Banned books thoughts Ringel and Mullalley

  Banned Books: Ringel and Mullalley

    As I read the articles “Banned Books” by Claire Mullalley and “How Banning Books Marginalizes Children” by Paul Ringel, I could not help but think about everything that children miss out on when these books are banned. Ringel states in his article that “52% of the books challenged or banned in the last ten years feature so-called ‘diverse content’” (Ringel 2).  This diverse content includes texts about race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, mental illness and disability. In some of the books we have read in class this semester, they do contain themes related to these topics. But, what is also present, and if not more true in these novels is that they are about so much more than the topics they are banned for. 

    The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas follows the high school life of Starr after her childhood best friend is fatally shot by the police. Parents have banned this book because they believe it promotes an anti-police message. This topic is incredibly unclear, though, as there is not much of any content in this book that is anti-police. This brings up another issue which is whether or not the parents banning these books have thoroughly read the books. Ringel also mentions an idea in his article that when parents ban books because they are “emotionally inappropriate” for children they are presenting the idea that all children’s books should avoid controversial topics (Ringel 3). I would not say that The Hate U Give contains many controversial topics but let's say that it did. The book does not force one to take a side on any controversial topics, no book has the power to necessarily change the opinion of an individual. A book can introduce an individual to new insights and a different point of view but the person reading the novel is ultimately the one who decides how this novel and the new ideas will play a role in their lifestyle. 

    Drama is another banned book that comes to mind when I think of “diverse content.” In Mullalley’s article she explains that in the 323 recorded challenged books of 2016, most of them were challenged because they included LGBT characters and themes (Mullalley 2). One reason why parents ban LGBTQIIA+ books is because they have a fear of homosexuality. But as mentioned in the previous paragraph, books do not have the ability to determine a child’s thoughts and or their sexuality. Drama has many themes but one theme that is certainly not present is making children gay or making them question their sexuality. While questioning sexuality is perfectly healthy, it is not a theme from Drama. The theme in the novel surrounding sexuality is rather about accepting others for who they are and understanding that being gay and questioning sexuality is a normal thing that no kid should be ashamed of. Among this theme, the graphic novel is also about middle school and navigating through it whilst handling intense emotions. The parents and librarians who ban these books fail to understand the meaning and positive lessons that come from them. 


    

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