Topic 1:
There are
long lists of books that are complained about each year either for being in
libraries or in schools. There were a few that were challenged recently that I
knew of like “Fifty Shades of Grey,” “Looking for Alaska,” “The Hunger Games,”
and “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Some of the
reasons that these books were challenged were for offensive language, sexual content,
and racism. Many of them were deemed unsuitable for the age group of the school
I assume they were being read in.
I think
that though the content in question may be iffy for very young people, banning
books is not the answer. If someone has a ginormous problem with one of the
books being presented at a school, they should talk with the teacher and get an
exception. But everyone has different beliefs and limits, and restricting
content from everyone because of one set of opinions is nonsensical. I
understand that not everyone wants their children or themselves exposed to explicit
or foul language, as I am not entirely fond of either in excess myself. But if
there is content I don’t want to read, I simply don’t read it. I believe that people
should be given the option and access if they wish. Everyone is going to be
exposed to these things at some point in their life, and though it’s good for
parents to be protective of what their children see, most of the time kids in
those school systems will have already seen much worse. People would miss out
on incredible literature if they were denied some of these works because
someone somewhere got offended by a cuss word or two.
Topic 2:
Visitors
in my home would find a huge variety of books and authors. Some of my favorites
would be in my room – authors like Ted Dekker, John Green, Frank Peretti, Ralph
Waldo Emerson, Frederick Douglass, Bill Meyers and Laura Ingalls Wilder. It’s actually
very hard to narrow down now that I think about it – the list could go on and
on.
At this
point in my life, the books that most appeal to me are mysteries/thrillers and
romance, either fiction or non-fiction. Inspirational biographies and
autobiographies are amazing, as well. Learning about people and their adventures
is one of the most entertaining things to me. I’ve tried to be well-rounded in
my reading through the years, and have purposely expanded my interests to
include many genres. Dramas, religious books, comics, poetry books, journals, and
satire were some of what I read. As a kid, I would read encyclopedias and
dictionaries because my love for words was so great. Slave narratives, short
stories – I even poured over dog training books when I got my first puppy. Being
homeschooled allowed me a lot of freedom in the literature I studied, and I
learned from so many great sources. I even have read books on how to write
books. And I keep them all. They’re my companion, my escape to another place,
and my own writing inspiration.
In his
book “The Fault in our Stars,” John Green writes: “Sometimes, you read a book
and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced
that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all
living humans read the book.” And it’s so true. Stories are such powerful
things. My collection has really come from all over - Amazon and Barnes &
Noble have provided me with more than a few. The Christian Bookstore sold me many
of my favorites, and I have also had many classics handed down from my grandma.
I
honestly don’t think that I could make a transition to an e-book for any other
purpose than it being educational. So much of reading is about your imagination
– and when it becomes digital like everything else, it just makes me think
there will be more distractions. One of the huge things about reading being
interesting is that you engage with the material. So if there were popups on
every page, I would find it hard to concentrate on the characters. This concept
is, however, a plus for learning. If schools could harness this idea, it would
be very beneficial for the “uninteresting” material. All in all, there is a
balance. I think that both ways of reading have their positives and negatives, and
that neither should be completely done away with.
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