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Have you ever looked at the banned and challenged book list in your area?

Where I live the list is pretty long. Some of the more ridiculous titles included in the list are: The Giver by Lois Lowry Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Underground to Canada by Barbara Smucker Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain Lord of the Flies by William Golding These books have all been challenged and in some cases removed from schools and libraries. I've read all of them, and I wouldn't hesitate to give any one of them to my kids, once they are at the appropriate age. We home school. I agree that there are some books I hope my kids never read, but I don't believe that this kind of censorship is effective at all. As far as I'm concerned, if you don't like it, don't read it! What are your thoughts? Am I missing something here?

Public Comments

1. You are right on the money and an enlightened parent. Too bad all parents don't think this way! This reminds me of when my cousin was in high school -- she came to visit us and noticed we had a copy of "Catcher in the Rye." She mentioned that it was on the "banned" list at her school, so of course she HAD to read it right then and there. The next day she commented that she didn't see what the big deal was.
2. Banning books limits progress. I can't stand when they try to conform people.
3. Interesting how those are all books (or most anyway) that we're made to read in either junior high or highschool... I read Catcher in the Rye and Lord of the Flies both in highschool and I know some of the others were highschool books... I think we baby and coddle children too much these days. And it's not even helping, they're becoming worse and worse with each generation... That's what I think.
4. omg To Kill a Mokingbird is banned? that sucks anyways i know what you mean especially Huckleberry Finn it's one of my most favourite books, i'm black and i'm not offended that they used the N word in it, it sucks that kids these days are missing out on so many great books
5. No I haven't. Because there is no such thing as a "banned book". It may be removed from a classroom or a library, but they are still available in any bookstore in this country and so these kinds of issues are really non-issues to me. My son read all of them. Except perhaps Underground to Canada. Pax-C
6. In my area they banned a book about two gay penguins which is totally ridiculous AND they banned a story about how a soilder came home from war and had lost his legs and arms in battle and how his wife still loved him. Which by the way is totally silly. Personally i think if you don't want your child or whomever to read this book THEN JUST DON'T READ IT!!!! it's not rocket science here people. I mean what happened to freedom of speech, the first amendment? If you don't want your child to grow up in an enviroment with those kinda books then buy their friggin books for them.
7. I also think it's ridiculous for people to think they can control what books should be banned and which should be allowed on library shelves. When you come across a book that has ideas/themes that you don't agree with, use it as a learning experience and discuss what your objections are with your child, why your family doesn't believe in the ideas expressed in the book - but don't think you can just wipe the book and its ideas out of libraries because you don't like it. Some of the titles that you listed above just reflect the views of the time they take place in - to try to ban these classic titles in attempt to erase the views expressed in them is an attempt to change history. Nobody would read Huck Finn and get the idea that it is OK to call someone n*gg*r, so an attempt to ban the book in order to to wipe out that part of history and pretend it never happened is sorely misguided. Likewise, to ban Shel Silverstein because his poems 'teach children to be disrespectful to adults' or to ban Webster's Dictionary because it has 'nasty' words in it it just ludicrous. It amuses me to think that the parents who think their 'precious darlings' have never heard these words and must be protected from them at all costs are probably the parents of the kids who are using these words on the playground and writing them on bathroom walls. I'm not saying that everyone has to approve and agree with every book that is on library shelves. That is the beauty of this country - anyone can express their opinions and everyone else has the freedom to agree or disagree with those ideas. But for someone to decide that I or my child have no right to read a book because THEY don't like it is the ultimate in ego - that they think THEY know better than I what my child should or should not read is something that should not be allowed to happen. I agree that some school districts may want to avoid some controversial books in their curriculum, especially in very conservative communities, but that does not give them the right to remove them from libraries where people should have the freedom to choose what they want to read. I mean, weren't libraries originally set up so ALL types of views could be expressed and accessed by everyone? That doesn't mean that everyone must agree with every view in every book - just that there is a place for all kinds of viewpoints to be expressed without threat of retribution. OK, I'll get off my soap box now. I guess you just hit on one of my pet peeves - it will be interesting to see what others have to say.
8. Well, I guess I agree with you...until of course I find out what your notion of "appropriate" is, or what the books are that you hope your kids never read. As usual, these things are all very very subjective indeed.