Does anyone think that book banning and book burning is still a problem in this day and age?
From the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch newspaper about a story printed 30june2006 Decision to ban books was knee-jerk reaction Monday, July 17, 2006 I am greatly concerned by the June 30 article “Olentangy district pulls books from summer list,” regarding district Superintendent Scott Davis’ decision to pull books from its advanced-placement summer reading list. It appears that for Davis, one parent’s complaint is enough to derail the professional decisions of his teachers. Both The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon are books with disturbing themes, and there may be some 10 th-graders too immature for these reads. So be it. Cathie Boone and Nancy Canfield, chairwomen of the English departments for the Olentangy high schools, have offered alternatives for such students in the past. Why should other students in an advanced-placement class be prevented from reading books considered to be contemporary classics? What is most disturb
Unfortunately, book banning is still a problem. Books can be banned for many different reasons, but usually it is someone’s call on the morality of the book. Which is strange when you look at some of the DVDs and listen to some of the Cd’s that are on the market today! A case for book banning in the case of children’s access to certain types of books can readily be made, but as there are so many stores that specialize in children’s books, and as most book sellers have a separate section for children’s books, that problem is pretty well taken care of. And I firmly believe the best censorship is provided by the individual parent for their individual child. Not anyone else’s child, just their child. As for the rest — when you’re dealing with adults, they should be able to make a responsible decision about what they choose to read. Not all adults will be enthusiastic about all types of books, but one person doesn’t have the right to deny their neighbor access to any kind of book. Even if
