meaning the adventures of huckleberry finn, the catcher in the rye, dear martin, the fault in our stars, the great gatsby, maus, native son, to kill a mockingbird, and the adventures of captain underpants have in common? at one time or another, someone has tried to ban them from public or school classrooms and libraries.
At Common Sense Media, we believe that reading so-called banned books offers families an opportunity to celebrate reading and promote open access to ideas, both of which are keys to raising a lifelong reader.
You are reading: Why should we ban books
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why do people ban books? it is often for religious or political reasons: an idea, scene, or character in the book offends your religion, sense of morality, or political views. Some people feel they need to protect children from curse words, morally offensive behavior, or racially insensitive language in a book. or they think the content of a book is too violent or too sexual.
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The civil war novel The Red Badge of Courage (Stephen Crane) has been banned for its graphic depictions of war. The teen bestseller The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky) has been banned for its depictions of sexual behavior and drug and alcohol use. The award-winning young adult novel Dear Martin (Nic Stone) was cut from the curriculum at a Missouri high school because it dealt with racial profiling by police.
who is challenging these books? parents, school board members, individuals, groups; however, what is considered offensive may depend on the specific era or community. these challenges pose a threat to freedom of speech and choice, freedoms that Americans hold dear and are worth defending.
Here are five good reasons for kids to read banned books:
Today’s avant-garde is tomorrow’s classic. The original work pushes boundaries in theme, plot, and structure. what is shocking today may be assigned in English class five or 10 years from now if it has real literary merit. The Great Gatsby is a high school staple today, but it made a splash when its gin-soaked pages were published in 1925.
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There is more to a book than the swear words it contains. Many books have been banned because of language your child has encountered early or early. even petty humor (as in captain’s underpants) has caused people to call for a ban. a character’s language can add realism to the story, or it can seem gratuitous or distracting; your child can test it.
Kids crave books they can relate to. Banned books often deal with topics that are realistic, timely, and topical. young people can find a character going through exactly who they are, which makes for a powerful reading experience and helps the reader resolve thorny issues such as grief, divorce, sexual assault, bullying, prejudice, and identity. sexual. The captivating tale of teenage rebels has been banned, but many high school students cite it as the book that made them readers.
controversial books are a kind of virtual reality. exploring complex issues such as sexuality, violence, substance abuse, suicide, and racism through well-drawn characters allows children to contemplate morality and broad aspects of the human condition. , develop empathy for people different from them and possibly discover a mirror of their own experience. Thunder Hear My Cry is the story of an African-American family facing racism in 1930s Mississippi, but has been banned for racial slurs.
will start a conversation. what did people find so disturbing about a book that they wanted to ban it, and to what extent was it a product of its time or challenged the social norms of its time? For example, Harry Potter was banned by people who felt it promoted magic. reading a questioned book is a learning experience and can help your children define their own values and opinions about its content.
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