It’s the end of Banned Books week and I wonder if any of us have learned anything at all. I mean, what with the state of the world, the horrible economy and the myriad of problems plaguing the human race, why should we care about books?
So what if people rip certain books like Harry Potter off the shelves of school libraries for presumably promoting witchcraft or an illustrated version of Little Red Riding Hood gets banned because the artist shows a minor carrying a bottle of wine in her basket to her Grandmother? In the scheme of things does this really matter?
Yes. Yes it does.
Because ideas are not bombs, words are not war and children who are introduced to new thoughts can be changed forever and can become the very people who can make a difference.
But not if those ideas are taken away from them.
The first book I read, that I can honestly say challenged me, was a small tome written by Judy Blume called Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret. I was twelve years old and so was the protagonist Margaret.
Margaret was a child of interfaith marriage who was struggling to find her place in the world as a half Christian, half Jew as well as trying desperately to fit in with a peer group that wasn’t so much about friendship as it was about competition.
The one thing that was holding her together was her relationship with God.
Now, I am not a religious person but during the time that I read this book, Margaret and I were sharing the same difficulties. We were both trying to figure out who we were in the confines of a religious paradox while maintaining friendships that weren’t exactly friendly (as always, teen girls are ruthless when it comes to socialization and hierarchy in the popularity index).
Reading this book changed me because I finally felt connected to another person (even if that person was fiction) who knew what I was going through. Margaret was smart, had a good relationship with her parents, and was an extreme introvert who was conscious of her own mind. She was a remarkable character who proved that, unlike popular opinion, young adults could have fully formed opinions, desires and wants.
So, of course, the book was banned.
Why? Because the book talked about religious indecision and puberty (mostly about getting your period) and that, some thought, were topics a little out of reach for impressionable children.
While the argument might be valid on some level, it simply isn’t a gauge for all children. Yes, children are like little sponges and will soak up information regardless of the context, but only up to a certain point. Once they reach the beginning stages of puberty (usually around eleven years old) children are able to think in abstract thought and make conclusions based on past experiences. They don’t just accept what they are told as being law anymore, they will challenge ideas and customs in order to individualize themselves (even if it is not always apparent within their peer groups) and that is what scares parents and lawmakers alike.
That young adults (and children who are able to participate in complex thought) are reading books that challenge the status quo.
Margaret didn’t know if she wanted to be Jewish or Christian or agnostic like her parents so she talked to God like a friend because that’s all she knew him as (and not as the fire and brimstone judgmental lord that religion teaches us). Her feelings of being pulled in all directions religiously is one that most young adults experience (usually around the time that the hormones kick in) and it is shared by adults as well.
To ban the book because it contains religious indecision is ridiculous. What that teaches children is that if you don’t believe in God in a certain way then you are a bad person.
And we all know where that kind of group think can take us.
Books that rub against our lifestyles and principles like a cheese grater are scary. We hold certain truths to ourselves tightly and if those ideas are challenged, sometimes we think they can be easily rubbed away.
But that is the kicker isn’t it? If a person can be swayed at their core by something as simple as an idea in a book, then those values and principles weren’t really theirs in the first place. And how scary of a notion is that? That all can be changed by just a few words.
Let’s be reasonable here, reading books like Harry Potter (which are banned in schools on a regular basis) are not going to cause children to suddenly reject a particular religion and start worshiping Satan. Harry Potter has nothing to do with religion. It is a story about perseverance, loyalty and standing up for what is right regardless of the personal cost to oneself and those are are the very values that we want to impart onto our children. So what is that message is wrapped up in fantasy and wizardry? Isn’t the important part that the message is one of good vs. evil?
Here’s something to think about, if you are still concerned with all of the magic in the book remember this, there was a guy once who turned water into wine (as well as other feats of magic) and I’m pretty sure that if Hogwarts was around in those days, he certainly would have gotten an acceptance letter.
So during this final couple of days of Banned Book week, think about the stories and books that influenced you and check out the following link.
I think you might be surprised to see why those books were so harmful to you.
Happy reading.
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