Banned Book Week

[jenn mccabe]

I wish my teens liked to read! My daughter hates to read and my son just never has the time with all of his school work. I was surprised that my daughter's (Catholic HS) school required so many books that had questionable content (tough issues, rape, poor moral choices, etc.) but they seem to be hitting these issues head on, exposing them to the bad and helping them through how to handle it.



This is my dilemma every single day. We live in the city of Chicago and the kids see a lot of "bad" on a daily basis. At times I really wish they didn't see so much, but on the other hand, we've had numerous real life teachable moments that I hope help them make better choices down the road. We had one just this week. I could tell my son that drugs are bad until I was blue in the face and he would agree, but not fully get it. Tuesday while sitting on the steps after school got out, he saw a girl he knew on drugs (not a close friend, a friend of a friend). He spent the next two hours trying to keep her safe until her parents came as she kept trying to run out into traffic or was pounding her head on the concrete. School staff, security and the police were involved. I wish he would have never had to deal with that... but because he did, he's seen first hand the really ugly side of it all. And hopefully that will keep him even further away from that scene.

So back to the point... I think, although it's hard to let them read some things, there are so many opportunities for good teachable moments when they read some of those books (but the key, to me, is having those discussions with them as they read).

you summed up what i was trying to say better than i did. thank you. i'm so sorry your son had to see that and be the one to have to care for her under the influence! that must have been extremely scary. you've got an awesome young man that you have raised. that is very admirable. and being able to talk these scary things through with us parents or teachers or peers in a positive setting is huge for me. so far that is the only book that was on the line (for me anyway) that i had to think really deeply about before placing it in her hands. but i'm guessing its the start of more to come maybe? i just want my kids to grow up while i am there to stand next to them rather than when they are away at college. (i know the growing up will also happen then and i can't be there for all of it, but if i can expose them to things they are actively questioning now ... i guess i am all for it!) as difficult as it may be!

 

[scrapsandsass]

I remember when Forever by Judy Blume was the big controversy back in the day. It was nearly banned, but wasn't in our local school. We were in 6th grade, and it wasn't in our library, but we had heard that it was in the junior high library. Being the "rebel" with junior high library privileges, I checked it out.

My daughter's high school teacher had extreme political views and tried to ban her from bringing a Michael Moore book into his class. Like she couldn't even carry it in with the rest of her books. It was freaking ridiculous. She did it anyway.

The only time I wanted to censor a book was when my adult daughter was reading the 50 Shades of Grey. And that was just because they are so horribly written it caused my writer brain to twitch.

 

[bcgal00]

I had no idea books got banned in this day and age. I am all for censorship, especially anything sexual or verbally explicit. Kids are exposed to way more than they should be. but I wonder if it goes too far sometimes. Some of those books I really don't get it.