I learned a lot from this book club about the situation and various perspectives of the debate around banning books. For example, I had a great opportunity to see the different perspectives that the other members of the book club had, around topics such as if the books were appropriate for the ages they were meant for, if they should be restricted or more carefully given out, etc. I personally believe that maybe putting the books in a public library rather than a school would remove most of the conflict within the debate. It wouldn’t put the weight of a kid reading a book that their parents didn’t like on the teachers and school staff, but rather on the child and their free will. It didn’t really change my assumptions or expectations around the debate of restricting books as I have spent a lot of time both in college and high school writing examining and solidifying my view of restricting being wrong and proposing a middle ground such as a library for these books to be in. One of the biggest connections that I could make with this bookclub and other general education courses that I have taken would be the importance of reading. This is especially a major part of how I think the debate of restricting books could be solved, with more reading outside of the classroom and schools to solve the issue of people not wanting certain books in certain places. Looking back at both the experience itself as well as my responses, I believe that I could apply what I have learned to my writing, as well as my academic discipline of creative writing. I could show my perspective alongside the perspectives of the others in this activity through a paper that then goes on to outline my previously mentioned solution and the steps to implement it. But, overall it has been a very enjoyable opportunity to be able to participate in. I wanted to thank both Professor Kilpatrick and peer mentor Zach Johnson for running the logistic end of the course and setting it up for students such as myself to enjoy. Hopefully, this bookclub comes back in The Fall semester for others to enjoy!
-Hugh Hammons, April 29th, 2024