to decide what your child reads? No.”
This is exactly the attitude I champion – I’m glad you got there by actively thinking about it and by reflecting on your own reading experiences, too.
Nothing in the world compares with the value of an informed opinion; unfortunately, the people (largely parents) who continue to demand censorship/banning of books tend to do so by reaction, rather than by actual consideration of the texts at hand and the reasons why they’re being taught.
Great post!
*Oh – One point I also try to bring up is this: Kids are kids, right? They’re going to be susceptible to peer pressure, and when something is popular, kids (or even us adults, at times) won’t always make the “right” or “best” decision. What I mean is, a parent might vehemently refuse to allow their child to read a certain book – but how many kids are going to read it for that reason alone? How many are going to read it because all of their friends have read it and talk about it and don’t have parents who find the book in any way threatening? Personally, I would much prefer to allow my child to read the book, with my supervision, and to discuss it with me during and/or after the fact, in case any questions come up. As I always say, the real world -and real life- is going to happen. Books are a relatively safe and, if the book is good, effective way of exposing people to new ideas. Reading these books with our kids can help to make their understanding of life and the world around us that much more comprehensive.
Thank you Adam. Great points. And as you emphasize, we need to keep ourselves informed, and we need to keep up the conversation.
Woah…that list shocks me. So much of my understanding of the world and the abuses others have suffered at the hands of others has been from great literature. We have to read it so history does not repeat itself, so our children recognize it…This gets me riled up too. Great post; I’ll definitely be coming back for more info during banned book week. Thanks for a great post.
Great post, Julia. I was surprised by those too! I’m with you – let me decide what’s appropriate for my kids. Looking forward to your review of Kite Runner!
btw love the click to tweet!!
I wrote a post some time ago about not wanting my children to read books that I felt were heartbreaking or sad…you know…wanting to protect them from pain. But I never considered any alternate universe where they didn’t have the right to read anything they wanted to. Anything at all. Part of my philosophy about raising free spirits is letting them make the discoveries, the mistakes, letting them build the muscle to overcome adversity and see alternate viewpoints in an effort to make them broaden and not grow up narrow minded. What a horrible thought that a government can have that kind of control.
Maybe my being born into a communist blocked country had something to do with my attitude.
Tweeted! And with pleasure.
Veronica, you hit on the issue that worries me. If we let a few people determine which books should be available to read, then we could start down a path where freedom to learn is blocked. I guess, for now, I’m going to err on the side of freedom of expression (it is, after all, part of the Constitution), and guide my kids towards the options most appropriate for them. Fortunately, nothing controversial has come up at school. My son’s reading class is doing The Outsiders this month- I know there is violence and language, but I think it’s a great story and he loves it.
When I was still teaching, my 9th grade Honors class and I were reading Fahrenheit 451 during Banned Book week last year. It’s such an ironic book to ban! Anyway, we had some awesome discussions and I was so glad to be reading it during such a relevant time.
Thanks for sharing your perspective! Looking forward to reading your review (and entering the giveaway!)
Another great example of a banned book- and I’m glad to hear that awesome discussions took place about it. Glad you’ll be here for the giveaway too!
As a mother, I must look out for the best interests of each of my children. So it’s my job, not the government’s, to monitor the books my kids open <~~ A big YES to that Julia (Tweeted!) Wonderful post!
Thanks for tweeting! 🙂
Yep to this: “So it’s my job, not the government’s, to monitor the books my kids open. Should I have the right to decide what your child reads? No.” That’s what makes this issue comparatively easy for libraries.
Even though ALA keeps the list, it’s actually classroom challenges that are the trickiest and, for many books, the most frequent. Imagine how you would feel if your 12-year old came home all excited about The Hunger Games because the teacher started reading it aloud to the class after lunch. You can kind of see why that might be a tempting choice for a teacher who wants to see her or his students get excited about reading. The topic is in the air. The kids are probably talking about it. What could be the harm?
I can make the case for the teacher, but I’d have a lot of sympathy for you as the parent who has probably gone to a fair amount of trouble to protect your child from that book only to have all that care disappear in an instant in the classroom. You might feel like your ability as a parent to monitor your child’s reading just got trampled on by the school. If you challenged that teacher, and it got reported on the website or in the news so that ALA picked it up, your challenge would count as an attempt to “ban” The Hunger Games.
Joy thank you so much for adding this comment to the discussion- I was hoping you’d stop by! I really appreciate your explanation and the situation you bring up. So now I have another question- if I asked to school to provide an alternative for my child, would that be considered a challenge? What about requesting that the book only be used with older students? I’ll have to check the ALA site again. Thanks so much Joy. There’s a lot to consider with this topic.
It would depend largely on the response of the teacher. Challenges are mostly self-reported unless things really get out of hand and end up in the local newspaper. So, if the teacher didn’t think of it as a challenge, he or she would never think to report it as one. In the best-case scenarios, these situations are handled respectfully and civilly by all parties and ALA never hears about them.
I know that there have been challenges that sprung out of a request that an alternative be provided for one child. That child ends up sitting in a hallway with a book while the rest of the class is experiencing a read-aloud experience. It’s not an ideal situation and emotions will flare up a second time if the child objects, asking either to be let back into the classroom to hear the original book or for the classroom teacher to stop reading the original book so that all students can be part of the read-aloud experience.
Joy, once again, you’ve been a huge help. Thank you for clarifying the role that the ALA plays in this issue, and for explaining what a challenge may involve. I can see that my child sitting alone in the hall would NOT be a great learning situation. I guess I’d have to go back to my idea that if something about the book offends me, I’d need to discuss those issues with my child. Thanks so much for your input.
Yes. I think these can really be teachable moments. If a child gets exposed to something the parent wished kept away, a natural first response is to be angry about the exposure. But, most times, a better response is to take the opportunity to have a meaningful discussion about an uncomfortable topic.
Very, very well written post… and so true! By the way, I think Kite Runner is an amazing read. Looking forward to your review!
Great- thank you for stopping by!
Julia that is so well put. I read Beloved last year during banned book week. It is a hard book to read but like you, I still think about it in a way I had never thought of before.
Now every banned book is one I would enjoy, but I would not stop others from enjoying it.
I wonder- do you think Beloved is appropriate for even high school students?