No, I'm kidding. There's no rock & roll in this post. There's just disgust at book banners. I recently moved from a school district that received an inordinate amount of attention last year from a certain faction of parents who determined they should decide which books were acceptable for every child. Not just THEIR children; all children in the district. These parents didn't like books with:
1) sexual content, even in high schools, where, shocker, kids begin discovering puberty, their sexuality, and relationship issues. Kids and young adults (remember, some high schoolers are 18 ... old enough to join the military) might benefit from discussions on what to expect from their bodies, their minds, and their peers, don't you think?
2) LGBTQ+ characters and issues, even when no sexual content was involved or when different families structures were discussed. (Seriously, they wanted to ban a book about a true story centering around two male penguins who lived together as a family unit.) We can't pretend LGBTQ+ people don't exist, so removing books that explore LGBTQ+ individuals and society at large unfairly limits exposure to important issues. LGTBQ+ teens experience higher rates of suicide, so how about we offer them opportunities to view themselves and their relationships in a positive manner.
3) diversity: About 10% of the suggested books included books that discussed racism or race. Why? Supposedly because discussing race or the history and impact of racism makes students uncomfortable. I wonder how students of color feel when their history is thrown into the dustbin. One of the books discussed was written by Ruby Bridges, who, at six years old, was the first Black American to integrate an all-white elementary school in New Orleans. If Ruby Bridges lived through the horrors she experienced as a child merely because of the color of her skin, children of all skin colors can live through being "uncomfortable" reading about it.
4) miscellaneous, which includes abortion, cancer, bullying, misogyny, the bombing of the World Trade Center (no, seriously), the legal rights of children and teenagers, and more.
The parents who challenged these 282 books said they read them all in their entirety. I'll just say that, knowing two of the "leaders" of the parent mob, I find it doubtful. The mother seemed to enjoy reading sexual excerpts aloud in school board meetings, apparently unconcerned that children in the audience could hear her.
Language in a few excerpts made me uncomfortable. But I'm not the intended audience and I don't have the experiences of children/young adults in today's world. Personally, I'd be a lot more concerned about what children and teenagers can and do find online.
One of the arguments these parents put forth about removing books from the public school library shelves was that they just wanted them pulled from school shelves so children couldn't read them. They maintained that these books would remain available for purchase (sure, let's make sure kids whose parents don't have the resources to purchase books they want to read can't get content that some other parents consider unacceptable) and they also would still be on public library shelves. Of course, that argument flew out the window when those parents then showed up to protest books at the city public library.
Books, at least good books, allow readers to experience the world outside of themselves. they show alternate viewpoints that help teach critical thinking skills. Books show readers history they weren't alive to see, so hopefully they/we learn how to avoid making the same mistakes as those who came before us made.
TLDR: Allowing parents to pull books from public school library shelves and public libraries needs to stop for the good of the children and the good of society at large.
Julie
P.S. Okay, I feel bad about misleading about the rock & roll, so here's a link to a great performance from Queen. The book banners would hate it; Freddy Mercury was probably gay or at least bisexual. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbvyNnw8Qjg
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