So, I've been thinking about this subject a lot, and I think that banning books should stop. It boils down to one thing: it creates a cookie cutter mold for people who don't fit the mold.
Let me explain. Imagine we are all cookie dough. Delicious right? Well, imagine we're all rolled out into various people shapes. But we have different sizes and little differences in shape. This is who we are as a person. It is based on our personality, age, maturity level, friends, etc... and changes as time goes on.
When a book is banned, it is by one group, with one view about what one age group should read. This is a cookie cutter. But because school has different age groups, and kids have different levels of maturity within those age groups, some may be more fit to read a book than others. But when a book is taken out of a library, it is like taking the cookie cutter to everyone, and cutting off the potential that book holds for every kid, whether they fit the mold or not.
Parents think they know their kid's book tastes and maturity levels for reading books best, but it tends to be the teachers and librarians instead. Think about it: they spend 8ish hours every day with the same group of kids. They're going to know what the kid's interests are and what is or isn't appropriate for them to read. I spoke to my old high school's librarian about book banning and she told me that if she thought the book isn't appropriate for the school she just doesn't buy it. Simple as that.
Certain books are made for certain groups. I'd never suggest A Clockwork Orange for anyone below a sophomore reading level (not age level). Once you figure out the main character's slang, you realize that there are a lot of subjects in the book (rape, theft, violence, murder, etc...) that wouldn't be appropriate in most learning settings. But for the older audience, though they know these actions are wrong, they can look at the actions of everyone in the futuristic society the book takes place in, and see that the harm done to Alex (main character) to prevent him from committing these crimes is just as bad, if not worse than the crimes he committed. The author took an extreme way to get his message about free will across, and for the right person it would come across well. But for the wrong person, they'll see it as supporting the criminal activities in the book.
Another example: The Book Thief and Night. Both are Holocaust novels. Both are good. With The Book Thief, which I'm reading right now, I'd recommend for 7th grade and up. All the 7th graders go through a Holocaust unit, and the book would fit in well with it. It doesn't mask the realities of the Holocaust, but we see some joys the main character, Liesel, gets to experience during this time as well. Then again, she's not persecuted yet, and I haven't finished the book yet, so my opinion might change later on.
On the other hand, Night is a memoir by Elie Weisel. He was in the concentration camps, witnessed death and despair, and doesn't hold back on putting those moments down in pen. I had to read this Sophomore year for English, and I almost couldn't handle it then. Even though I love reading and being challenged with hard-to-swallow concepts, the book was unbearable for me to read. I think with that book, I might even refrain from suggesting to some adults, not because it should be censored, but because the truth was terrifying to read. But it still needs to be read. If only to remind us of what we could become.
When books are banned, it is because one group is forcing their opinions on another. Not only is this restricting the author's freedom of speech in writing the book, it limits the kid's viewpoint of the world. They begin to see from one perspective, and reject all others. It leads to the loss of respect for other people and their differing views.
I just needed to air out my thoughts. So here it is.
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