Happy Banned Book Week!
Here’s a quick fact for you: there are 3,362 book bans currently in place, affecting 1557 unique titles, according to pen.org. The most common reasons are complaints of graphic violence, expressing disrespect for parents and family, being sexually explicit, exalting evil, lacking literary merit, being unsuitable for a certain age group, or including offensive language. This censorship has applied to many books over the years, including classics such as Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Proponents say that parents have the right to protect their child from any material they view obscene, with writer Macey France saying, “opting your child out of reading [a certain] book doesn’t protect him or her. They are still surrounded by the other students who are going to be saturated with this book.”
Since schools and libraries are primarily funded by community donations and local and state taxes, it is argued that the public can decide what goes on their bookshelves. They often claim that children should not be exposed to sex, violence, or other inappropriate topics in schools or public libraries.
Opponents emphasize the first amendment rights of students and their parents. They argue that students and parents that do approve of the content should still be allowed to read said books.
At PHS, almost all of the books assigned to Mrs. Hyde’s classes have been banned at one time or another. Currently, she has Wanted posters hanging on her bookshelves, displaying the books and the reasons they’ve been banned in some school districts.
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