Banned Books!! Woo Hoo!!

This week marks the 30th Anniversary of Banned Books week.  Ever since books were created there have been people that have tried to censor them.  Books have told story after story and had various forms of profanity, sex and violence in them.  Everything from classics such as The Great Gatsby to current modern hits, like The Hunger Games.  In some way, shape or form, books are being banned, almost daily.  In fact, some books look at being "banned" as a badge of honor because it garners more attention toward your book.

As a Literature major in college, I take great offense to the banning of books.  Yes, there are books out there, like Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov, that preteens and teens shouldn't read.  There are books like Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, that some people don't want young boys to read because it could give them ideas.  *gasp*

On this website, it shows just a few of the classic novels that have been banned over the years and the reasons behind them.  Granted, they are good reasons, but, in keeping with the theme of the previous blog, don't you think that the parents and teachers should be a little more responsible when it comes to teaching literature?  Yes.

Children begin reading and want to continue reading.  Well, at least I did.  There are some people that I know that do not like reading.  Those are not the people that I am targeting with this blog post.  For those that enjoyed reading as a child and enjoy it just as much now, have you ever thought that a book should be banned for a few small scenes? 

Let's look at this another way: in the movie industry, they don't ban a movie just because it has sex or violence or profanity.  They give it a rating and make it just a little more difficult for children to see.  And while I am definitely against any rating system for books, I think that a parent with younger children should do their best to keep their child away from such trashy novels as The Grapes of Wrath (read that sentence with sarcasm, please).

In my opinion, some schools and libraries are choosing to ban certain books because they don't want to have to bother teaching their students about tolerance, sexuality, rudeness, discovery, intimacy, love, excitement, danger, cruelty and everything else that books have taught me over the years.  Of course, I wasn't reading Brave New World in fourth grade.  I waited until high school when I could understand it.  Was that my decision?  Probably not.  But my school had decided that I didn't need to read it until then, which was just fine with me.

Books shouldn't be banned, just as movies don't have to be banned.  Be responsible for the literature that your child ends up reading.  If you pay attention to the books that your children read then by the time they are mature enough, reading a book like Animal Farm, by George Orwell, will only increase their interest in literature.


Until tomorrow.