I Don't Read Banned Books


It's banned books week again.  This year ban books week runs from October 5th through October 11th. So, we're just about halfway through. And there's still so many books to read!

I don't read banned books. I do read on occasion BAND books, because I am a big fan of music. However, I don't read banned books. I do read. I read a lot. And some of the books that I read happened to be considered by various sources to be challenged or should be banned. Personally, I think anyone should read whatever the heck they want to. 

When I was young my mother let me read whatever I wanted to. I read a lot of Nancy Drew. Believe it or not, Nancy at one point was banned. I read books that I didn't understand. I love Judy Blume’s book Deenie; it wasn't until I was an adult that I realized that Deenie masturbates in the bathtub. I completely blew over that fact as a kid. I was more concerned about what scoliosis was and how awful it must be to be in a back brace. I read books that probably weren't appropriate for my age. But I read. And I continue to read. And it doesn't matter to me if a book is " banned" or not. What matters to me is if the story reaches out and grabs me. I'm at a point in my life where I don't have to read for school or work. I read for pleasure. And I'm darn well going to read whatever the heck I want. 

Some of the authors that I admire and read the most are continually on banned book lists. They include Stephen King, Judy Blume, and Jodi Picoult, just to name a few. I don't read them because they're banned, or their books are "provocative”.  I read them because they are darn good storytellers. I haven't read ALL of their books, but I have read a good hunk of their catalogs. Some of their stuff I really like, some not so much. (Sorry I'm not a big fan of the dark Tower series from Stephen King, but The Stand, Misery, Dolores Claiborne, and The Green Mile are amazing, and you'll never convince me otherwise.)

There are a variety of sources that list books that have been banned or are challenged. Some of them I've read. Some of them I didn't particularly like, they include 1984, Beloved, and believe it or not, The Diary of Anne Frank. (It's not that I didn't like the diary, it just hit too close to home when I read it as a teen. It was too painful, and we all know how the "story" ends, making the diary even more heartbreaking, if it wasn't already.)

Some of my favorite books of all times also happen to be on the list of most challenged. Books like The Kite Runner, Forever (another Judy Blume that I didn't completely get at the time), and my all-time favorite book in the world, To Kill a Mockingbird. (Thank you Mrs. Y for introducing me and the rest of your students to this wonderful book in high school. I will be eternally grateful to you for having it as part of your curriculum.) 

When my son was younger he was a reluctant reader. He didn't have the same love of reading that my husband and I did. However, we introduced him to two authors who are both frequently challenged when it comes to schools, Dev Pilkey and Dan Gutman. Is Captain Underpants literature? Of course not, but it made my son read. It made my son laugh. And it made my son want to create his own comic books. That's a big win. Are Dan Gutman’s my weird school series books classics? No, but again my son loved them and he read them and that's what's important. (It also didn't hurt that Dan Gutman made an appearance at a local bookstore and my son got to meet him. He's the kind of author you want to meet, someone who appreciates and cares for his young fans.)

When my son was a young adult but still relatively young, he wanted to read The Great Gatsby. My son was unique in that he loved the time period in which the story is set. I didn't think he was going to understand the novel. I wasn't sure if he'd enjoy it. I don't know what he got out of it. But he read it. And he said he did understand it and enjoyed it. So, what else matters? 

I don't read banned books. I read books. Because I love to read. Because I love a good story. And nothing's going to stop me from that. 

And nothing should stop you or anyone else from reading what they want to read. Am I going to like everything that you read? Probably not. There are books that my husband reads that I could care less about. There are books that I read that my husband probably thinks are pretty silly. It doesn't matter. We read and we enjoy. 

The world is full of wonderful authors. This week is a perfect time to explore one that you've never read before. It doesn't matter to me if they're banned or not. Just go out there and read. Read. Read!

 

 

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