Statements

V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd

Over the past month our club has read the graphic novel V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd. As of cycle 9, this book was removed from english classrooms for “nudity and some violence.” After several discussions, we’ve ultimately come to the decision that this book should remain unbanned and free for classroom use.

Firstly, we found this novel covers complex themes that could benefit youth readers while creating an engaging narrative that is interesting and compelling to read. V for Vendetta explores a dystopian-era Britain under a new lens of juvenile justice that is extremely intriguing to a teen audience. To say that this book has themes of violence is a severe overstatement. The “violence” we found in this book is at most something that teenagers within our society are exposed to on a daily basis through various forms of media or access to the internet. The nudity is limited, and serves an artistic purpose that propels the main themes of the book into a format that is progressive and easy to understand. It is done with the book’s plot in mind, as each scene is purposeful and each piece of artwork is drawn with intention. The book in its entirety uses more mature concepts (i.e. violence and nudity) in a complex and intuitive way that uses art in its purest form: a way to send a message.

As students, we request that you reconsider this removal and consider the negative ideals that its removal may bring to students. We hope you will take our student perspective into consideration.

None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio

This past month our club has read None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio. As of cycle 9, this novel was removed from classrooms for “concepts of sex and anatomy”, “sensitive topics”, and “strong language and sexual references”. However, throughout our reading, our members gained a heightened understanding of how it affects a person to live outside of society's binary expectations.

Through our club’s reading, we found this novel provides an accessible way to inform teens about being intersex, specifically AIS. It provides information about the condition through a medium that fully explores the downs and ups of the diagnosis and the way one's identity is shaped around preconceived notions of binary gender. As it was written by a doctor, it gives us the facts behind the condition, helping spread awareness and understanding in such a way that teenagers such as ourselves can digest and process it better than a medical journal or research paper. Additionally, this novel is one that many of our members felt was very powerful and important, as many people with AIS don't get positive media recognition. The removal of this book perpetuates the idea that being intersex or outside of the gender binary is somehow wrong or shameful, which may make students feel excluded or incorrect for their identity.

As students, we request that you reconsider this removal and consider the negative ideals that its removal may bring to students. We hope you will take our student perspective into consideration.

Ordinary Hazards by NikKi Grimes

At the beginning of this school year, our club was gifted copies of Nikki Grimes’ memoir, Ordinary Hazards. Throughout this past year, our members have individually read this novel, here’s our statement.

When originally removed from classrooms, this novel was considered controversial for mentions “recounts [of] the author’s childhood hardships and pain, which included abuse, the foster care system, and living with a mentally ill mother” as well as “a brief rape scene (pg. 176-177) and some language”. Through our recent discussion, our members focused on the significance of these themes played in the whole of the author's memoir. Without any of the themes above, the story wouldn’t be authentic. Every story the author mentions represents a significant moment that shaped the outcome of her life. Through censoring these themes, we found that you only disassemble the core structure of her life, and hide her truth. Additionally, Grimes’ story is one that is not uncommon and is one many can relate to. All these themes, childhood hardships, mental illness, and rape, are all things present in the world that we students are growing up in. Censoring these topics only prevents us from learning the truth and complexity of the world we’re walking into. By having novels like Ordinary Hazards in classrooms, you give students the ability to learn these themes in a safe and educational environment. Only then, when we students are educated on these issues, can we enter the future prepared to resolve them. The only way we can make the world a better place, is to understand it.

For these reasons, we believe that Ordinary Hazards should remain in LISD classrooms, and hope you will take our student perspective into your consideration.

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

This past month our club has read In The Dream House, By Carmen Maria Machado. As of cycle nine, this novel was removed for “Show[ing] readers the ugly side of non-physical abuse and how it can break a person”, and “a couple graphic sex scenes” which “some readers may find… offensive”. However, through our reading, we found that this novel provides valuable, first-hand insight that teaches readers the basis of a healthy relationship and how to recognize the signs of a damaging one.

Through this novel, our club focused on the main theme of abuse within relationships. While this theme is common in our world, many of our members agreed it is something they are not exposed to or extremely familiar with. However, through the first-hand perspective of this novel, we agreed we could better understand the complexity and severity of abuse. With this understanding, we believe it becomes easier for us students to recognize abusive patterns within relationships, and gives us the opportunity to identify and stop a relationship that might be damaging, whether physically or emotionally. This skill is one that is difficult to learn or develop, which is why it’s vital to keep novels like In the Dreamhouse in classrooms. While this topic is uncomfortable to learn about, it’s a genuine issue within our society. Removing this content for its uneasiness won’t remove abuse from the world, it only removes our ability to handle it in a safe and healthy way.

For these reasons, we believe In the Dream House deserves to be reinstated in LISD classrooms. We hope you take our consensus into consideration and allow students to learn how to safely navigate the world we’re growing up in.

The Nowhere Girls by Amy Reed

Recently our club has read The Nowhere Girls by Amy Reed. As of cycle nine, this novel was banned for “negative stereotyping of men and Christians” and because “the [rape] victim did not get justice”. However, through our reading, many of our members found this novel to be highly relevant to our lives as women and gave us insight into how to handle a world that was organized with a focus on men.

In this novel, the main characters Erin, Grace, and Rosina are characters that many of our members can connect to, they show young women navigating their lives through high school. But through their experience, they start an organization-- The Nowhere Girls, a place where women can safely speak out on the injustices that have occurred in their school. Through our discussions, our members noticed that while women in our school have faced these issues, they are deemed ‘taboo’ to discuss. However, this novel allowed our members to spark a conversation over our experiences navigating the world as women. Novels like Amy Reed’s break this boundary, this concept that is ‘taboo’ and gives students the opportunity to reflect on their experiences as women and unify as a power. We agreed in our discussion that the theme of injustice for women is common in our day-to-day lives. As we grow up in our society, we find that in order for women to have an equal and safe future we need boundaries to be broken, we need women to have these conversations and understand that their experiences are valid instead of silencing them. Through reading this novel, we found that it was able to amplify the voices of many young women, who previously haven’t had their experiences heard. This novel doesn’t put down men-- it shows young women how to stand up for the justice that they deserve.

This novel gives a start to a conversation that is long overdue, and as women, as students, we ask that you allow this novel to be available in LISD classrooms. In order to create a society equal and safe for all, students need to have these conversations in classrooms to fully understand and recognize injustices against women. We hope you take our student perspective into consideration.

Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez:

This past month, our club has read and discussed the novel, Out of Darkness, by Ashley Hope Pérez, despite it being removed from LISD classrooms. While Pérez’s novel was removed for content that may seem unnecessary when taken out of context, this book truly was nothing short of educational.

Characters Wash and Naomi allow readers to understand the expectations and regulations placed on people of color during this period in time as a result of racism. The first-hand perspective of this novel is one that no classroom lecture can come close to replicating, making this story critical to understanding the whole narrative of racism in our state and nation. Though some topics may be uncomfortable to read through, those same topics are the ones that may benefit students the most. While these themes are uncomfortable, as Ms. Pérez said, “Taking away the books that address those issues does not remove them from the world. There is still sexual assault in the world, there is still racism in the world, this history is there, whether it's allowed in libraries or not”. As students we attend high school to learn, and to become better prepared for the world we will grow up in, so it is vital that we have the ability to learn about these tough and real topics in a safe environment like a classroom. Taking away this novel doesn’t solve these issues, it only hides them from us, instead of informing us how to respond to them.

As a club, we ask you to reconsider the removal of this novel in classrooms and ask you to continue supplying it in High School libraries. The story we read was not only informative but extremely impactful. As students of VHS, we hope you will take our perspective of the novel into consideration when determining the status of this book.

Handmaid's Tale: the Graphic Novel by Margaret Atwood:

In our January meeting, the VHS Banned Book Club discussed our opinions on whether The Handmaid’s Tale: The Graphic Novel should be removed from classrooms or not. During our discussion, many of us agreed that this novel was interesting and something we would have enjoyed analyzing within the classroom, as the unique dystopian perspective allowed many of us to ask new questions and think deeper about social hierarchies and the world we live in. From our understanding, The Handmaid’s Tale: The Graphic Novel was removed for containing a rape scene, and while it was uncomfortable to read, we feel it is vital to understand the grave topics covered. It illustrates the subjugation of women within their society and without this scene, the reader wouldn’t be able to grasp a full understanding of how social constructs affect relationships within societies, and how corrupt systems can lead to unjust subjugation of persons. Reading about these themes allows us as students to understand the root causes behind unjust systems. Only through understanding these themes can we build an equal and safe society for all.

Kiss Number 8 by Colleen AF Venable:

Recently our book club read Kiss Number 8 By Colleen AF Venable and Ellen T. Crenshaw, which was challenged by the district. We read this novel with the hope to understand why it was challenged and discussing the content it contains. During our meetings, we discussed the themes of sexuality, gender identity, teenage sex, drinking, and religious affiliation. Throughout these conversations, our members all agreed that the challenge was unnecessary as these themes appear in our everyday lives. We believe that it is vital to expose students to these concepts, instead of sheltering them from things that are completely normal and common. We strongly advise unbanning Kiss Number 8 as its content is relevant and many students find that they can connect with. Minority students often find they’re under-represented in media that we consume in our school, so having books like Kiss Number 8 that shows LGBTQIA+ content allows all students to consume stories to which they can connect and relate with.