“Ban that book. I don’t agree with it. No, not that book. I agree with that one. Keep it. Just get rid of the ones I don’t like.”
Sound familiar? That is exactly what is going on right now in school districts across America and right here in central Iowa.
Yes, book banning has been a hot subject as of late, especially with the changing of the guard on many local public school boards. Those who want certain books removed have legitimate points — at least from their perspective — but I fear that these efforts are damaging to free speech and, ironically, resulting in the opposite of what the book banners’ intentions are. Let me explain.
First, there should be a clear distinction between books in a public school library and books used for instructional purposes in classrooms. Books used for instructional purposes should be evaluated, scrutinized and carefully selected. Most public school districts have curriculum processes in place to address this. You have every right to inquire about that process and judge it appropriately, but banning books that are simply available in a public school library is another matter.
Second, most of us read to learn, to exercise our brains and to grow our knowledge of a particular subject. With that in mind, how much will we learn by only reading books that fall in line with our own opinions? And how can we expect young people to grow by limiting access to all kinds of ideas?
Third, tell a child not to do something, and you can bet that the youngster will do all he or she can to explore it further. I guarantee that most any banned book will be read more after the banning than before. Believe it or not, there is this thing called the Internet that kids are using today, regardless of what is or isn’t in a library.
And finally, it’s OK to be exposed to things we don’t agree with. Those differing views create healthy debates that we all learn from, and that includes our youth.
So if you don’t agree with books used for classroom instruction, let your voice be heard. You might want to serve on a committee or even run for school board, but we shouldn’t limit a child’s access to books that simply don’t fall in line with a certain person’s points of view. As Jo Godwin said, “A truly great library contains something in it to offend everyone.” As it should.
Have a wonderful Wednesday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman President and Publisher Big Green Umbrella Media shane@dmcityview.com 515-953-4822, ext. 305 |