I was watching a past episode of Tea Time by Epic Reads a few days ago and it was all about Banned Books. Last year around September when Banned Books Week is held I just couldn’t believe that books are still getting banned today.

I cannot hold my anger in about this issue. Mot only are books still getting banned but for the most stupid reasons. Don’t get me wrong parents are allowed to not let THEIR child read certain books, but they cannot prohibit others from being able to read what they want.

Banned Books

Books can be banned from school libraries, school reading list, etc. Banning a book from these sorts of things essentially causes the removal of the material. Even the notion of challenging a book to be banned makes my blood boil.

There have been so many books throughout history that have been banned or challenged and I understand certain books being banned 100 years ago but we are living in the 21st century, come on people. Banning a book from, let’s say a High School Library for offensive language? Hello parents, your teen children do and will swear, you did, they do. Saying it is not age appropriate? If the main protagonist is age 15, then I am pretty sure it is suitable for 15 year old teens.

From 2000 to 2009 here are some stats as to why most books were banned or challenged:

• 1,577 challenges due to “sexually explicit” material
• 1,291 challenges due to “offensive language”
• 989 challenges due to materials deemed “unsuited to age group”
• 619 challenged due to “violence”‘
• 361 challenges due to “homosexuality”
• 274 challenged due to “occult” or “Satanic” themes
• 291 challenged due to “religious viewpoint”
• 119 because they were “anti-family”

Yes, I know that banning books doesn’t happen everywhere and I think it rarely happens in Australia anymore, but it does still happen and it just shouldn’t. Like I said before, if a parent doesn’t want their child to read a certain book, sit them down, tell them why you don’t want them to read it, make them understand. Don’t go and try and ban the book so others, whose parents will let them read it, cannot.

What I don’t understand is how some books people are trying to ban are less ‘offensive’ than some PG (M in Australia) rated films and TV Shows. These are appropriate for 13+ (15 +),yet they swear and sometimes they have nudity and violence, but books that have less of this content get banned! It just doesn’t make sense.

I totally understand when a parent doesn’t let their child read certain books or watch certain things, but don’t take that away from others just because of your beliefs. It just isn’t fair on others. If that were ever going to happen to me, I would be furious. I cannot name how many times J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter series has been challenged. This just makes me so angry.

I also understand why certain books such as let’s say Fifty Shades of Grey being banned from a High School library. That is logical. But banning it from, let’s say a college library or a local library, just isn’t right. People can read what they want.

I just think the whole concept of banning books, and even challenging them is out of date. The reasons are even more ridiculous. Looking for Alaska by John Green has been challenged for: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, being sexually explicit, and being unsuited to age group. Drugs/alcohol/smoking I don’t know about you, but I hear about this nearly every day in the media. I see people smoking all the time, so why do people want to ban a book because it contains things that actually happen? This is seen in real life.

Again, I understand parents not letting their own children read certain books due to religious values and their own values and that is totally fine.

Challenged Books

Here are the top ten books last year that were challenged out of 307:

1. Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey
   Reasons: Offensive language, unsuited for age group, violence
2. The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
   Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, violence
3. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
   Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
4. Fifty Shades of Grey, by E.L. James
   Reasons: Nudity, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
5. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
   Reasons: Religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group
6. A Bad Boy Can Be Good for A Girl, by Tanya Lee Stone
   Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit
7. Looking for Alaska, by John Green
   Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
8. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
   Reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, homosexuality, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
9. Bless Me Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya
   Reasons: Occult/Satanism, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit
10. Bone (series), by Jeff Smith
    Reasons: Political viewpoint, racism, violence

You can find about more about banned books and banned book week which  will be from the 21st of September to the 27th of September this year on the Banned Books Week Site. 

Sorry that this post turned more into a rant then a discussion. I just have really strong feelings about this topic.

What are your feelings about banned books? Has your school or library ever had a book banned?