Banned Books chat > Likes and Comments

This topic is for anything banned book related. Anything from specific books to the general topic of banning are welcome here.

Its ironic that Stepen King has the most banned books.

Ha I didn't know that.

https://bookriot.com/what-is-take-bac...

I can see keeping elementary school books at the elementary level and middle school and high school at their respective levels because some content isn’t appropriate at elementary level and more importantly reading levels. The elementary kids are going to struggle just reading a book that’s intended for the 9th grade or above reader much less comprehending it.

It’s the parent’s job to decide what their child can or can’t read not a single parent’s job to decide for all the children.

When my daughter was 8, she was reading at a fifth grade level. The 2nd grade teacher was having a hard time finding appropriate books that the fifth graders read for second graders during guided reading (when kids are in a group read aloud from the same book with the teacher). Some of the girls (all the advanced readers were girls) wouldn’t read some of the books because they had “bad words.” They were words like “stupid.” She tried to get them to substitute a different word but they wouldn’t do it. So some kids will decide for themselves what is appropriate to read or not. So let them decide for themselves or their parents but a handful of parents deciding for the whole school is not right.

My parent’s never screened my books and never told me what I couldn't read and I bought my first Stephen king book when I was almost 11 at an airport kiosk. The one with Sissy Spacek on the cover. They didn’t say anything. My parents also took me to see a double feature of West World and Soylent Green when I was 8 though 🤷‍♀️.

"It’s the parent’s job to decide what their child can or can’t read not a single parent’s job to decide for all the children." THIS PART SO HARD. I think this is what I find so frustrating with all of this. The other part though, is: what is appropriate for each grade level? especially if you have kids at higher reading levels than others? I was a high reading level kid, and so was my son growing up. Part of what they want "banned" is stuff about the LGBTQ+ community...and how it's not "appropriate". But how, when there are PEOPLE WHO EXIST IN THOSE SPACES????

Lupe wrote: ""It’s the parent’s job to decide what their child can or can’t read not a single parent’s job to decide for all the children." THIS PART SO HARD. I think this is what I find so frustrating with all..."

The schools should have in the library whatever books are at the grade level the schools have. I’, sure there could be room for overlap (6th grade books at a school that goes up to 5th grade etc).

If a kid checks out a book and the parent isn’t happy, the parent can return it. Don’t penalize every one else.

Appropriate should be reading levels (in my opinion). You can’t please everyone if you use content. If a kid brings home a book and the parents doesn’t like the content, they can return and discuss with their kid why. Don’t just mass ban a book because a handful of parents don’t like it.

Lupe wrote: ""It’s the parent’s job to decide what their child can or can’t read not a single parent’s job to decide for all the children." THIS PART SO HARD. I think this is what I find so frustrating with all..."

I agree. Unfortunately, the government decided to insert itself into education. If they were focusing on teaching logic, rhetoric, philosophy, language, history, and the Scientific Method with an eye to turning out citizens who are conversant with Plato and insistent upon evidence based reasoning, I doubt many would complain. But the government being the government, they decided to use the Prussian Model to continuously lower standards and test scores. In this situation parental objections should probably be more common.

To Nancy's point on the parents job in all this. I read a lot as a kid, had me in a children's book of the month club, weekly excursions to the library etc, etc. She never discouraged me from reading anything except once. Maybe I was nine or ten, and we were at her best friends house who had a bookcase. While they chatted and had coffee or watched television together, I would find something in the bookcase to read. One time I picked up The Boston Strangler, was maybe ten of fifteen pages in, and the friend, Barbara looks over at me and the book, calls my mother "Carole, come see what Lawrence is reading!!" I didn't think anything of it. My mom took the book from me and said find something else. This was of course the right thing to do. Needless to say, when I got to junior high school and went to the library myself, I checked the book out to read. She neveer knew.

That's the thing with banned books though, it makes you want to see what's up.

Yes. Parents job to decide for their own child not for others kids.
The list of banned books makes for a great reading list and makes people want to see them out.

I agree with all of you completely!

That's the thing with banned books though, it makes you want to see what's up. Exactly!! Might as well stick a note on it saying 'someone wants to ban your from reading this', so of course it makes people want to read it.

Jennifer wrote: "Yes. Parents job to decide for their own child not for others kids.
The list of banned books makes for a great reading list and makes people want to see them out."

In your philosophy, are there any books which would be inappropriate for an elementary school library?

Are The Anarchist Cookbook, 120 Days of Sodom, and the collected works of Robert Mapplethorpe acceptable fare for third graders?

J. wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "Yes. Parents job to decide for their own child not for others kids.
The list of banned books makes for a great reading list and makes people want to see them out."

In your philos..."

School libraries don’t have unlimited funds to buy everything. Most librarians would add books based on grade level or reading levels. They won’t be able comprehend those books you listed. Probably couldn’t get through the first page.

Maybe we should start with the idea of what everyone means by "suitable grade level books". Someone has to decide that for each school district and sometimes each school.

So what is appropriate?

J. wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "Yes. Parents job to decide for their own child not for others kids.
The list of banned books makes for a great reading list and makes people want to see them out."

In your philos..."

I do not imagine any of those are in a school library. The Public library yes. But not a school library. I used to go check out the school library when my son was in school. Both elementary and High School. I never had a school library like he did at least from what I remember. I was impressed and wished he would read more.
When was the last time you did a tour of a local school and got to see their library and other stuff ?

Papaphilly wrote: "Maybe we should start with the idea of what everyone means by "suitable grade level books". Someone has to decide that for each school district and sometimes each school.

So what is appropriate?"

Just look up one of your local schools, check out the library page and you can see what they have.

https://www.ala.org/alsc/book-lists

https://k-12readinglist.com/

Any parent can request a book to be pulled. Any parent can ask for an alternative book for their child if they do not like the book choice.

Frankly I ws impressed with the reading choices for my son. And had no issues. Except for the fact he won't read and we had to get audio books and even then it was a struggle.

Jennifer wrote: "Papaphilly wrote: "Maybe we should start with the idea of what everyone means by "suitable grade level books". Someone has to decide that for each school district and sometimes each school.

So wh..."

That is not the question I asked.

When I was in elementary school( in the south, small town, a hundred years ago) the librarian at the public library called my mother and told her I was trying to check out books that were “inappropriate reading” for my age. The book in question was Robert Lewis Stevenson’s Treasure Island.

My mother firmly, but politely, informed her I was allowed to read any book in the library.

Kay wrote: "When I was in elementary school( in the south, small town, a hundred years ago) the librarian at the public library called my mother and told her I was trying to check out books that were “inapprop..."

Yay for your mom! And for you.