Blog Five: Let's Ban Books

I just have to say I don't think banning books is a horrible idea but it has to be for the right reasons. If there was a book that teaches someone how to murder someone else and that was its purpose I think it should be banned. I think that for example with James and the Giant Peach there is no need to ban it because it says the word "ass" I think this is going a little too far. You cannot tell me that you think that their parents haven't said worse at home. At the point a child is reading this book in all reality they have probably said this word themselves. I think it is a little ridiculous how much we are trying to shelter our children. These books have been around for ages and ages and they were around when my grandparents were little. I think that we need to be looking more at video game violence for children and home violence or even television violence before we look at books. I think that people have way too much time on their hands to shelter children this much. I guess as a mother I still don't understand the purpose of this. I remember that in 8th grade my teacher had her advanced literature class read "The Grapes of Wrath" I thought the book was graphic but to this day I haven't forgot the horrible things that people went through during the Great Depression. I think that is a book every child should read and understand how bad it truly was and that we should do whatever we can not to go back. Or we should take protective measures that way if we do end up in another depression we know how to handle it and we can be prepared. 

I really loved the book but I can understand how a still born child and a woman breastfeeding a grown man back to health could be a lot for an adult to want a child to read. I think there is more grounds to ban this book then there is to ban The Lorax. I think it is time for people to focus on other areas to censor then the books our children read because it is sad the number of children who neglect reading and focus on video games instead. If a parent wants to censor a child from reading a book that should be their choice but don't prevent all students from learning history of storytelling.