i want so much to open your eyes

i find the idea of banned books incredibly idiotic. i mean, really, who the hell do you think you are to tell me what i can or cannot read?? it should be left up to the individual to decide what s/he feels is acceptable. and for kids, if they arent old enough to make a rational judgement about what they should be reading then it's the parents' responsibility. if i was an author, i think i would consider it an honor to ba on a banned book list. i mean, it really just means that some people had a passionate reaction to your writing, it gives your book recognition, and most people choose what books to read by checking out banned book lists so it increases sales. that in itself is another blatant strike against banning books: it never works. sure, you can prevent them from being taught at schools, but can you really stop someone from reading them?? marking something as 'banned' only makes the prospect of doing it more appealing. and a lot of them were banned way back when for reasons that no longer apply - going against a society that has changed completely, language that is milder than what nickelodean shows come up with today - but people are adamant about keeping them banned.

the banned and most challenged books are mostly ridiculous. i read a lot of them without realizing they were banned, and yes some of them because they were banned. but really, huck finn, tom sawyer, the catcher in the rye, the great gilly hopkins, judy blume books, harry potter, the crucible, death of a salesman, of mice and men, bridge to teribithia, a wrinkle in time, go ask alice, shel silverstein, where's waldo? i mean, that one doesnt even have words! how did it offend someone so much that it appeared on the most challenged books list?? a lot of them are kids books with no bad language, no references to sex, no themes that could wrongly influence a child... just a really good read for a kid who has moved beyond junie b jones.

seriously, people need to open their eyes to the fact that banning books is moronic. and in an age where book reading is a dying form of entertainment, should we really be stopping kids from reading the few books that are appealing to them??

*Open Your Eyes - Snow Patrol