Book Banning Book

Banned books happen to be a very contradicting topic, with many people having their own opinion about the issue. They are useful in schools, they are beneficial, and they are factual pieces of evidence and information. Some people believe that books should not be banned because they can be beneficial.

Book Banning and book challenges has been around just as long as books were invented.

Assertion: I don’t agree with book banning, and don’t believe it should have ever been a thing. Parents and other guardians do have a say in what their child can read, but should not block it off from everyone else who would want to enjoy it.

The controversial act of banning books in the public school system is hindering children from growing in their intellect and identity. “Schools and Censorship: Banned Books” is an article released by People For the American Way, which explains that American’s were given one basic right and it is one that must be fought for and maintained daily. This is the freedom to express as each individual sees fit. Because of concepts that challenge the level of what is “appropriate” for students, millions are being deprived of powerful works of expression which possess the power to shape students in who they are and who they can become.

Think back to when you were in high school, do you remember that one book you read that really opened your eyes? Well the sad reality is that somewhere in the world that favorite book you read is either banned or challenged in a library. So it sits locked away never to open the eyes of another or help educate them further on its contents. Books should not be banned in libraries. We have the freedom of speech, so why take away or censor our freedom to simply read and consume literature?

Opponents claim that some books contain content that should not be read, and they want it to be censored for “the good of society.” Books have been banned in libraries and schools everywhere because people thought they included encouragement of “damaging” lifestyles, blasphemous language, sexual topics, violence, negativity, witchcraft, religious affiliations, political bias, or because they were not appropriate for the intended audience (Banned Books: Reasons for Banning Books). However, while certain people may not want to read about certain topics, it does not justify restricting access to information and banning the book from everyone who visits the library. Furthermore, some books are banned because parents want to be able to control and protect what their children see, and they ask

Judy Blume, a children’s author who has had four books on the Top 100 Banned/Challenged books list for the past two decades, once stated, “In this age of censorship, …, I mourn the voices that will be silenced-…, teachers' voices, students' voices-and all because of fear. How many have resorted to self-censorship? How many are saying to themselves, ‘Nope…Can’t teach that book. Can’t have that book in our collection” (Blume). When challenges to books occur, it can induce a state of self-censorship among teachers, librarians, and administrators. Censorship can deprive students of valuable educational materials and opportunities to learn about serious issues in the world. Because of this,

In a word where media is everywhere and travels fast, it is not possible to shield children from unpleasant facts of reality. It would do nothing to harm the child, but instead opens their minds, or even offer them something to identify with. Parents should not attempt to shield their child from exposure of these words, but instead try to make them understand the impacts they could cause. (Grosvenor, 2017) Some books are being banned for being too real. In 2015, a parent has requested for a famous book “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck banned due to “the use of ‘Jesus Christ’ as a curse word, n-word to describe

In today’s talk with Ron Brown I learned about the reasons book are banned, the types of books that are censored, and the people who instigate the censorship. One of the things Brown discussed were the reasons books are banned by the Canadian government: child pornography and hate speech. I found this interesting because I always believed that banning books was a bad idea, and that there were no good enough reasons books for a book to be banned. I had agreed with the video we had watched earlier in the year; we shouldn’t say, “I don’t want children to read the book”, but rather “I don’t want my children to read the book.” This comment by Brown, however, made me realize that there were times that even I thought it was justified to ban books. His discussion on this topic showed me that there were more legitimate excuses for banning a book than “containing a reference to God” or “not containing a reference to God.”

Across the world, books are banned or challenged for a variety of reasons--some relatively reasonable, others absolutely absurd. Book banning is when a book or other written work is removed from all libraries and/or schools within a certain area and is a form of censorship from political, legal, religious, and other ‘offensive’ material. Some people may think that challenged books should be taken away, a simple way to solve this problem is by not checking out or reading these books because while one group of people may not like a specific book or genre, it wouldn’t be fair to take it away from those who like it. Public books should not be banned or challenged because others in the community may want to read them and because such book may inform

"Parents only want the best for their children and they only use censorship to protect them from what they perceive as a negative influence."("Children's Books and Censorship

Young adults in school settings need to be exposed to difficult and bold ideas. Unfortunately, misfortune, evil, and tragedy all exist in the everyday lives of people all over the world. While parents have good intentions to protect their children from the harsh realities of life, kids who are never exposed to the very real problems people face everyday will have a difficult time handling these problems when they are exposed to them in real life Books should not be banned for attempting to depict realistic problems that people face at some point in life. As humans, everyone learns how to deal with their struggles ¨by facing adversity and getting past it¨. It is important for kids to learn about these kinds of adversities in order to be prepared to face their own one day. (Cytowic 1). Sheltering children from all of the world’s problems can end up harming them more than helping the child. If people have no idea how to handle conflict or disaster, they will not be prepared to face those struggles someday. The realistic and often harsh realities of life

Every year, an event called Banned Book Week calls to attention the list of books removed, or ‘banned’ from school libraries and classrooms. An organization known as the American Library Association, or the ALA, holds this event to “celebrate the constitutional right to access reading material”(Censorship). These books, many times, are called to attention for their sexual content, explicit language use, or controversial topics discussed. Books should never be restricted for children by anyone but their own parents, and no school board, PTA board, or community should be able to stop a child from learning and pursuing knowledge. Banning books, instead of protecting a child from harmful content, would marginalize their way of thought and restrict them from new ways of thinking or ideas.

Book banning is an issue that is seen as archaic in today’s society. Between New Zealand’s right to the freedom of the media, and a generally liberal government, the idea of banning a book due to its content is unheard of. So, it is understandable that there was a massive uproar when conservative lobby group Family First managed to get the first book banned in New Zealand in 22 years in an attempt to “promote a culture that values the family” . In relation to this, recent statistics performed by the American Library Association show that the vast majority of those who challenge books are parents . We can infer from these statistics that this is most likely to “protect” their children from the harsh realities of the world today. As many of

On Tuesday morning, a woman named Jennifer Sterling came into my children’s literature class to talk to us about the censorship and banning of books. In the beginning of the presentation, I was unaware of how books could be possibly challenged or banned. From listening to Mrs. Sterling’s presentations. I learned the difference between a challenged book and a banned book. For example, a challenged book is a book that “challenges attempt to remove or restrict material.” On the other hand, a banned book is the “removal of materials.” Something that took me by surprise was learning about how most people who challenge books are parents. From the American Library Association website, about forty-one percent of parent’s challenge books while only