My Sister’s Keeper Shouldn't be a Challenged Book

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Recommended: Concept of sexuality in literature

The American Library Association, ALA, is an organization that, among other things, compiles a list every year of the most frequently challenged books. “The American Library Association actively defends the right of library users to read, seek information, and speak freely as guaranteed by the First Amendment.” (ALA) Many times, the books on this list are challenged by parents with the want to protect their children from things they don’t believe to be appropriate. “Only parents have the right and responsibility to restrict the access of their children” (ALA) Even with these good intentions, by challenging a book, they are trying to challenge the authors’ thoughts and words, their First Amendment rights. These books usually contain complicated ideas, issues, and information that cause parents to not want them where their kids can read them. The novel My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult is a challenged book because of its homosexuality, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexism, sexually explicit scenes, violence, and being unsuited to its age group; by all means this novel should not be challenged because, it’s use of offensive language is only used to intensify certain situations, and through all of the controversial issues it employs, it puts in perspective just how far someone would go for his/her family.

This novel, My Sister’s Keeper, is the telling story of a preteen girl Anna caught in-between a big family issue, her sister’s life. Anna Fitzgerald is the genetically designed daughter of Sara and Brain, designed to save her sister Kate’s life, who is suffering from leukemia. The decision Anna makes to stop being Kate’s donor tears the Fitzgerald family apart. With such a divisive topic to have the novel based...

... middle of paper ...

... 17 Feb 2011.

Picoult, Jodi. "Book 11: My Sister’s Keeper." Jodi Picoult: Novels About Family,

Relationships, and Love. N.p., 6 Feb. 2011. Web. 17 Feb. 2011.

.

Bib4: Unknown. "Jodi Picoult's "My Sister's Keeper"." SIRS Renaissance. 18 Apr 2006: n.p. SIRS Renaissance. Web. 17 Feb 2011

"Top ten most frequently challenged books of 2009." ALA. American Library

Association, 4 Mar. 2009. Web. 17 Feb. 2011. http://www.ala.org/ala/

issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/21stcenturychallenged/2 009/

index.cfm

Hang, Justin. "My Sister's Keeper" Variety 29 June 2009: 36. ProQuest

Learning: Literature. Web. 17 Feb. 2011.

displayItem.do?QueryType=criticism&ResultsID=12D9C29DFE85&ItemNumber=8>.

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