My daughter does not like to read. I'm always trying to find books that will appeal to her and make her want to pick up more books. "Speak" was one of those books. She read it in two days and couldn't wait to pick up "Wintergirls" when it came out. I knew what the book was about, I knew that it depicted rape, and I didn't care. No...that's not true. I feel it's important for young people to read books that address things that happen in real life in a real way that speaks to them.
Ms. Anderson has written a blog piece about the battle she is now waging to fight this attempt to ban her book. But, she rightly points out, the author has a vested interest in seeing that her/his work is not banned and may not carry much weight in a fight. What she needs is for other people to speak up and let school boards around the country know that we're perfectly capable of thinking for ourselves and raising our own children.
To learn more about Banned Books Week, please visit the American Library Association's site which explains what the week is about and provides a lot of links for even more information. You might be surprised to find out which books you've read and didn't think a thing about that someone else thought should be banned. And lest we jump to the conclusion that it's only those on the far right that are jumping to ban books, liberals are just as likely to want to ban books that they feel are politically incorrect.
This week and again next week during Banned Books Week, I plan to exercise my right to read whatever I want by reading "To Kill A Mockingbird" while Mini-me sits next to me reading "The Catcher In The Rye."
My stepdaughter isn't as big reader, so when she shows interest in books, I am thrilled. Right now she is reading a collection of my scary short stories. Yes, they are written for adults, but I want her to gain all the knowledge she can from reading, so I am not about to ban her from anything.
ReplyDeleteWhat she reports on her blog is disgusting. Thanks for the heads up!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post on this topic. I think that it is a very important one and am glad to see that people feel similarly. Nicely said!
ReplyDeleteSpeak is a book that NEEDS and HAS to be read. I feel that she did a superb job of writing about the rape and the aftermath. This book was removed from the school where I work, until I got there that is! I put it back on the shelf...8th graders are allowed to check it out with a parental permission slip. I always talk to my students about this book before they read it and have had some excellent conversations. What the people who don't want their children to read it don't understand is that it could be there daughter in the situation... before they choose to remove, they need to actually read the book!! I love Anderson...she is one of my favorite writers and I would lose my job before I allow anyone to pull her books off the shelves ever again. Great pick to write about Lisa!
ReplyDeleteBanning books is just plain wrong. No matter what your personal biases are, people have the right to read, and have their children read whatever they deem appropriate. I hate that this is happening in a society that considers itself so enlightened. I hate that it happens in any society, really. Thanks for this post. More people need to know about this.
ReplyDeleteI was so aghast to read the post today morning about someone called SPEAK a porn book. That was so outrageous, and I've been angry all day thinking of it. I ranted on my blog too - I hope his request is not heeded!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic post -- I also hadn't heard of this book (I might be under a rock the past few weeks), but I plan to check it out.
ReplyDeleteOh God, this is so bad! I think teens especially girls need to read these books!
ReplyDeleteCan anyone else see the irony in trying to ban a book titled "Speak"? Or is it just me?
ReplyDelete~S.
Glad to know about this so I can share it with friends in the education community.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Lisa! I remember when AWP was in third grade and stood up in front of the school board to explain why he didn't want the Goosebumps series banned. He loved reading them and read so much as a little boy. I was so proud of them that night.
ReplyDeleteSpeak & Wintergirls are 2 books on my tbr list & Laurie Halse Anderson is an author I really want to read. It's appalling that anyone has positied that her books or any others should be banned or restricted in anyway. It's 2010 for godsakes. With all that goes on in the world, the news programs are filled with images about horrors in the world, but people thnik banning books will keep their children innocent? Hello. I also think it is flat out wrong to try to hide young people from the realities of life. Finally, if you don't want your kid to read it, don't let them. It's close-minded, ignorant & pathetic to ban a book.
ReplyDeleteIf I didn't read your blog I'd never know what was going on in the blogosphere. Banned Books week is next week? Really? Where has the year gone?
ReplyDeleteMy son is such a hater when it comes to reading. We went to the bookstore and I can't tell you what a pain it was to get him to pick a book. I will probably write a post about it it was just that irritating.
Thanks for the reminder about Banned Books week. Working in bookstores for as long as I did, i got plenty of crazies tell me what should and should not be published. :(
ReplyDeleteI read Speak specifically because of all the talk surrounding banning it recently. I just had to know what the fuss was about. I agree with you about the importance of letting youth read books about real life in a way that they can relate to. To try and take that away from them is detrimental not only to them, but to society as well.
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