Banned Books Week Rant & a GIVEAWAY!

This year the Banned Books week event hosted by Sheila at Book Journey is taking place a week earlier than usual, and I thought I'd extend last years' rant into something more personal. As usual I was meant to be reading a banned book but haven't managed to finish it and so instead I'm going to talk about some of the most frequently challenged books (according to the American Library Association; aside from the whole Fifty Shades of Grey thing you don't hear too much about banning here in the UK thank goodness!) of 2012-2013. These books are all books that I've really enjoyed or which have affected me in some way, and bear in mind that these are only the books from one year - there are a hell of a lot more of my most influential books which have been banned or challenged in the past!

Firstly: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood was challenged as required reading for high school students but not banned, for being "sexually explicit, violently graphic and morally corrupt". Admittedly I'm well overdue on a reread of this, but when I first read it as a teenager (I think I was about 15 or so) I don't remember it being needlessly sexually explicit or violently graphic. Atwood usually doesn't put things in her books for them to just be there; there is generally a point to it. Also I love when things are accused of being 'morally corrupt'. What does that even mean? Just because a book doesn't preach a certain morality and ram it down your throat doesn't mean that it has no morals. A lot of books (and this is definitely one of them!) encourage you to start thinking about certain issues for yourself and working out what your own opinions are. How can that be a bad thing to teach teenagers? 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky was also challenged by not banned in Ohio for dealing with alcohol, sex, homosexuality and abuse. So if a book contains issues which affect teenagers, they should be banned from reading it? Obviously if you stop them reading the book none of them will ever drink, have sex or be gay. If you don't let them read about abuse they won't know that it happens. Of course. I read The Perks of Being a Wallflower for the first time this year after seeing the amazing film and I thought they were both just beautiful pieces of storytelling, and captured brilliantly the way teenagers can be affected by things, and also a lot of what it feels like to be a teenager. It would be lovely if nothing shit ever happened to anybody, but let's be honest that's probably never going to be the case and so how does pretending that it is help?

Looking for Alaska by John Green was banned as required reading for high school students for its' use of 'inappropriate language'. I literally cannot get my head around this. I just read Looking for Alaska this year, and there is no language in it that your average teenager wouldn't hear walking down the street or hanging out in McDonalds! Also, because people in books talk a certain way that doesn't mean the people reading the books have to speak that way? Although this wasn't my favourite of John Green's novels so far, I did really enjoy it and again it has subject matter which could be helpful to people going through certain situations.

And finally, the one that absolutely blew my mind. Drumroll please!.......
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi was removed from Chicago high schools for various silly reasons. I have quoted directly from the list for this as the students basically kicked ass and got the book reinstated. Here's what they did:

As the news spread of the directive, students mobilized a media campaign in opposition to “banning a book that’s all about the freedom of speech.” Students took to their Facebook and Twitter accounts, checked out all library copies of the book, wrote blogs, sent e-mails, wrote investigative articles for the student newspaper, contacted the author, staged protests, and appeared on local radio and television programs. Eventually, the school issued a letter telling high school principals to disregard the earlier order to pull the book.

Quoted from http://www.ila.org/BannedBooks/BBW_2012-2013_Shortlist.pdf

I love this! I just reread my own review of Persepolis from when I first read it over two years ago and my final thought on it was that I loved the quote about how you have to educate yourself. This is just basically a direct illustration of that, and of every point I've been trying to make in this post. Banning books is silly - by banning a book you are not going to stop the issues it addresses from existing, nor are you going to stop your children from coming into contact with them. Instead of getting hysterical about things and trying to have them banned, try having an honest discussion. Kids aren't stupid and they usually appreciate not being treated like morons.

As it's a banned books week event and I want to CELEBRATE our right to read, I'm offering you a chance to win your choice of one of the four books I've mentioned above :-D To enter all you have to do is to fill in the form! I will pick a winner one week from today, and you can live anywhere the unholy shop of evil (aka Amazon) ships to. Enjoy!