Since the dawn of the pen and pencil, literature has existed to communicate the human experience. There are countless numbers of books in the world, all of which drastically vary in content, size and quality. Despite all of the disparate traits between them, this drive to relay another’s view on life is shared among all literature. However, there are many individuals that seek to suppress these views by banning books from libraries and schools. This desire to ban and suppress an author’s interpretation could arise from a variety of factors: differing ideological viewpoints, aversion to graphic content, or a distaste of a book’s “offensive” subject matter to name a few. Those who seek to censor literature, “are right to respect the power of
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Fortunately, for every group pushing for bans on literature, there are organizations that fight for this freedom. One such organization is the American Civil Liberties Union. In the year 2000, when discussing the topic of book banning, the organization stated that, “Permitting restraints on literature sets the stage for attacks on all expression that is artistically or politically controversial or that portrays unpleasant realities of life” (American Civil Liberties Union). Although some books may contain graphic violence or sexual content, and therefore of course should be kept out of the hands of children, I’d like to think that these widespread en masse bans of such literature are a poor way to go about it. It’s not as if middle or high school students are incapable of understanding and comprehending dark or more adult subject matter. In fact, it’s highly likely that they themselves have shared similar experiences to books that deal with depression, violence, or sex. When his book Whale Talk was banned in a school district, young-adult novelist Chris Crutcher addressed the students in that county in an article speaking on the matter. When the book was banned due to a parent finding the language in certain passage obscene, he responded to the students with, “Let me tell you something else I think is obscene. I think it obscene that your school board doesn 't trust you enough to know you can read harsh stories, told in their native tongue, and make decisions for yourself what you think of the issues or the language” (Crutcher). I would certainly agree with this
Fortunately, for every group pushing for bans on literature, there are organizations that fight for this freedom. One such organization is the American Civil Liberties Union. In the year 2000, when discussing the topic of book banning, the organization stated that, “Permitting restraints on literature sets the stage for attacks on all expression that is artistically or politically controversial or that portrays unpleasant realities of life” (American Civil Liberties Union). Although some books may contain graphic violence or sexual content, and therefore of course should be kept out of the hands of children, I’d like to think that these widespread en masse bans of such literature are a poor way to go about it. It’s not as if middle or high school students are incapable of understanding and comprehending dark or more adult subject matter. In fact, it’s highly likely that they themselves have shared similar experiences to books that deal with depression, violence, or sex. When his book Whale Talk was banned in a school district, young-adult novelist Chris Crutcher addressed the students in that county in an article speaking on the matter. When the book was banned due to a parent finding the language in certain passage obscene, he responded to the students with, “Let me tell you something else I think is obscene. I think it obscene that your school board doesn 't trust you enough to know you can read harsh stories, told in their native tongue, and make decisions for yourself what you think of the issues or the language” (Crutcher). I would certainly agree with this