Do you believe in banning books?
Monday, September 26th, 2011
Do you believe in banning books?
Was there ever a book you weren’t allowed to read growing up? A book you had heard so much about, but your school or library refused to have it available? Of course banning books is no new concept; however it is still unbelievable when it continues to happen today. It happens so much so, that this week has been declared “banned books week”. This is an annual event held by the American Library Association that they describe as “celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment.”
Recently, there have been various books banned from all over the United States, many in which I had read way back in high school in my English classes in Canada. There are various reasons why books are banned, some due to sexual perversity or overall obscenity like Lolita, or because of political, religious, or racial grounds.
Below are some commonly challenged books that Simply Audiobooks has available if you are interested hearing these audio books for yourself. But as you look through the list, ask yourself, where do you stand with the content questioned? Should these stories be banned from young people in schools, or should they be made available for everyone and let the parents decide whether their children have the maturity and sense to understand the content of these stories.
I know I do not believe in banning books, but I do believe that the content in many of these banned books can be quiet challenging to understand. I believe some students in school are mature enough to handle the content, but it’s those that aren’t ready for it, where the content could do more harm than good.
Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence – This book was banned for sexual content.
