Literature has been an act of freedom and comfort for most writers and readers, especially for children. As an advocate reader and writer myself, I have read all sorts of books, most of them being controversial. But when good books are banned? That’s where the line needs to be drawn.
Last year, the banning of certain children’s books has resurfaced in schools and communities. 307 attempts were made to ban certain books from the shelves of libraries.
When I first came across this news I was shell-shocked. Through my eyes this is an idiotic rule to put down. During one of my Teen Press Corps meetings at Book People, I was given a packet filled with names of recently banned books. My first instinct was to question it. Why take loved stories from children?
Having asked around and done research before, I gathered background information on the adults’ side of the story. For example, the number one most popular banned book is the beloved Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. Parents argued for banning this series, saying it promoted witchcraft and was much too dark for children.
Other popular banned books include the Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, various John Green novels, and classics like To Kill A Mockingbird. It has been proved that most of these books were banned on behalf of “sexually explicit” content, “offensive language” and “anti-Christian acts”, all from parents’ point of view.
Addressing the point about “anti-Christian acts”, I am a Christian myself speaking out against this argument. I have read many books with magic, witches, and cruel behavior, but never has it given me any ideas on reflecting those actions in my own life.
Now, having the whole school’s library removed from owning a specific book is not only unfair to the whole schools’ students, but also everyone who is witnessing the banish. This has been a popular act that parents for banning-books from a whole group or community have been doing.
And let’s remember how some children use these stories as comfort. Being a type of person who loves books like friends and family, just the thought of having one of my favorite books be taken away from me hurts. Children all over are having intellectual and beautiful stories like these numbered few being banished from their ownership and mind.
As a result of banning books, authors have the freedom of speech and expression (as stated in the First Amendment) to publish works that may seem too violent or “promote” offensive actions. Authors have their right to get their work out there while not being attacked for the content they’ve put within it.
Instead of entirely taking away a book from a whole community or group, there are solutions where a parent can regulate just their child's reading instead of taking that freedom from others at the same time. These books are part of our education, interests, and also our generation and history. The act of taking something from a whole group or community is not fair to the others.
On the other side, parents do have the right to regulate what their kids read. What they don’t have the right to do is take a whole group of childrens’ books away from them without their parents’ consent.
Banning books is something I look down upon and continue to do as more books are added to the banished lists. Books are a comfort, a joy, and a pleasure thing that some readers take personally. The act of taking away loved (and some being fairly important) stories is not right and shouldn’t be continued.
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