Book Censorship: Free to Read

“Censorship is the strongest drive in human nature; sex is a weak second”, are the wise and powerful words of Phil Kerby, former editor of the Los Angeles Times (About Banned and Challenged Books). People love to control other people. One of the most widespread ways of accomplishing this is by gaining power over what another individual can or cannot read. This very essay has the potential to not be seen by the eyes of another because someone could deem it unsuitable for their standards. Kerby explains just how powerful the need to censor is with a riveting comparison between two things humans crave. It is a sad world in which we live if the need for knowledge is suppressed by the need to control others. Students in particular are targeted by this for the unfortunate fact that they do not have age on their side. No person should be allowed to prohibit the learning and growth of a student by banning age-appropriate reading material.

When most people think about book censorship, they think of concerned parents wanting inappropriate books out of their children’s reach for obvious reasons. The top three reasons for censoring a book are because they are sexually explicit, contain offensive language, or are unsuited to any age group (About Banned and Challenged Books). It is fair to want the best for kids and not want that kind of exposure of age sensitive material. What is not fair however, is taking away young people’s ability to form their own opinions of right and wrong and how they view the world. It is a parent’s duty to protect their child, but is it a parent’s duty to prevent another child from reading a book their own parent has no issue with? When parents, teachers, principals, etc. take away books from public schools, they ...

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...ime to face the facts and realize that by taking away books from the youth of today, it is really preventing open-mindedness in generations to come. No one should have the right to ban age-appropriate reading material and risk prohibiting the learning and growth of a student.

Works Cited

"About Banned & Challenged Books." American Library Association. 10 Dec. 2012. Web. 03 Feb. 2014.

Blume, Judy. "Is Harry Potter Evil?" What Matters in America: Reading and Writing About Contemporary Culture. Ed. Gary Goshgarian and Kathryn Goodfellow. Third ed. New York: Pearson, 2012. 211-13. Print.

Mullally, Claire. "Libraries and First Amendment: Banned Books." First Amendment Center. 13 Sept. 2002. Web. 04 Feb. 2014.

Wolf Baldassarro, R. "Banned Books Awareness: Charlotte's Web by E. B. White." Banned Books Awareness. Deep Forest Productions, 3 Apr. 2011. Web. 05 Feb. 2014.