Ok, I don't know if any of you posters know this but last week was National Book banning week and at my school, our librarian hosted a book banning descussion during lunch. I just want to know your opionions on Book Banning, censorship, and related stuff. Did you know that James and The Giant Peach was banned because people believed that it promoted drugs?

It's funny i've never been banned from a book in my LIFE. I've only 'heard' of people being banned from Harry Potter XDD
But i don't understand why you would ban a book...
I would let my child read anything they could understand because i would want them to use their imagination.
Reading books is how i grew - A LOT.

Plus i don't think it should be the school doing it anyway, they are there to help the child learn and use their imagination, it's up to the parents if they don't want their child exposed to complex themes....and shit.

A Quote from PABBIS' website:
"Yes, [the schools] are corrupting your child."

Bullcrap. The student has the choice to read whatever he or she wants. The school may not force a child to read an explicit book.

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Usually what's censored is nudity, violence, and language. Because of-course, that doesn't happen in the "real world".

Actually, there are times when the government refuses to let people read philosophy because its too...provocative. This, I think, is the worst thing to do to a persons writings. Next thing you know, they'll put propaganda in the library and not give you facts, just biases...

Books shouldn't be banned because some people are offended by the content. If they don't like it, they don't have to read it. They have the right to dislike it and disagree, just as people have the right to like it and agree. And censorship? For the most part that is a joke. Usually what's censored is nudity, violence, and language. Because of-course, that doesn't happen in the "real world".

I had that at my school too. I think censorship is a load of crap!! Screw it. Show nudity say bad words who gives a fuck?

you know whats worse..our state high court banned all movies with a under adult and adult rating from beingaired on cable....

Perhaps it is more of trying to protect us from the truth, which is ridiculous.

Literature = a large role in my life.

Has anybody read The Sledding Hill, by Chris Crutcher? I just finished it last weekend for my Young Adult Lit. class. We were reading books nominated for the Heartland Award. I really enjoyed it. I'm sure that some of you know how a lot of people have problems with Crutcher's work. I think that it's neat how he actually wrote a book about a group of people trying to ban one of his "books."
If you haven't read it, then I'd recommend it. It's a good short read.

Books that i've kown of are usually banned because they comment disfavourably on politics and the like..

I love my school, we start reading banned books in like 7'th grade and try to figure out why they were banned and why they are valueable to be taught.

Sorry to bring up an old topic, but banning books is completely foolish. Literature is literature, and sometimes books, although they may include suggestive language or racism, reflect the time period when they were written. They help us to understand some of the issues of its day or some of the issues of the person writing the book.

If you look on lists of books that have been banned, you will find that pretty much any book worth reading has been banned at one point. Even Ann Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl is on the PABBIS (Parents against bad books in school-- really stupid organization) list of most challenged books in the 1990's. People are so stupid.

Does anyone else find it incredibly ironic that the book, Fahrenheit 451, a that is about a time in the future where reading is illegal and all books are burned, is also on the list of challenged books? So is, The Year They Burned the Books.

How the Heck can Jame and the giant peach promote drugs, I mean, they are in the middle of an ocean in a GIANT PEACH!!!!me personally don't think book banning is a good idea, because through books, people can understand more about the world, if they don't want first-hand exprience. And censorship...well, it depend on what level of adult rate is it.

Banning books is like banning people's thoughts. It just isn't right- In this country we fought for rights like these- Only to have them taken away?

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you have to force them to read, telling them one book is off limits

if you have to force them to read, just don't force them to read that book. no need to ban it.

BECAUSE: how DARE someone try to moderate what is appropirate for me to read, i think that overprotective parents like that need to not look at a book, and be like "oh this book has the word nigger in it, BAN IT BITCHESSSSS"
THose parents need to be slapped

banning books are stupid. its like censorship.....makes me feel like im treated like a 3 year old.

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And fyi, the more you forbid your child to do something, the more they'll want to do it.

i am talking about elementary age children, for the most part they arent terribly rebelous, at least not in this type of situation, for the most part you have to force them to read, telling them one book is off limits, i doubt, is going to send them over the edge.....now bedtime, thats another story.

So you can personaally not let your child read it, but the school shouldn't ban a book because one parent doesn't like it. And fyi, the more you forbid your child to do something, the more they'll want to do it.