One
topic that we touched on in class was the opposition raised by various
individuals (mostly parents and teachers) to children reading The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time
Indian. We looked at several disapproving reviews from Amazon.com which
talked about the use of profanity, the frequent remarks about race and racism,
the references to masturbation and other sexual innuendos throughout the novel.
One of the comments that we read talked about how, a superintendent removed the
book from the general library collection so that only parents were allowed to
check out the book and how a school board in Missouri banned the book from all
of its schools. The first comment about the superintendent got me thinking as
to how exactly books get banned or restricted, so I did a little research.
Searching
around online, I found out some of what I already knew. I found out that a
parent or even a teacher has the right to challenge a book and that a school
can ban a book permanently or restrict the book so that only children of
certain ages can access the book or so that only parents can access the book. One
thing I did not know is that, in some
districts, it only takes one complaint to get a book reviewed and potentially
banned. And in some situations it is only the principal or the librarian who
evaluates the book meaning that the decision as to whether this book should be
banned or not is left in the hands of one person.
The
idea that one person, or rather two people, the complainer and the reviewer,
are all it takes to get a book banned is quite concerning. The ability for a
child to have access to a certain piece of literature should not ride on the
opinions, morals and beliefs of two individuals. I personally believe that this
decision should be made on a parent by parent basis or at least in a more
democratic way. There should be a certain number of people who have to complain
before a book can be reviewed and a hearing conducted before a review committee
before a book can be banned so that the views and opinions of the few are not
the only ones that a heard. In my high school, thinking about it now, we read a
lot of African American literature and other books that many would consider to
be racist, sexist, sexual in nature or controversial. In fact, when I was
reviewing the 100 Most Contested books, more than half of the books I read in
my school including Invisible Man, Their Eyes were Watching God, The Bluest Eye
and To Kill a Mockingbird were among the books on this list.
I completely agree with you. Initially, I had thought that the process of banning a book would be rather extensive, or at least certainly take more than one complaint. I browsed on the link you attached of the most banned books, and many of my favorites were on there- especially Catcher in the Rye. I understand that parents don't want to expose their children to matters or topics they deem inappropriate, but at the same time I feel like the parents of this generation have become overly protective. I feel like sheltering your children can be even more detrimental than having them read something that may be a little risque.
ReplyDeleteI also find it quite concerning that it may only take one complaint to ban a book. Some people are more sensitive to topics than others, so one parent should not have the decision of whether to ban a book. If the school decided to put the book in its library in the first place, it is most likely not all that bad. Especially in this day and age, kids know so much more than any of us would expect. I feel that it is better that they at least learn about real life situations in books and possibly learn how to handle the situation so that if something even happens to them they will be more likely to know how to respond. Also, if the children see that they are not alone in some of these situations they may feel better and they may not be as fearful to reach out and ask for help if needed. But I digress... if anything they should most definitely have a better system to ban a book because one complaint is not enough. This may not be much better of an alternative, but if these books are concerning to some parents then the school should have a different "rating" for these books in order to let the parent know that the book may be controversial and then the parent can at least be prepared to explain the book rather than shelter them altogether.
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