A Banned Book a Day Keeps the Shellshock Away
Mia Brito
Published on 5/23/18 - Literature
Published on 5/23/18 - Literature
133 years ago, the first book in the United States was banned, and since then, about 43, 330 books have been challenged or banned. That first book banned came out in 1885 and was titled The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Since then, all types of books have been banned, including everything from The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian to The Lorax by none other than Dr. Seuss himself.
People ban and challenge books for completely legitimate reasons. It is normal for a parent to want to monitor and shelter their kids from some touchy subjects. But at what age does this stop? Kids who grow up in an overly sheltered environment end up "shell shocked" when they enter the real world and are exposed to these content. While these subjects may not always be the most appropriate or easiest to talk about, kids should at least have to opportunity to learn about them if both themselves and the parents see fit.
Books are almost always targeted at a certain age group, and there is a line that defines what is appropriate for them and what is not. While some inappropriate topics are written clearly on the page, many are hidden between the lines. Some of Dr. Seuss' books came under fire because they had underlying themes of Marxism and opinions of the foresting industry; however, these books are intended for first graders, and these subjects will undoubtedly fly over the heard of every single one of them. On the other hand, books from hugely influential writers such as Orwell and Steinbeck clearly lay out specific themes by discussing racism, communism, and others that may not be fit for the classroom. Novels by these literary superstars include Animal Farm, 1984, Of Mice and Men, and The Grapes of Wrath. These books are almost always taught in high school and rarely before. These books aren’t trying to negatively impact a child, but are teaching them the same things they learn in their history classes.
English and history have always been closely related; you can’t have one without the other. In your history classes you learn facts about what has happened throughout history, and in the literature you read are doing the same thing, just telling it in a different way. Non-fiction books tell stories with historical parallels in a way that is interesting and that almost give the reader and visual about what is was like in that time. Most fiction books tell a story that, while not completely real, teaches readers about real life problems and situations. If parents are really that against exposing their children to real life problems, they should at least try and educate their child themselves before they step into the real world blind of the problems surrounding them.
In most cases, the books that are the most influential for today’s youth are also the books that get challenged the most. TIME claims that the top three most influential books among teen are the Harry Potter series, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Looking for Alaska. These books have been under fire since they first came out and are still considered controversial today.
At the end of the day it is the parent's choice whether or not to shelter their children from certain subjects, but it is important to make sure that these books still stay on the shelves regardless. Just because one parent thinks the book is inappropriate for their child, doesn’t mean they have the right to take the book out of another child's hands. Books are forever. Every single piece of literature holds some type of information from the past, making them eternal and essential for furthering the knowledge of its readers as taught to us by another piece of lasting literature, Fahrenheit 451.
Sources: