I stumbled upon this article on the American Library Association's website today: http://www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pressreleases2009/september2009/bbw2009_oif.cfm
It discusses the frequent complaints received to ban certain books from libraries and schools. I suggest these people check out Fahrenheit 451 and they will learn that banning books is a bad thing, unless of course they would have Fahrenheit 451 banned too... in which case, stop reading this blog and re-bury your head in the sand! This article particularly upset me because my favorite book, The Perks of Being a Wallflower made the top 10 most requests to be banned in 2008! People had a problem with the book because of specific topics such as "drugs, homosexuality, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit, suicide, and unsuited to age group" (ALA, 2009). Okay, seriously... I'm sure you'd love the world your children live in to resemble Teletubby Land (bunnies included).. but the actual environment teenagers exist in is not that innocent. The Perks of Being a Wallflower presents issues relevant to teens in the most honest of ways. I know that the novel personally helped me understand the world around me better and, that my friends that read the book felt similarly. The book talks about issues that often come up and reacts to them and, so it allows readers to react without actually experiencing it. That way if there is a similar situation in their life they can choose how to deal with some background knowledge. The teenage years are probably the most unique time of a person's life... they are making decisions that are important and long-term but, still have their parents available for guidance. This is a time to be taught how to choose, not told what to choose!
"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."
- Stephen Chbosky
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