let’s talk bookish | banning books + how to talk to tweens and teens about touchy topics
Hi, dear friends! Today I’m back again with another “Let’s Talk Bookish” post and it’s about a pretty controversial subject. I can’t wait to give my thoughts on it, lol!
Today we’re gonna discuss book banning. It’s something that we see here in the US far too much, in my opinion. But lemme cut that rant short so we can dive in and you can read all my thoughts on the topic…
“Let’s Talk Bookish” is a weekly discussion meme hosted by Aria of Book Nook Bits and created by Rukky of Eternity Books
banning books
Do you think banning books is fair? Should students be allowed to read what they want and be able to get it from their school library? In a more broad sense, how do you feel about books that have been “banned?” Do you think that it’s a crime to ban a book, no matter what it contains, or are there cases where it’s alright?
I remember the first time I came across a sex scene in a book. I was 13 or 14 and reading Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. I remember the swirl of emotions I felt—curiosity, excitement…caution. I went to my mom and told her the book had a sex scene. “Um…Okay??” she said, confused. “Uuuuuhhh…” I stuttered. Then my mom did something interesting. “Well how does that make you feel?” she asked. “I dunno…it’s two people who love each other…but am I allowed to read this? Like do you think it’s appropriate for me??” I mumbled. “What do you think?” My mom asked, “Do you think it’s appropriate for you?” I stood there and thought for a minute before nodding and saying, “Yes, I think so…” My mom nodded back at me and said, “Well if you’re comfortable with it, then that’s okay. But if it makes you uncomfortable, you can always put the book down.”
This was one of the first instances when I realized that, for me at least, literature was a place where I could safely explore anything and everything, from the heroic to the evil, the joyful to the dark, the allegedly virtuous to the supposedly devious and debased. I had an avenue to experience those things and investigate the feelings those things dredged up in me without actually doing those things (and possibly endangering myself and others in the process). This realization became the basis of my belief that books should never be banned, regardless of what I think or feel about their content.
Kids are curious and the world isn’t always a friendly place. It’s understandable that parents may want to protect their child from the darker things out there. But I actually think that books about more mature content can help with that. After all, I’d rather my (hypothetical) kid read about things like drugs or violence than go out and engage in that kind of thing. Books can provide valuable answers that satisfy kids’ and teens’ curiosity without putting them in harm’s way. And if you do a good job instilling your child with the values that you want them to live by, then for the most part they shouldn’t have a problem with using those values to guide their reading.
So, no, for me, personally, there is no subject too vile or taboo for anyone, regardless of age, to read. There are certainly things that might frighten children or teens, at least for a time. And honestly? Maybe that’s a good thing. I’d rather have my own kid scared shitless by reading about a hate crime than going out and engaging in that behavior. And, truthfully, especially in the age of the internet, there’s no fucking way I could shield even the youngest of my theoretical kids from the worst of the world forever. Kids are curious, they’ll find a way. Allowing kids to know that I’m not restricting their reading also subtly lets them know it’s also okay for them to talk to me about anything and everything they might want to know about and that they’d get an honest answer from me. There are certainly things I might be less pleased about my hypothetical child reading because I know they might not be at an age where they can mentally and emotionally process it sufficiently, however, if they did read something like that, I’d be okay dealing with it and explaining it as I saw fit. That being said, at the end of the day, a parent’s discretion about what their child reads is not the same as banning books.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, there’s also the issue of unjust book bans. Here in the US most books that are banned are banned by high school libraries and concern things like LGBT+ representation (a myriad of titles, among them All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson), antiracism and police brutality (The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas), addiction and substance abuse (Crank by Ellen Hopkins), and mental health topics such as suicide (13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher), among other subjects. You know, things that most teens not only are aware of, but also have to deal with regularly. These book bannings are absolutely heinous in my opinion. Teens deserve a safe place to explore their own identities without anyone trying to tell them they should be ashamed for doing so and/or for being who they are. And, at the end of the day, suppressing information doesn’t mean that the phenomenon ceases to exist. You don’t need to know about the ocean for it to exist. Similarly, you don’t have to know about queerness or police brutality or suicide for those things to exist. Just because you turn the lights off in a room doesn’t mean the objects inside the room disappear. Frankly, the only thing you’re doing by keeping kids, teens, and young folk ignorant is embarrassing yourself. If you, personally, don’t want your child reading something then far be it from me to insist otherwise, but you have absolutely no right to even attempt to prevent others from reading that book.
spill the beans, friends!
So that’s all I have for you today, friends. What are your thoughts on book banning? Do you think it’s ever justifiable? How do you think we should approach talking about touchy topics in literature for kids, tweens, and teens? Sound off in the comments!
Well said! There is so much access these days to so much content, that banning books is just ridiculous.
exactly! i think having conscious conversations with kids about delicate topics is a better option, and in that regard, i think books can really help facilitate those discussions (great example: the care and keeping of you from american girl—especially since the latest edition has very simple, brief, casual mentions of being LGBT+!)