Challenged and Banned books... Whats your Side? (Argument Essay)

I have read many articles that associate with the topic of book banning. These articles have many opinions, as do I. I believe book banning should be based on the content of the book and whether or not it is appropriate for the audience that is interested, or reading that particular book. Although I do believe that many of the books being challenged are ridiculous because most of them are well known such as; Captain Underpants (series), by Dave Pilkey,  The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie, and of course my favorite Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz.

Most challenged, or banned books are banned or challenged due to offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, and unsuited for the age group. Many people who support book banning claim that these kinds of topics could get twisted and to a teen, they could seem like the right things to do. For example Meghan Cox Gurdon writes and I quote “and leaves them with hideously distorted portrayals.” Now even just hearing this line gives you the image that your teen could be exploited to these “hideously distorted portrayals” and you could cringe, but teens are exploited to the real world every day. They just don’t experience it all in one dose, while a book takes you to a new point in time and gives you views of the different scenarios that could happen in the real world.

Now let’s get into the minds of a person who would disapprove book banning. Some people find it nice when their child is taught what to do via book. They believe if a child has an Idea of what is right and wrong, then reading a book about the right and wrong will give them a sense of direction. To get a better understanding Husna Haq quotes “Teenagers look at the internet, they look at the news, they look at pornography on the internet, they look at violent movies on the internet. So if children’s literature is not addressing that, if its addressing the world as it should be rather than as it is, then why would a teenager read you?” This gives you a sense of: does a teenager want to read fiction, or non-fiction? Fiction tells lies and makes the world seem as if it is a better place making it harder for the teen to thrive in the real world. While the non-fiction tells it as it is, getting teens ready to experience the reality and the maturity that comes along with being an adult.

You can either address the issue with your teens, or they can find all this reality out in their book, and some parents don’t address their teens at all. They send them out in the real world hoping and praying their child will never run into the obstacles that teens in the young adult books have to face. If you go into depth, some teens struggle with the problems that you would hope only happened in books. Some teens don’t even go to their parents for guidance and wind up having to deal with the problem the only way they know how. If the teens were able to read these so called “inappropriate” books they could maybe find some guidance.

After all this talk it’s time to figure out where you stand. Do you oppose, or disapprove book banning. With all the information I provided for you, there are many questions, ideas, thoughts, or opinions, you may have. Book banning is a serious topic that can only be solved one-step at a time. Many books that are challenged are most likely to get banned. Teens shouldn’t have to shove the book under their bed when their parents come barging in (it isn’t a diary) it’s just a book!