Two Big Takeaways

 

  1. My first major takeaway is about why those in power ban books. All of the books we have read so far in this class were banned in bad faith. While proponents of these books being banned say that books like these feature content matter not suitable for children, they are really just silencing underrepresented voices and sheltering straight white children from cultures and experiences outside of their own. Not only does this expose the inherent racism, sexism, and homophobia in the institutions that make the decisions as to what is and isn't taught, it also shows that these white people in power are more afraid of the stories of miniority groups than they are of violence, swearing, and other, slightly more reasonable things to censor.

  2. My other major takeaway from this class is how important it is to have the discussions these books have generated. I feel like I have learned a lot from not only the books themselves but the discussions we have had in class surrounding them. Even though I would consider myself fairly socially aware and empathetic, I still feel like I have learned a lot from the perspectives our texts offered to me. It makes me wish that stories like these were required readings at schools instead of being barred from them.

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