What do you think about this...?

Question

I was reading the paper this morning and I found an article about books that have been banned from schools and libraries they included:
Harry Potter
Little Red Riding Hood
Captain Underpants
Garfield
Catcher in the Rye
Anne Frank
Huckelberry Finn
To Kill a Mockingbird!

Answer 1

Some parents and school boards think that if they bury their heads in the sand, and simply ignore controversial issues, they will just go away. How foolish!

Kids live IN the world. They are aware of everything that is going on around them (whether it is racism, anti-semitism, "witchcraft", sexism, sexuality, whatever!).

My high school REQUIRED us to read The Diary Of Anne Frank, and to watch the film Night And Fog (about the Holocaust). Tough topics, but we dealt with them, at home, and in class.

It seems to me that it makes much more sense to raise and air these issues, to discuss them, and offer kids information and guidance, rather than simply to ban the books, and hope it will all go away.

When I was a kid, the "forbidden" books were the first ones that I sought out and read! I had to draw my own conclusions, and I did! I had to sneak, and I had no one to discuss the books with.

So many books dealing with magic and sorcery are lovely gates to a fantasy world where children can feel empowered and entertained. They do NOT lead to Satanism, and worship of the Black Arts! What nonsense!

Censorship is ALWAYS a BAD IDEA, in my opinion.

I'd encourage kids to read any books of their choice (at least they are reading!); I'd read them, too, and then we'd talk about the books, and the ideas....

I agree with Mad Professor, that To Kill A Mockingbird should be compulsory reading.

Answer 2

Every school board has a list of materials that they don't allow in school libraries. It is up to each individual school system to decide what is and what is not acceptable for a certain age group... for example a book that is OK for a high school library may not be acceptable in an elementary library. This is not really censorship. It is the school board's job to ensure schools provide a safe and decent environment in which the children they are charged with can learn and prosper. If something is considered to be age inappropriate by society's standards, it is their duty to exclude it from the curriculum. On the other hand if a child's parents think otherwise about a particular book they can write to the school board and request that it be allowed or they can ask for a valid explanation as to why it is being banned. Or... they could go out and buy the book (or get it from a public library) for their child and let them read it at home.

Answer 3

Well...I am not surprised....the school systems in both US and Canada are always making choices like that , with no sense or real reasoning. They take both classics and good childrens books out of school, when if they thought about it, those books would be some of the only GOOD healthy reading they might have. Many kids are into these video games of violence and tv shows of very adult content. To Kill A Mocking Bird would be a refreshing change to some of these childrens intake. Of course.....schools are often influenced and partially run by goverment and since when have they made good choices for anything nor ones with a good reason?

Answer 4

I do not believe in banning books from a library. Notice I said books, not magizines boys and girls. First off, you are talking about classics on the four. Anne Frank was personally one of the most important books I think I have ever read and it is a shame that idiots that have probably not read one of those books all the way through are the one's making decisions like this!

Answer 5

We live in age in which it is commonly believed by the court system that if something offends somebody it is somehow in violation of their civil rights. Some of these books are classics and the only reason I can see "The Catcher in the Rye" being banned is that it is a story of teen angst, something we all fear (apparently they believe this will spark another Columbine), and that it includes one mention of the infamous "F" word. This strikes me as completely retarded in a country where virtual child porn is legal (this includes cartoons, drawings, and videos in which the supposed child is either a young looking adult or one whose appearance has been modify in some way). God help us this country has gone insane.

Answer 6

Shameful. I think people really are afraid. We should go out an read every single one of them. Read George Orwell's 1984 as well. For me I make it a point to reread Ann Frank at least once every year.
Watch out that the news paper doesn't get taken away.

Answer 7

Captain Underpants?

Huckelberry Finn is a classic, even if it is American. To Kill A Mockingbird (okay, American again) is a book that it should be compulsory to read.

What are they thinking?

Answer 8

I think we live in a despotic age. The U.S.A. envisioned by the Founding Fathers has declined and fallen -- it is lost, gone, dead.

Answer 9

I think it incredible. Why should they ban these books? What's wrong with them?

Answer 10

it's a screwed up world.
there's probably a longer list somewhere else.
it seems it's getting to the point where it's best to school your children at home.....