Benjamin Franklin once said, “If all printers were determined not to print anything till they were sure it would offend nobody, there would be very little printed.” Benjamin Franklin portrays what the world will be like if books get censored. Censorship is the act or process of removing or suppressing materials that are considered to be morally, politically, or otherwise objectionable. The Fair Lawn Board of Education is evaluating the current selection of the things read in the eighth-grade curriculum. One of their pending decisions, is the novel Kissing Doorknobs by Terry Spencer Hesser, about a girl, named Tara, who fights to overcome OCD and faces many other difficulties along the way. We think that all eighth graders should be allowed
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Susan Leonardi, a therapist specialized in OCD treatment, explains to Tara what it is. She tells Tara that “obsessive- compulsive disorders are neurological conditions, a biological disease, caused by a malfunction of some sort in the brain’s circuitry” (123). Susan’s explanation not only enlightens Tara and her parents about OCD, but it also informs teen readers about how OCD is not just a disorder, but a genetic disease. Many people do not really know what obsessive- compulsive disorders are. The novel allows readers to learn new facts about OCD that they did not already know. Another time readers’ minds are enlightened, is when Sam, Tara’s new friend and one of Susan’s other clients, describes OCD to Tara. He explains that “obsessive- compulsive disorders have lots of varieties. There are people with contamination fears… Worriers. Doubters. Counters…” (116). Sam helps readers gain the understanding that although it is one type of disease, it still has various kinds of symptoms. In addition, he cultivates readers to learn that “brain scans show that people with OCD have a lot of activity in this part of the brain” (117), “right above the eyes… where worry is registered” (117). Sam teaches Tara and the readers about where OCD begins and what part of the body is affected. Throughout this story, readers are educated about the different effects and types of
Susan Leonardi, a therapist specialized in OCD treatment, explains to Tara what it is. She tells Tara that “obsessive- compulsive disorders are neurological conditions, a biological disease, caused by a malfunction of some sort in the brain’s circuitry” (123). Susan’s explanation not only enlightens Tara and her parents about OCD, but it also informs teen readers about how OCD is not just a disorder, but a genetic disease. Many people do not really know what obsessive- compulsive disorders are. The novel allows readers to learn new facts about OCD that they did not already know. Another time readers’ minds are enlightened, is when Sam, Tara’s new friend and one of Susan’s other clients, describes OCD to Tara. He explains that “obsessive- compulsive disorders have lots of varieties. There are people with contamination fears… Worriers. Doubters. Counters…” (116). Sam helps readers gain the understanding that although it is one type of disease, it still has various kinds of symptoms. In addition, he cultivates readers to learn that “brain scans show that people with OCD have a lot of activity in this part of the brain” (117), “right above the eyes… where worry is registered” (117). Sam teaches Tara and the readers about where OCD begins and what part of the body is affected. Throughout this story, readers are educated about the different effects and types of