engaged
media receptacle.
^ Banned and/or Challenged Books, Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century
(^ PDFs of banned books from 2004-2009 at the bottom of the page)
A Roanoke High School is challenging Stephen Chbosky’s “Perks of Being a Wallflower” due to mentions of sex, suicide, rape, violence, as well as drug and alcohol abuse. They hope to ban it from the school’s library. I was surprised that “Perks” has already been on the ALA’s banned book list for years. The teacher brought in the book during ALA’s “Banned Book Week”, an event designed to promote First Amendment awareness. (Fail.)
It’s a great book. Changed me. The story is very true to the American high school experience. (A bit more realistic than Disney’s High School Musical, for sure.) However, I don’t think I would have appreciated it as a 16 year old. I believe the book was not intended for a young teenage audience. Not because of it’s “explicit content”- because of the nostalgia factor. It gave me a chance to look back at my life and get over the horrors my adolescence. Not even an exaggeration. But banning a book?? Seems like overkill to me. The father in this article might laugh at finding his son’s porn magazines. Might even let him watch those rated-R films. But a book?! A book that mentions sex?! OOOH NO!! The “explicit content” (things his kid has been doing BEFORE reading the book) is not graphic or descriptive in any way… more matter-of-fact.
So, tangent aside, the article got me interested in looking up other banned books. I’m definitely interested in this “freedom to read” issue… Many of my favorites are on the ALA list. Can’t say I was surprised at how many books have been banned from high schools for “promoting or addressing homosexuality”. Encouraging kids NOT to read challenging content baffles me. I say get ‘em socially engaged while they’re young! More freethinking Americans, please.
