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1. Monica McCrea-Steele - September 30, 2010

I don’t believe in banning books in general. I feel that books are like movies, and that not all of them should be read before a certain age.
R movies are banned at schools, including high schools, where most of the audience is not mature enough to handle certain issues.
Books are very similar to movies, even though some very graphic descriptions of all kinds of disturbing actions can leave a life-long mark in children, as well as in adults’ minds.
As an example, “Running with scissors” a memoir, is very disturbing for anybody, especially young adults. Why have them read it when there are so many other choices for them? I saw myself that teenagers love that book.
I saw a 14 year old read Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” at school, during Silent, Sustained Reading time. That is sooooo scary!

2. Jessica - October 1, 2010

How can we accurately determine when is the correct age that an individual reaches leaving them ‘mature enough’ to handle ‘certain’ issues? Which issues and what ages? I think that seeing a fourteen year old reading the bible could be just as ‘scary’ as seeing one read ‘mein kampf’. Censorship is a joke.

3. Pat Harrington - October 1, 2010

How wonderful. My book club just decided to read “To Kill a Mockingbird” but we didn’t realize it was on a BB list. I feel kinda racy.

4. Joseph Achowalogen - October 2, 2010

I am educator on the secondary and university area in English. I am proud to say that Fahrenheit 451 FAHRENHEIT 451 and TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD are among my high school’s class novel selections. I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS in on the nonfiction recommended-list and BRAVE NEW WORLD is on the college-bound recommended-list. In fact, most of the banned books are read my a greater majority of our students – both secondary and university. I, along with many of my colleagues, feel that allowing life play-out on the pages of a book is much more “educational” that “living through it.” Books teach life — the good, the bad, the things to enjoy, and the things to avoid.

Censorship is advocated by those who fear what they cannot relate to their children and those things that they to understand. In my evaluation, censorship is advocated by the “small of mind.”

5. Wendy - October 4, 2010

I read Upton Sinclair’s novel “The Jungle” when I was 15 years old and some people thought I was to young to read that book. Thank the heavens and stars I did, because it has made me a life long advocate for the poor and disenfranchised.