Angela Tanzer 808
Banned Book
Essay
Dear
Ms. Berner,
I am aware of some recent requests you
have received concerning the removal or “banning” of certain books in M.S. 51
classrooms. Many parents wish to shelter their children from dark novels, as
they fear they might be damaging to them. They think that the dark themes and
questionable language faced by these books make their content unfit for their
children, or any child, to be exposed to. And these are only some reasons-people
have countless reasons that make them think it’s a good idea to ban books from
libraries. And critics like Meghan Cox Gurdon seem to constantly find flaws of
allowing children to read dark young adult literature. However, I disagree with
the concept of banning books. While young adult literature might uncover some
very serious topics, it also helps children learn more about the world they
live in, and possibly guide them through conflicts they deal with throughout
their lives. Children should be allowed to read what they choose. Therefore, I believe that books should not be
banned from libraries.
To begin with, students should be able
to read books that inform them about issues situations in the world they live
in. Books involving issues such as drugs, violence, rape, and poverty can widen
their perspective and teach kids that there are a lot of serious things going
on in the world that can’t be ignored. As privileged children, and many readers
of young adult novels probably are, it doesn’t make sense to go through life
with a poor understanding of these issues-about what’s going on around them. I,
personally, find myself empathizing with people who deal with these issues more,
when I learn more about them in books. For example, the novel Compromised
by Heidi Ayarbe really moved me and strengthened my understanding of the
harshness and brutality of life on the streets, while The Absolutely True
Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie made me truly empathize with
people who are a minority in this country. While some privileged children may
not experience many of the issues in young adult books, reading about them can
help them empathize with people who do. Also, we all go through something hard
in our lives and reading about it in books can help people who feel like
there’s no one to talk to make a connection with the great many people who go
through the same thing, even if we don’t know who they are.
Furthermore, for people who have
experienced these issues themselves, like victims of rape or abuse or people
who have lost many loved ones, reading books about the issues can help them
feel less lonely. In the article, “Yes, Teen fiction can be dark, but it shows
teenagers they are not alone”, by Maureen Johnson, it states, “For teenagers, there is
sometimes no more critical message then: You are not alone.” Having
something very serious and traumatic happen to teenagers who haven’t been able
to talk about their experience, or don’t want to, might make them feel lonely
or more introverted in general. However, reading a book about their problem can
show them that they are not alone, and that there are many other people who
have gone through the same or similar thing. By reading a book, people are able
to understand how widespread their situation is, and it can help them feel a
bigger connection to people around them, that they might not have known existed
before. And not to people they know personally
or might ever have to know, but that have had the same experience as them.Young adult books can also be an outlet for children who lead troubled lives, the only way to escape horrors that they face in their everyday lives. For example, in the article "Why the Best Kids Books Are Written in Blood", by Sherman Alexie, he states, "When I think of the poverty-stricken, sexually and physically abused,
self-loathing Native American teenager that I was, I can only wish,
immodestly, that I’d been given the opportunity to read “The Absolutely
True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.” Or Laurie Halse Anderson’s “Speak.”
Or Chris Lynch’s “Inexusable.”
On the other hand, some parents and critics have
raised concerns about certain young adult literature and think that banning it is
an effective way to prevent their children from reading “questionable content”.
Some even believe that reading books that deal with people who consistently
make bad choices, such as doing drugs or self-harming might influence children to
want to make these decisions, or just make it seem like a more reasonable option.
While I can understand that parents naturally have concerns about what their
children are exposed to and how it will negatively affect them, I don’t think
this is the case. Any good author of a dark young adult novel wouldn’t set out
to write their book with a goal to disturb kids or teach them to fall into
precarious sets of mind. That’s not why they
choose a dark theme or wrote about heavy issues. Many, if not most of them,
show implications involved with making these bad decisions, and teach kids why
they shouldn’t. Also, banning books doesn’t stop these issues from being a very
unfortunate reality, and an accurate portrayal of what is going on in the
world, even if it is brutal. In “The Bane of Banned Books”, Bill Moyer
says, “Censorship is the enemy of truth-even more than a lie. A lie can be
exposed, censorship can prevent us from knowing the difference.” He makes a
good point. Censoring books doesn’t eliminate the issues in them-it simply
ignores them and conceals them for people who have not yet reached that level
of understanding. It avoids the truth. But children can’t be sheltered forever
and the world that the kind of parents who ban books probably want them seeing
is too often not the world that exists around them.
In conclusion, I don’t think any books
should be banned here at M.S. 51, or anywhere at all. Books are a very important
part of the world, and of many individuals’ lives everywhere. They are the
foundation of learning for people of all ages, and the right to read them
should not be revoked for anyone. I think it’s unfair for people to take away
something that is helping others learn or grow or cope in their own lives, as
books do. Children, as well as adults, face challenges in their lives,
difficulties that can act as an obstacle that inhibits them from moving forward.
Although reading may not be able to help these people survive or completely
overcome these challenges, reading about similar experiences that other’s have
had, imaginary or not, can help them get through them, in the least help them
understand they are not alone. Overall, people should have enough faith to give
children choice to read what they want to, and enough faith that they won’t
make any terrible decisions when they have it. Of course this logic may not
apply in other realms, but in this one I believe it should. Therefore, it is in
the M.S.51 administrations’ best interest that they don’t ban any books
previously allowed.
Sincerely,
Angela Tanzer
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