When I was in college, I decided to take a course called Religion of the World. It probably wasn’t the best class to further my career, but I was thirsty for knowledge. I took classes because they sounded interesting and I wanted to learn.
My mother told me I couldn’t take the class. This, of course, ensured that I would take it. Nevertheless, I was curious why she didn’t want me to take it.
Any guesses?
I come from a very Christian family. The range was from Southern Baptist to Methodist. It didn’t really matter as long as it was Protestant. If you start branching into Catholicism, my family would raise an eyebrow, and anything outside of Christianity was downright Satanic.
My mother said if I learned about other religions, I may convert. It is an argument I’ve heard many parents make. Keep the child ignorant so they will carry on the traditions I’ve established. They aren’t always elegant in their logic, but their intent is clear.
As someone who values knowledge and truth, I still struggle to understand why parents do this. If they truly believe in whatever they are preaching, be it religion or otherwise, why hide the rest of the world from the child?
It isn’t the truth they value.
Ignorance is bliss. Stay in the bubble.
It is so strange how books have become a political debate. I would tell people to read some dystopian fiction or look up historical accounts on book bannings, but unfortunately, they would be too offended to read them.
Books? How dare you!
I give them the synopsis though. The good guys are usually not the ones getting rid of the books.
This battle started with required reading in the classroom, expanded to books being present in the entire school, and is now a fight in the public library. The number of books targeted for censorship in public libraries went up 92 percent in 2023.
Public libraries are for everyone, but in many cases, they want the books completely removed from the library.
For those who are not aware, public libraries are usually broken into sections. There is a kid section, a young adult section, and an adult section. Most books they want removed are in the young adult or adult sections.
If you’ve never been to one, they are a magical place. I strongly urge you to check it out. In all seriousness, I can still spend hours getting lost in my public library.
The parents sometimes argue these books should be completely removed because the child may wander into the wrong section. If this is the case, the parent is leaving a child unattended. The child will likely have a phone. They are likely talking to other children outside of the bubble the parents have created.
Books should not be a parent’s greatest concern. I don’t think I need to explain the wide range of content available on phones, but just allowing kids to socialize will expose them to new thoughts and ideas. Teenagers are going to hear about sex unless their parents keep them trapped in the house. It is usually happening all around them. Most of the books these parents want banned actually give kids the tools to understand the world around them.
Librarians are done
My school librarian quit a couple of years back because of the vitriol she constantly fought against. She was always very careful about what books she brought into the school, yet they still pushed her out.
She isn’t alone. Librarians are quitting all over the country for similar reasons.
They aren’t allowed to do their jobs. I’m only speaking with slight hyperbole when I say they aren’t even allowed to encourage kids to read anymore.
We used to celebrate Banned Book Week at my school every year. It was a way to get kids excited about reading. What is it they don’t want you to see?
Most books were banned or challenged at some point.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was banned for describing the Oompa- Loompa’s as African pygmy people. Alice in Wonderland was banned because of talking animals and sexual allusions. Harry Potter was banned for religious reasons, of course.
The list goes on and on. I desire to motivate kids to read on their own. Most of them grow to hate it because they think of it as work. Reading makes them better critical thinkers. If we are being honest, it will likely make them better people too, and I can’t help but wonder if this is why some parents don’t want them to read.
I want a sex book
At the start of each year, I take the students to the library and have them check out a book. I explain books are not just old things your teachers give you for homework.
They can be fun. If you enjoy a movie, you can enjoy a book.
Every year I have students who act like touching a book will cause them physical harm. Whatever amount of pushback you think they give, it is probably more.
Some of them cry.
Some of them try to bargain.
Some of them just lie.
Most will check out a book but avoid it until the due date.
I ask my kids what interests them. What kind of movies did they enjoy? The answers I received were usually reasonable.
One year I received a student we will call Jelly. She was transferred from a different class because the teacher struggled to control her. Their confrontations were epic hallway clashes.
When she entered my class, I at least knew what to expect. Her first day was library day. Of course, she refused to get a book, so I asked her my usual questions.
“What type of movies do you like?”
“Sex movies.”
I didn’t flinch. I had already been teaching long enough that I was prepared for anything to come out of a child’s mouth. “Well, we should have some sex books at the library. Let’s go talk to the librarian.”
The librarian was an old pro, and after some conversation, they found her a sex education book.
Get this. She actually read a good chunk of the book.
By the time she left my class, she was volunteering to read poetry to her peers.
I may be in the minority, but I’d rather have a wide range of books to capture the imagination or interest of a child, especially when we are talking about teenagers.
Even when I was a kid, loving to read wasn’t exactly considered cool. However, as nerd culture becomes more mainstream, reading becomes even more taboo. Even popular celebrities like Kanye West and J. Cole have confessed to not reading with a pride I don’t understand.
I worry I will wake up one day where country-wide book bannings are justified. I hate the slippery slope argument, but it just takes one to open the floodgates.
In the world of commercials with more sexual innuendo than actual information about a product, in a world where the internet is always a click away, I see no legitimate reason to completely ban a book from a public library.
The plight of books may feel like an innocuous issue when compared to the other troubles in the world, but it is a linchpin problem. If books disappear, all other troubles will amplify.
Read a book.
Encourage a child to read a book.
Think about things outside of your bubble. I promise it is okay.