Don't Read That!

It is Banned Books Week, so I thought I'd share some banned titles (and reasons for banning) that surprised me.

Negatively portrays the logging industry

Portrays racism

Too depressing

Contains offensive words

Offensive language: "hell" and "damn"

(The greatest irony -- banning a book about the evils of banning books.)

I don't flaunt banned books, but I like Banned Books week because it reminds us to think. There are definitely books that are inappropriate for certain age groups, and there are books that even some adults would not feel comfortable reading. If you are an adult, then you can simply choose to not read a book that is offensive to you. If the concern is for a child, it is the role of the parent to help determine what is age-appropriate reading. I think we need to be careful not to shelter children too much, though. Of course The Diary of Anne Frank is depressing; it was written during the Holocaust. Yes, To Kill a Mockingbird contains racism; standing up to that racism was the focal point of the book. Explaining the context of the book seems to be a much better solution to me than banning the book entirely.