There are several reasons as to why a book may be banned from a school library. Opposed to a regular library, a school library has to be more careful about what is in the collection. All of the material must be appropriate for minors to view. That means that anything with extreme sexuality, violence or even profanities may be unavailable to the students. Books may also be censored from a school if it carries a hateful, offensive message. Of course everyone is offended by different things, so this would mainly just include books that have a racist, bigoted or homophobic theme that is degrading to those being oppressed or if it promotes a negative attitude towards those people. Books that have a strong political message that is viewed as harmful to society, such as books praising Nazis, will probably be banned as well. This kind of censorship, in my opinion, is understandable, because the school could face legal troubles if a parent complains that something their child viewed was not age inappropriate.
A commonly known banned book is To Kill a Mockingbird. It has been challenged in the past because some think it is racist and it's use of profanities may be offensive. There is also mention of rape, which many think is inappropriate as well. I have not read this book before, but I know that several English classes read it for their novel study last year. None of my friends have ever felt that it was too inappropriate for them to be reading in class and I find it interesting how it is still being challenged to this day.
The Scarlet Letter is another book that continues to be challenged. It was written in 1850, a time where people were much more strict when it came to topics of promiscuity. I personally have not read this book either, but I do know what it is about and I think that it is a little unusual that people are still offended by it, and even claim that it is sinful. Compared to what is on TV everyday, this seems minor.
Some of the banned books that are in our school library today include both To Kill a Mockingbird and The Scarlet Letter, as well as Moby Dick, The Great Gatsby, Beloved, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Catcher in the Rye. A banned book that our library does not carry is Gone With the Wind. Out of these books, I have read only The Great Gatsby and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. I do not see much of a reason to ban The Great Gatsby. Perhaps it would offend people in the 1920s, but there is nothing offensive in that book compared to modern day standards. I cannot comment on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, because I read that book years ago and I do not remember it well.
I choose to read the book, Beloved. It was definitely a well written novel, but it is not something that I would recommend to my friends. At times I found it difficult to follow and there were several times throughout reading it that I did not want to continue, It goes straight into the plot without first giving much of a background on the characters. This was confusing, because it would mention a character or a place without giving much of a description as to what it was. However, as the book progressed, it began to make more sense and more of an explanation was given.
It is justifiable that this book made some people uncomfortable, but it is mildly inappropriate only to present realism. It is not obscene or disturbing and I would certainly not support a ban on it. It does touch upon darker themes, such as racism and rape, and it is not a novel that I would suggest an eleven year old read, but I think that most people above the age of fifteen would be able to read and comprehend it in a mature manner.
As previously mentioned, Beloved is already included in our school library's collection and it should stay. It is not a book that many would even bother to pick up if they were unable to handle stories for more mature readers. Just by reading the summary on the inside cover, it is obvious that more intense themes are likely to be included. I would understand if a younger person found the ideas of Beloved to be uncomfortable, but if adults feel so uncomfortable while reading it that they think it is necessary to put a ban upon it, I would find this a little questionable and I would want to hear their reasons behind it. Although racism and slavery are topics that people find uncomfortable, it is not a racist book. If it was degrading towards other people, I could understand a ban, but it certainly is not.
