ALA Banned Books Week!

Today starts the American Library Associations Banned Books Week.  I just read through the ALA website and their pages about banned books.  I love that they promote everyone's right to free speech  and everyone's right to read what they want to read.   

Looking at the list for challenged or banned books in 2009-2010 I recognize that there are 9 books on there that I have read already and 2 that are actually on my to-be-read pile and right here in my house already!  I pretty vividly remember reading all of the nine books, and I do have to say that I can see how they could be controversial.  Two of them I read in school and the others I have read since being a teacher/mother.  As a teacher I'm always thinking about which of my students would enjoy a book I have read, and some of these I would definitely have to think carefully about who I would recommend them to, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't recommend them to the right student who I think would be mature enough to read, understand, and interpret the book.  

Have you read any of these?  These are the 9 I have read that have been challenged or banned recently.  I was surprised at some of these and even more surprised at others that have been challenged or banned in the past (like Harry Potter!!!).  It's crazy.  I believe books should be available to all.  If you want to read it, okay, if you don't, then don't.  If you're a parent and you don't think it's appropriate for your child, then I do believe it's okay to talk to your child and explain why you might not think it's right for him or her, but banning it from a school, library, or school library is not cool.

Some of you have joined the #speakloudly conversation on Twitter after Laurie Halse Anderson's book Speak was characterized as filthy and immoral.  Here's what she had to say about it: "This guy thinks SPEAK is pornography." I didn't post my own response right away, just because it's hard for me to think straight when something so insane happens.  There are two rape scenes in Speak and the book is an intense book because of what Melinda (the main character) deals with when she is raped.  I think it is an important book for young adults to read about what she is going through whether they identify with it in any way or are just gaining perspective.  This is a book that I have recommended to certain students and I always explain that it's a serious book and make sure to talk to them about what they read, mainly because I want them to understand the seriousness of the book and the gravity of it's message but also because Anderson leaves a lot for a reader to infer and I want to make sure the student gets what the book is about.  I believe so many people are outraged by this particular banning because the accusation is really off-base - and I know that because I read the whole book.

Speak and other challenged or banned books need people standing up for them and their worth in schools and libraries.  I hope that everyone out there is reading, but I truly wish that every teacher and parent out there is at least reading what their students or kids are reading.  Had I not read any of these banned books in this post, I wouldn't be qualified to make a case for them and their relevance and importance in society.  Since I have, I know what they are about and I know I would recommend any of them if I thought they were a fit for one of my students or friends.  For the books I haven't read, I can't say I would be interested in reading all of them, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stand in the way of someone who is interested in them.

I wish I could be part of the Chicago Banned Books Week Read-Out!  Even though I can't actually be there, I'm going to make sure I sit down and read between noon and 2:00 p.m. to show my support.  Here are the two books I'll be reading this week in honor of Banned Books Week:

 

Stand up against book banning: 

read one of the books on the challenged or banned books lists, 

buy them, check them out, share them!

 

Mockingjay Debate

 I'm guessing that if you teach or have kids of your own who are in middle school or high school (possibly?) that you have heard of the Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins.  If you haven't, I definitely suggest you go grab a copy and clear out a few hours/day in your schedule because you won't want to stop once you get started and they are so worth reading - for yourself and to share with kids.

Mockingjay (The Final Book of The Hunger Games) was just released last Tuesday.  As I was looking around the web to see what people thought about it I noticed how the discussion of the amount of violence in the book was popping up here and there.  Quickly, The Hunger Games is the story of Katniss Everdeen, a girl who lives in what is left of the United States in what is now called Panem.  She volunteers to take her sister's place to compete in The Hunger Games when her sister's name is drawn in the lottery.  Playing in The Hunger Games means she will be put into an arena with 23 other tributes to fight for their lives - literally - to be the last person alive and to become the winner.

I'll have to do a post on this series because I think it is expertly written and an amazingly, gripping story.  I cannot deny that I'm the kind of person who will bawl when I read a book that is written so well that I feel connected with the characters.  The Hunger Games is definitely one of those books.  I realized that there was a lot of violence going on in the book when I was reading it and some of it was graphic, but I never had any reason to question what Collins decided to include in the book.  I would easily recommend this to a 6th grader.  Now, that's just my opinion and I'm opening it up for discussion.  Truthfully, I don't think there is anything in the book that a kid couldn't find on TV or in a video game.  As far as the entire idea of the Games, I hope it will force readers to think about our society and the reality shows that are on TV and realize what might be in store for society if we continue to pit people against each other for entertainment.

Here is the article I saw posted that got me really thinking, it was in my Shelf Awareness newsletter.  I e-mailed Mrs. DeRaps over at DeRaps Reads because I love her reviews and I know she has been eagerly anticipating the release of Mockingjay.  She wrote me back and commented that she uses the age of the character(s) to give her a guideline for how old the intended audience might be.  Katniss is 16 so I would definitely think this book would be safe for any high school student to read.  I know from the schools I work in (none of which are high schools) that much younger students are reading it.

In general, I always think about the individual I'm recommending a book to before I actually make a recommendation.  It makes sense; I think about that person, what kind of a reader he/she is, what kind of books he/she likes to read, his or her reading level, and then I choose a book to recommend based on that.  I can't say I would recommend this book to every single 6th grader who crossed my path but it would definitely be an option.  As a teacher, I am leery of books that might be inappropriate in some way for my students and I do take that into consideration when making a recommendation.  I can say that I wholeheartedly believe that parents should be reading what their kids are reading so they can decide if something is to violent, graphic, sexual, or inappropriate in any way.  I, personally, wouldn't mind my sons reading it (I can't even imagine them in 6th grade, I'll gladly let them stay little...) but I would probably read it to them, reread it while they read it, or at least talk to them about what I remember reading and what I thought about the series and talk to them about what kind of message the author is sending by writing about Katniss.

What do you all think?  Are you fans of The Hunger Games?  What do you think of Mockingjay (The Final Book of The Hunger Games)?  Who would you be recommending the series to?  Do you think there is too much violence going on?  This is the first discussion I have opened up like this here on Teach Mentor Texts and I can't wait to see what people have to say!