Book Banning and What it Means to You

Have you ever read The Color Purple, Gone with the Wind, The Lord of the Rings or The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn? Did they offend you? Do you believe they were/are a bad influence on you or those around you? Well someone thinks they were/are. The ALA has banned these books from our children's learning institutes. In this 4 part series you will hear from several individuals ranging from Parents, Teachers and Children on their opinions and views of book banning and certain books that have been banned. Please feel free to comment yourself. I would love to hear what you have to say.

Part 1 Book Banning and What it Means to You

Part 2 Banning Children's Books and What it Means to You

Part 3 Banning Adult Books and What it Means to You

Part 4 Banning Reference Books and What it Means to You

Why should we hide racism from our children in books, when it happens on a daily basis in front of them. The more we hide it, the more it's going to happen. Next thing we know all books will be removed from the shelves for some reason or another. - Lynne G of Lorette, Manitoba Canada (Parent)

As for banning books, I don't believe any book should be banned. I do believe parents should be allowed to censor books their children are reading. There are only a few on this list I would warn my son about before allowing him to read them. I would also make sure either I or my husband are willing to answer any questions that may stem from reading the books. I also believe that parents, before censoring any book, should read it before censoring. - Trisha Bodine of Guntersville, AL (Parent and Teacher)

We live in a modern world where we are supposed to be enlightened and have freedom of speech. The banning of a book purely because it does not meet one person's viewpoints is a very narrow-minded form of oppression. - Rags of Scotland (Parent)

I do not believe in book banning. The only bad book is one that is banned because that makes it interesting to people who would not normally have bothered with it. - Brenda Ryan of Pleasant Grove, UT (Parent)

I think that if a child wants to read a book, they should ask their parents about the book first & see if it's not too "intense" to read. I mean yeah, some books on this list children from the ages of 13 below, that involve sex descriptions, they shouldn't read. But almost every child knows about sex by the age of 11 or 12, so it's not like it'll make a big difference on their minds. Not a lot of kids even have an interest in reading anymore, so when you hear a child asking to read; be proud. And I am a Christian, but if they are "affected" by God bashing then they should also take in consideration about other religious bashing. There are more than just one religion & believe anyone should be able to read & believe what they want without judging. And its as simple as this, if you don't want your child exposed to that kind of "view points" then don't buy the book for them or keep it around in your house. Just because you don't approve of the book, doesn't mean others feel like that too. - Rebecca Barboza of Oklahoma City, OK (Student)

The fact that any literature has made it to the book banning list is quite appalling. A good portion of the books are the very basis of most modern day works. I personally think that if you are going to ban things then you should not do it for just a few people. I find quite a few books to be in bad taste, however I would not want them banned for the same reason what I see should not have been banned. If you are going to ban books for homosexuality or violence then you might as well ban the Bible along with the Talmud and the Koran while you are at it. The whole reason for people to write is to entertain, enlighten, or to point of flaws in society as a whole. For me personally I am over 21 and I do not need nor do I want someone to tell me what I can and cannot read, watch, or in the case of games play. The censorship of this country needs to stop. If you are a well informed adult, then you are perfectly capable of deciding what content in which you want to expose your children. I find a few things in the Bible offensive but it is my choice as to whether I read it or not. If the censorship of books is allowed to continue, then when will censorship stop. Next will be video games, movies, television, maybe even what we want to teach our children in our very homes would then be subjected to it as well. This whole country was founded on the principles of freedom of speech and religion as well as the right to have the pursuit of happiness. Well to ban books no matter what the content of which happens to be is violating those very principles. To tell someone what that can or cannot read is just the same as telling them what and how they should believe. The hypocrisy of the whole concept should not be ignored nor should it be allowed to continue. - Weslly Campbell of Oklahoma City, OK (Parent)

I do not agree with the banning of ANY books, including books that might not personally appeal to me. Just because *I* might not have an interest in a book (for WHATEVER reason) does not mean that I have the right to request it be removed from society. One of the ideals that this country was built on - and that our current service men and women are fighting for - is FREEDOM. The removal of any book is removing the freedom to choose what we can read, personally, as well as what we - as responsible adults and parents - are able to oversee when it is the children are reading and viewing them. I encourage my children to read what interests them, and to ask questions and to encourage the using of their minds, their imaginations.... I want them to be inspired by everything around them, even the "objectionable" so that they can make better decisions about themselves and their lives and what they do and don't like, what they will and will not tolerate, and so that they will have a real view of not only the world that is currently around them, but to also understand the history of how we came to this place. I try to foster a desire to read in my children and hope that they are stimulated by what they read to want to better their lives and the lives of those around them. How will people learn right from wrong, good from bad, acceptable from unacceptable if the information to help them gauge these things is no longer there? The banning of ANYTHING (books, moves, games - you name it) is wrong. It is time to put the ability and freedom to choose back in the proper hands - our own. - Michelle Campbell of Oklahoma City, OK (Parent)

Felix Castillo, Banned and Controversial Books
American Library Association, Banned and/or Challenged Books from the Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century