A Book Took My Child's Innocence

Frankly the idea of a book stealing ones innocence seems quite silly!  Yet, some (over protective parents) believe this to be possible.  Enraged by the content of the material in a few of the books selected for reading in school- parents have complained.  All the complaints have led to a list of banned books.  But contrary to what you might think, the books on the list are actually celebrated during an annual Banned Books Week hosted by the American Library Association.  This year it runs September 25- October 2nd, 2010.  The goal of this is to celebrate the first amendment and our freedom to read and have access to such materials that may expand our knowledge, creativity, awareness, etc.

Intellectual freedom—the freedom to access information and express ideas, even if the information and ideas might be considered unorthodox or unpopular—provides the foundation for Banned Books Week.  BBW stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints for all who wish to read and access them. -ALA

This year 20 out 87 challenged books were banned.  Some of those on the list include "Snitch" Allison Van Diepen, "Eye Candy" by RL Stine, and "Forever" by Judy Blume.  "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee continuously makes the list despite its permanent status as an American classic. In fact there are several classics that have constantly been challenged including, "A Catcher in the Rye" by JD Salinger and "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker and the "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway.  These books were a huge part of my childhood and adolescence.  Aside from learning valuable lessons, reading these books allowed me to make connections not only with my peers from other schools but also with my older siblings, my parents and even grandparents... because we had all read the same book.  Books become classics not because they paint a rosy picture but more importantly because they present a unique perspective in history that perhaps is left out of the history books, or maybe is complimentary to history books. Books become part of our history and serve to enrich future generations, by offering the context.   

Earlier in the week Obama appeared on morning news to be apart of NBC's weeklong focus on education in the United States.  Our education system is in crisis. It was reported that American children are slowly and progressively falling behind in education.  NBC cites that the U.S. currently ranks 21st in science and 25th in math among advanced nations.  While the focus should be on boosting learning in these subjects, we should still continue to cultivate well rounded individuals.  Thus instead of banning books and shielding our children, perhaps we should strive to educate them more.  Give them the gift of awareness and knowledge because ignorance is not bliss.