The Pros And Cons Of Banning Books

When most people hear of book banning, they think of libraries across the country clearing their shelves of books thought of to be taboo or problematic. While that once was a problem in the United States, book banning has taken a tactical, less obvious form of censorship and it is mostly in schools. It’s not a stranger to anyone that middle and high schools have required reading lists that name several books students will have to read for the academic school year. The books can range from anything, [research and look up book names here], and are often stock packed with various themes, lessons, and messages. However, plenty of parents feel [look at article to see the support of book banning] that certain ideas should not be taught to their children, especially when the ideas conflict with their personal beliefs and interests. Plenty of parents have succeeded in removing these subjectively distasteful books from their children’s school’s shelves and reading lists but concerns about what book banning actually does to the students who aren’t allowed to read them have arisen. Paul Ringer, author of “How Banning Books Marginalizes Children," states that, “When we say, ‘This book is inappropriate,’ we’re telling those children ‘your situation … your family … your life is inappropriate.” Banning books sends the wrong message to those who share experiences with the topic of the book and shelters the themes from students who may need them. While parental concerns and opinions about