Bukowski 1

Mary Bukowski

Mrs. Cramer

College Comp Pd.3

24 November 2020

Limited Edition: Book Banning and Why It’s Wrong

“The beauty of reading is that it's a journey.” said Anthony Horowitz, the author of the Alex

Rider series. He goes on to explain how books can connect with people of all ages, as long as

they are able to choose what they can read. Otherwise, the experience of reading is no longer

fun. Books can show how and why events happened in history and what to do in difficult

situations. They also provide information in a creative format, which encourages readers to find

their position on social views and preferred genre of book. By reading a variety of books, kids

are exposed to different perspectives on ideas that will become important to them later in life.

Therefore, it is important to educate people with historically accurate information to ensure they

don’t make the same mistakes in the future. This is why banning books is wrong; it prevents

children and teens from having access to knowledge that can help better their future.

Additionally, the United States is based on the idea of freedom which includes the freedom of

knowledge. U.S. schools should not ban books because it limits different viewpoints on topics,

information from the past that could help the future, and the right to knowledge.

Over the years, books have been banned for inappropriate content, questionable views on

topics and politics, or just unfavored subjects. Although banning books for these reasons can

help keep children innocent, these books can often teach people valuable life lessons. As a result
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of such books being banned, large numbers of teenagers are not exposed to different viewpoints

that may be in such books. During adolescent years, it is important to start to find out one’s self.

A good portion of this process is finding out viewpoints on different topics (“Banning Robs”).

While some follow their parents in terms of social views and opinions, others seek out new ideas

in school, through friends, and especially through books. Therefore, it is important for schools

and the community to provide a great variety of books for people to explore. Books written in

different time periods and by people of different race, ethnicity, gender and culture tend to give

contrasting viewpoints (Walters). Not all of them are correct or morally right, but they still give

out a variety of ideas. Young adults can use these viewpoints to determine their own. Books

should not be banned because people should have access to books in order to further their ideas

and learn to filter out the biases in the world.

Another reason schools and communities should not ban books is because they can educate

people on a variety of topics to teach lessons on what not to do (“Reading Out”). A decent

number of books have been banned in schools due to sexual content. This can be a good since

parents generally don’t want their 11-year-old children to read sexual content, but it could be

different for teens. This is because teens may face these issues in their life, sooner than later, and

don’t always know how to respond. Books can provide information on how to react to or avoid

certain situations. Banned books also allow difficult topics to be discussed without making

people overly uncomfortable. Some topics are extremely difficult to have conversations about,

but when they are in the form of a story, people are able to relate to characters who have the

same problems as themselves. They are then understand the character’s situation and how they

deal with certain issues. Many books that have been banned are harsh, but they teach about the

past and how not to repeat it. For instance, Huckleberry Finn has been banned in many schools
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due to its racist commentary. As much as this may protect the youth from social issues, it limits

their perception on what the world has been previously. Outdated and corrupted ideas are not

generally ideal to teach children, but an example can be made out of them in teaching right from

wrong. Another example of a book that could teach people on how thoughts have evolved in

society is On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin. It is banned in some religious schools

across the US because it goes against the teachings of creationism. This book and other science

related books should not be banned because we can see how our ideas of science and facts have

evolved (Walters).

Despite its advantages, such as protecting people from questionable beliefs and ideas that

may harm them, banning books limits the freedom of knowledge in the United States and the

ability to learn about a variety of topics. The author of Reading Out Against Book Banning

explains that the idea of the United States, from its beginning, was that people should not be

controlled in their practices. This included learning and thought. Alex Bertsch, the author of

Banning Books for Safety, states that banning books helps promote the idea of a wholesome

education in America. Though this can be true in some respects it is not for other reasons.

Learning about corrupted ideas can help people understand why they are wrong and teach how to

avoid doing horrendous actions again. Bertsch preaches how some books promote questionable

ideas and that children will grow up demented if exposed to such ideas. When kids get older

though, they are constantly experiencing new situations and new ideas which could be more

easily explained through a book. Depriving people, especially young adults, of information that

can help them later in life goes against the freedom that America readily supports, the freedom of

knowledge.
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In conclusion, schools should not ban books because they help introduce new and difficult

ideas, give information, and ensure our freedom to knowledge. A number of books provide

examples of tough-to-talk-about topics, which can help people facing those situations find

comfort or a place to express their troubles. In addition to that, kids are still forming their ideas

on life, and seeing opposing ideas in books can cause them to stop, think, and process the

meaning for themselves. Therefore, being exposed to different ideas and topics helps them to

develop their own beliefs. Getting rid of books also limits information. This could be

information of the past, which may hurt the future if they cannot learn from the previous

mistakes, or of the future, which would just be people avoiding difficult ideas. Lastly, banning

books violates the right to knowledge that can help people learn and think about topics in

different ways. Reading should be fun and limiting the selection of books not only hinders the

experience of reading but also limits all the ideas and information authors have to give.
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Works Cited

"Banning books for safety." UWIRE Text, 30 Sept. 2014, p. 1. Gale Academic OneFile,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A384132569/AONE?u=pl1949&sid=AONE&xid=531791

dd. Accessed 23 Oct. 2020.

"Banning books robs students of education and entertainment." UWIRE Text, 24 Jan. 2019, p. 1.

Gale Academic OneFile,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A571510435/AONE?u=pl1949&sid=AONE&xid=cf5c34a

b. Accessed 23 Oct. 2020.

Horowitz, Anthony. "Open book: If you want children to love reading, don't tell them what to

read." Spectator, vol. 342, no. 9993, 7 Mar. 2020, p. 21. Gale Academic OneFile,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A622149705/AONE?u=pl1949&sid=AONE&xid=87ce71

6e. Accessed 23 Oct. 2020.

"Reading Out Against Book Banning." UWIRE Text, 4 Oct. 2014, p. 1. Gale Academic OneFile,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A384564406/AONE?u=pl1949&sid=AONE&xid=20b0fe

5f. Accessed 23 Oct. 2020.

Walters, Madison. "Banned Books Week highlights importance of eliminating censorship."

UWIRE Text, 5 Oct. 2020, p. 1. Gale Academic OneFile,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A637484169/AONE?u=pl1949&sid=AONE&xid=350a23

00. Accessed 23 Oct. 2020.

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