Do you believe that particular books should be banned from schools?

Question

I just want your opinions in this, so anybody may answer with any appropriate comment or idea.

Answer 1

No, but parents do get really worked up about it. I think it depends on how things are taught.

Answer 2

As a seventh grader my teacher had us read a book called "The Chocolate Wars". It was a good book but growing up in a Mormon community that wasn't very liberal, the book was thrown out of the reading curriculum. It had a few chapters on masturbation and some other bad things that they did not like.

I also understand that there are quite a few parents at an elementary school back east that are really having stressing over a children's book at the school library about gay penguins adopting a baby penguin. They want the book out of school.

I would love to call it all free speech and be all liberal about it but the fact is that children do not all have the mental capacity to understand what some books are portraying. Parents have the right to censor what their children read. I honestly don't want my little girl at the age of 12 reading about a teenage boy masturbating in the boys bathroom. (Chocolate Wars) I can understand why my parents freaked. I also knew something was up when the teacher made it a point to read that specific chapter in class with the door closed. She was a weird teacher.

Sex should be out of our elementary schools and be prepared for in the correct manner in Junior Highs.

Answer 3

No. Authors have a right to be heard just like everyone else. The only reason I could see for banning a book from an elementary school (note: I did not say high school) is for explicit sexual content ('Beautiful Losers' by Leonard Cohen, good book, wouldn't want to see a 10 year old reading it), really awful language ('Trainspotting' by Irvine Welsh, too much 'c' word for a younger audience, though quite excellent for older readers!), or lots of drugs.

Yeah... so I guess I agree with banning books on a small and elementary school level. It's not so much banning as that they really would never consider putting those books in an elementary school library.

Answer 4

I've actually done a research paper on this topic for a children's lit course. I read dozens of books from the banned and frequently banned list. I was so disappointed that some of the best books ever written were on the list. For example, Tom Sawyer, Judy Blume books, and To Kill A Mockingbird are all popular on banned lists. Even Shakespeare has been banned from some schools!

Now, I understand that some parents/teachers don't know how to address sensitive topics or even want to. For parents, it is about sheltering their children while turning their children away from truly great literature. Topics such as racism occur in some older historical fiction books. The key to using these books is to explain the circumstances and times in which these books are based. With explanation, students can come to LEARN from these books and grow (which, along with enjoyment, are great purposes for reading in the first place).

Other hot topics include coming of age and sexuality. I remember reading Judy Blume as a young pre-teen (thanks, mom, for letting me!), and those books really helped get me through those tough and akward years. Sometimes books, even those fictional, can really help students get through tough times or certain issues in a safe and comfortable way.

For parents, I feel that it is your choice to turn your children away from literature you would prefer they not read. I don't think one parent has the right to say that NO children should have access to books they aren't comfortable. Talking to your children about what and why they read is an important thing for a parent to do. Parents should communicate with their children rather than hope they never get hold of a book the parent isn't comfortable with.

Sorry this is lengthy, but I think this is an important subject, and I'm glad you are interested in it. One more thing! Parents should research and READ books before deciding that they aren't appropriate. Some of the books on the banned list are there for ridiculous reasons. (Where's Waldo...a very teeny tiny picture of the side of a woman's breast as she is lying on a beach towel. Big deal. ) No one should speak out against a book if they have never read it for themselves.

Answer 5

Yes, but only if it's completely necessary.

When I was a sophomore in high school we were reading a book that contain racist comments. One of the student's mother wrote to our district's superintendent and demanded that this book would be banned due to certain things that were written in the book.
More than anything, we need to understand the content of the book. I don't remember the name of the book we were reading, but our teacher insisted we read it, I think it was "To Kill a Mocking Bird"... but I'm really not sure. Anyhow, I never understood why that woman disliked that book...
The only thing I remember thinking was that, we all knew that racism existed and that it still exist... and it's not right. I think we were at the appropriate age to read such book.

I think if a book has content with that deals with sexuality, drugs and other bad things in excess... yes they should be banned.

Answer 6

No book should be banned from school. It would help if there were classroom discussion on the more controversial books so that kids could understand why the exchange of ideas--especially unpopular ones-- is so important. It seems like so few people still read anymore. Instead, people watch movies and TV, and play video games (I happen to do all of those, but I still read as much as I can). I would hate to see pleasure reading become a lost art, or have all the joy sucked out of it by restricting it to mainstream, vanilla, "safe" material. No one could then complain that our youth have no imagination. Loss of reading killed it.

Answer 7

All books need to be seperated into specific age group reading due to maturity level. Kindergarden kids should not have access to read Helter Skelter just like High School students should not need to read books like Dick and Jane readers.

Each school should have a forum whereby parents are active participants in the selection process. And not just on face value (reading the jacket) and letting that assist in selection. The adults should pre-read the selections before voting.

If one school accepts the Bible, and another the Quoran, then let it be by vote of Parents. The Administration should stay out, the ACLU should stay out.

Give reading material choices back to the parents.

Answer 8

Book banning is one step on the slippery slope of "loss of freedom". The only time that I think that a book should be "not included" in a curriculum, is if it is a obviously pornographic book (sold only to adults) like Penthouse forum etc. This should not be up to interpretation by local people. Or else every highly Christian community will have every book banned that does not agree with their religion or morals. They have every right ot teach their beliefs, but you have every right to learn all that it out there and make your own decisions.

Answer 9

No, books should never be banned. If a parent does not want their child to read a certain book, they have the parental right to tell the librarian not to allow the child access to it. BUT they do not have the right to prevent other children from having access to that book.

Answer 10

The word "censorship" comes to mind. No, I don't think books should be banned, any of them. They each serve their purpose, at the very least to broaden a students perspective. If they want to mentally discard the book as rubbish afterward, that's their choice, but the opportunity to read it has to be made available.

It's not as if they're never going to get their hands on it .. wait a year and wander to the library and read it there anyway.

EDIT: Fyi dreamer ... there is one book that is ten times worse than is not only not banned, it is outright encouraged, and found in every school library. The bible. It has stonings, crucifixion, the rape of innocent women, babies being torn from the womb by God and smashed against rocks, mass genocide, war, torture, infanticide, incest, you name it. If the bible with all of that negative content can be allowed in a school, then any other book should damn well be given the same courtesy.

Answer 11

No, I don't.
I think it's appropriate to have a section of the school library with "controversial" books, and those books require parental permission to check out...but banning books is not necessary.