Kaitlyn Skrzypczak Ryan Wilson March 12, 2012

Media History: Conflict

Most parental guardians want to censor the information that their children take in, and rightfully so. Youd be hard pressed to find parents who would willingly place their four-yearold in front of a R rated movie or give them a graphic photography book of war. We want to preserve that childish innocence for as long as possible and shield our offspring from the harsh realities of the world. But how long can you keep your child in the dark, fighting a battle for their purity in such an impure world? Published in February of 1999 The Perks of Being a Wallflower is an epistolary novel written in the form of letters by novelist Stephen Chbosky. The book is narrated by Charlie, a 1516 year old boy sending letters to a stranger throughout his freshman year of high school. It is a coming of age novel where a teenager struggles to deal with his own introversion as well as the awkwardness of adolescence. The topics that are often viewed as controversial in this book relate to drugs, homosexuality, masturbation, sex, and suicide. Within the 13 years since the novel was published it has been challenged on at least 11 occasions in various high schools and public libraries. The cities where the book has been challenged are: Fairfax, VI; Massapequa, NY; Montgomery County, TX; Merton, WI; Arlington Heights, IL; Commack, NY; Portage, IN; West Bend, WI; Wyoming, OH; and Clarkstown, NY (Titus). In 2004 the book was removed as a reading assignment in an elective sociology course at the Massapequa (NY) High School because of its offensive material. Officials stated that the teacher had not gone through the proper process to get approval for her curriculum (Massapequa

Kaitlyn Skrzypczak Ryan Wilson March 12, 2012

Media History: Conflict

High). In 2009 the book was challenged at Portage (IN) High School because of its discussions of homosexuality, drug use and sexual behavior. After complaints by parents about some of the content the school superintendent removed the book from the curriculum for the ninth-grade English class. Although several students spoke at a school board meeting in defense of the book officials were left unconvinced and it was not returned to the curriculum (Portage High). In an interview with the author Stephen Chbosky about the challenging of his novel in several areas of the United States he discusses why this is such popular piece of literature among young adults:
If we didnt talk about sex and we didnt talk about drugs, and all these other things that impact teenagers lives, literature would still reach teenagers. But the ones having problems in these areas would be totally left in the dark, and would unfortunately be more ignorant. I would think for parents, with the way that society is now, that they would prefer some of these issues to be discussed in a much more structured setting, as opposed to keeping them in the dark. The more you talk about it, the more you take away its power and its mystery, and people can make much more informed and mature decisions about these things. But most parents dont want to admit these things exist, and they want to deny that these things exist, so they will blame the book or the TV show or the movie (Chbosky).

It connects to so many kids because it is real and universal, not sugar coated or censored. The topics he touches on arent glorified or put in a positive light, they are simply things that teenagers experience around the world, every day.

Kaitlyn Skrzypczak Ryan Wilson March 12, 2012

Media History: Conflict

When I was a teenager I was given this book by a friend. It has helped me tremendously in dealing with my own introversion, depression, and ignorance toward drug use. Its helped me

cope with the suicide of a friend a week before graduating high school, a topic no adults wanted to touch on. After reading the novel for the first time I went out and bought my own copy to highlight quotes that really touched me and have since given my highlighted copies to several of my friends in hopes that it would help them as much as it has helped me. In the five years since reading the Perks of Being A Wallflower it has remained my most loved book and has impacted me so much that Ive gotten a tattoo of my favorite quote And in that moment, I swear we were infinite on my body. It is a daily reminder to appreciate the little moments in life with the people I love most. In the age of the internet, and with so many other media outlets reaching children at a rate like never before I believe its the parents responsibility to talk to their kids about drugs, sexual behavior, and suicide but for teenagers lacking a responsible and knowledgeable guardian their access to this information is limited. These topics are not something to be ignored or censored in the media they consume. Teenagers face these issues every day and letting them go out into the world unprepared will not help them make the right choices. Keeping yourself and your kids in the dark by censoring a book that has prevented teenagers from suicide (Beckerman) and deals with these hard issues in an open and honest way will only set them up for a harder time when theyre inevitably faced with the harsh realities of the world we live in.

Kaitlyn Skrzypczak Ryan Wilson March 12, 2012

Media History: Conflict

Works Cited

Titus, Ron. "Banned Book Week." Marshall University Libraries. Web. 5 Mar. 2012. <http://www.marshall.edu/library/bannedbooks/books/perks.asp>.

Beckerman, Marty. "An Interview with Stephen Chbosky." Word Riot. Web. 5 Mar. 2012. <http://www.wordriot.org/template.php?ID=552>.

"Massapequa High School Removes The Perks of Being a Wallflower from the Curriculum." Cnsrdbks. Web. 5 Mar. 2012. <http://www.cnsrdbks.com/news/massapequa-high-schoolremoves-the-perks-of-being-a-wallflower-from-the-curriculum/>.

"Portage High School Removes The Perks of Being a Wallflower from Curriculum."Cnsrdbks. Web. 5 Mar. 2012. <http://www.cnsrdbks.com/news/portage-high-school-removes-the-perks-ofbeing-a-wallflower-from-curriculum/>.

Kaitlyn Skrzypczak Ryan Wilson March 12, 2012

Media History: Conflict