I love banned books

I love books. I think I love them more than I love some people. My son came home today with his Weekly Reader(there's a blast from the past), and in it, there was a discussion of the American Library Association's Banned Books Week. I didn't think of it too much for a while. But tonight I got to thinking that here I am, in the 21st century, hearing about books getting banned. So I went to the ALA's website to see what some of these horrific books were. And I was truly shocked. The entire Harry Potter series? We have read those together. Of Mice and Men? Captain Underpants? The Catcher in the Rye? As the list went on, it made less and less sense. Huck Finn. To Kill A Mockingbird. Brave New World. James and the Giant Peach. Slaughterhouse Five. Tom Sawyer.
This isn't the whole list, obviously. Which is sad, that there are so many that I can't even name them all. I looked at my bookcase, and thought of books I have either owned or read. They'd have to burn down my house, then burn me at the stake. The book I'm reading now, which I got for my birthday, would make some of these guys hair fall out. I love that the ALA brings the idea of the banned book to the fore every year. This is the 25th anniversary of Banned Books Week. I wish to make some suggestions for future book banners who approach the ALA, and save us and them a lot of time. If you don't think the book is appropriate for your child, DON'T GIVE IT TO THEM! Parents do have a certain amount of control, after all. If your kid reads something you find offensive, don't freak out. Talk to them, and explain why you think it's inappropriate. Takes away the feeling of forbidden fruit. And for crying out loud, if you don't want to read something, that's fine. But quit assuming that no one else should read it either. So you don't want to read the works of the Marquis de Sade, maybe I do. I'm a grown up, you don't get to pick my reading material. good night and good luck...stimp