A Challenge to Our Thinking (Banned Book Week)
I was talking with my husband about Banned Book Week. Banned Book Week 2015 began on September 27 and ends October 3. Better late than never in regards to writing this post, right?
But I was talking with my husband yesterday about what makes books so challenging that people want them banned. I believe it is because the ideas presented in the books can take us out of our comfort zone. The ideas presented in books can make us question our reality. They can make us face human emotion. They can challenge the beliefs that make us who we are.
Is that really such a bad thing?
I remember reading The Scarlet Letter as a teenager. At that time, I was extremely legalistic in my viewpoints. My upbringing had taught me to believe that there was a clear black and white definition of right and wrong, of sin and righteousness. The Scarlet Letter made me think about my definitions. It made me think about the effects of humiliation. It has stuck with me throughout the years. I often find myself thinking of this book in certain real-life situations.
As an adult- just a couple of years ago, in fact - I read Brave New World for the first time. I can tell you that had I read that book at another time, I may have been one of those challenging it. However, reading it when I did opened my eyes to the dangers of mind control. When I read this book, I had just emerged from an environment of spiritual abuse that mimicked much of the emotional abuse under which I grew up. I knew, first-hand, how easily we can be convinced that everything we are and everything feel are wrong. Brave New World confirmed many of the ideas with which I was wrestling.
This year, my sons and I are studying The Perks of Being a Wallflower four our unschooling Banned Book study. I admit I saw the movie before I read the book originally. But that's okay. In my opinion, it is one of those few movies that is actually as good as the book (perhaps because the author - Stephen Chbosky - is a screenwriter for the movie). As I watched this movie, I, first of all, became convinced that anyone who did not cry at the end has no heart whatsoever; and, secondly, that this is exactly what happens when we keep negative aspects of our lives hidden. Another thing I had been thinking about a lot.
In short, I believe Banned Book Week celebrates authors who do not stifle those thoughts and emotions that are usually hidden. These authors show us real life - the good, the bad, the ugly, the dirty, the depressing, the hurtful real life that we all face at times. They take us out of our comfort zone and into ideas that are not popular. They give us characters to whom we can relate - whether we want to or not. They present us with situations that cause us to question all we hold dear and to reexamine our deepest, heart-felt beliefs. Isn't that what great writing is all about? These authors should not be challenged or banned. They should be celebrated.
But I was talking with my husband yesterday about what makes books so challenging that people want them banned. I believe it is because the ideas presented in the books can take us out of our comfort zone. The ideas presented in books can make us question our reality. They can make us face human emotion. They can challenge the beliefs that make us who we are.
Is that really such a bad thing?
I remember reading The Scarlet Letter as a teenager. At that time, I was extremely legalistic in my viewpoints. My upbringing had taught me to believe that there was a clear black and white definition of right and wrong, of sin and righteousness. The Scarlet Letter made me think about my definitions. It made me think about the effects of humiliation. It has stuck with me throughout the years. I often find myself thinking of this book in certain real-life situations.
As an adult- just a couple of years ago, in fact - I read Brave New World for the first time. I can tell you that had I read that book at another time, I may have been one of those challenging it. However, reading it when I did opened my eyes to the dangers of mind control. When I read this book, I had just emerged from an environment of spiritual abuse that mimicked much of the emotional abuse under which I grew up. I knew, first-hand, how easily we can be convinced that everything we are and everything feel are wrong. Brave New World confirmed many of the ideas with which I was wrestling.
This year, my sons and I are studying The Perks of Being a Wallflower four our unschooling Banned Book study. I admit I saw the movie before I read the book originally. But that's okay. In my opinion, it is one of those few movies that is actually as good as the book (perhaps because the author - Stephen Chbosky - is a screenwriter for the movie). As I watched this movie, I, first of all, became convinced that anyone who did not cry at the end has no heart whatsoever; and, secondly, that this is exactly what happens when we keep negative aspects of our lives hidden. Another thing I had been thinking about a lot.
In short, I believe Banned Book Week celebrates authors who do not stifle those thoughts and emotions that are usually hidden. These authors show us real life - the good, the bad, the ugly, the dirty, the depressing, the hurtful real life that we all face at times. They take us out of our comfort zone and into ideas that are not popular. They give us characters to whom we can relate - whether we want to or not. They present us with situations that cause us to question all we hold dear and to reexamine our deepest, heart-felt beliefs. Isn't that what great writing is all about? These authors should not be challenged or banned. They should be celebrated.
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