Our Voice Is All We Ever Have

When I was in High School I had to read this book during one summer. Like most kids i didn’t want to read anything that did not have Jim Lee’s signature in the bottom right hand corner. I started reading it just to get it done and found myself completely gripped by the story. That book made me think a bit differently at the world. Fast forward to yesterday when i read a story about Harper Lee. In the body of that story I was shocked to find out that it is one of the most challenged books in the public Library system.

When I started pouring over the list of book I was shocked at who and what was on there. On that list where some of the most important books in my life. The books there opened my mind to new ideas and thoughts. There where books on there that when it comes to literature I hold them almost as sacred texts

1984 The first time i read this book i had no clue what i had just gotten myself into. It was the first book i read where love could no win the day. I vowed to myself after reading this book that no matter what it could cost me i would rather give up myself than the people that i loved. Its an odd thought at17 that there are things that you would be willing to give up yourself to protect.

The reason its challenged so often? It has communist overtones. Let me get this straight, the horrible world that was created was well in a word….horrible. People equate that horrid life as Communist and want to ban it…because it makes the thing they dislike look bad.

The Call of the Wild: I read this book in the third grade. It was several grades above my level to be able to read. My teacher put me in a better reading group because i was reading it on my own. I am pretty sure that this was my first experience with a book that pretty much said “The world is harsh. Good people die and you will have to do some hard things if you want to live in it”

Why is this one challenged? Well simple put because it is about dogs people think its a kids book. Ok sure i can get that. There is just one little thing. If you are going to let you child go to the library…don’t you talk about/monitor what they check out? Why try to take a book away from everyone you don’t want your snowflake to read? If you don’t want them to read it um try not letting them check it out. If you want your kid repressed that’s your business stay away from my freedoms.

Fahrenheit 451. This is not just a book for me but a warning. This is what we can look forward to if we let people start taking books away because they find them offensive. Which ever teacher had this on my summer reading list thank you. This is one of those books that can change they whole way you think about your world. I think more than any other book this one has impacted my life.

Why or why is this book challenged so much? For all the same reasons that make this book great. People find the language used to be offensive so they want to make the book go away or (even worse to me) redact the offensive words. They want to stop the words from being read. This makes me so mad as to have a hard time even writing that all out.

When it comes down to why people want books out of our public places of knowledge we find that it is ignorance. We all fear the things that we don’t know and want them gone. I understand that thoughts that are different from your can be scary things. Its when we hide them from public view that have sinned to the point as to be near unforgivable. If anyone reading this thinks that an idea is so strong that it scares you don’t try to make it go away to room 101 face it and learn.

As always thanks for your time folks.

~ by treyrificus on July 3, 2010.