Censorship and the the Banning of Books is Hurting Our Society

1164 Words3 Pages

What do The Color Purple, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Giver, To Kill a Mockingbird, Brave New World, Summer of My German Soldier, and The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Thing have in common? They are books on the American Library Association’s list of the one hundred most commonly challenged and banned books from the year 2000-2007. For various reasons, these books were found unsuitable for public audiences, and an appeal was made to a court on to ban them. From profanity to sexual content to homosexuality, groups have found reasons to challenge the books presence in libraries. But, the problem with banning books is that they shine a light on issues in our culture that need solved. If those books are banned, then we may not realize what our problem truly is. Some books can be the slap in the face that wakes our culture to a new problem that needs addressed. If those books are banned, how can our culture move on?

It is impossible to please everyone. This is a simple fact that cannot be argued. Books are a form of expression, and not everyone will agree with the way an author expresses him or herself. For example, according to Pastor John Hagee, “The books and films teach moral relativism and numb the minds of children to profanity and off color humor. Many of you believe it's just harmless fantasy, but its fantasy laced with witchcraft and demonology,” (2007). This was in response to the Harry Potter series, the number one most challenged book for the years 2000-2007 (ALA). The issue is not about how the books have inspired many children to read, it is that they are saying spells that the author has invented. If books are banned because they offend one group, we will not have any boo...

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.... As always, young readers will be the real losers.” She is absolutely correct.

Chonin, Neva. "Banned Books Week Supports First Amendment Rights." Retrieved on 16 Dec.

2008 from Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale.http://find.galegroup.com/ovrc/

infomark.do?&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T010&prodId=OVRC&docId=EJ3010489205&source=gale&srcprod=OVRC&userGroupName=minf80709&version=1.0

Steffens, Bradley "Library Censorship Is Not Justified.". Retrieved on 16 Dec. 2008 from

Opposing Viewpoints
GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T010&prodId=OVRC&docId=EJ3010090221&source=ga

le&srcprod=OVRC&userGroupName=minf80709&version=1.0>

ALA, Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books in 2000-2007. Retrieved on 18 Nov. 2008

http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/bannedbooksweek/bbwlists/TOP_100_in_200

0_2007.pdf

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