I think certain books should be banned from classrooms of younger age groups if it has content that's too mature. One such book, for example, is The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian. I read this book with inquiry group and I do think it has come content that might make readers uncomfortable. Also, some parents/adults may not want their kids to be reading such books and to be exposed so come of this content at a young age.
This book includes many controversial topics/issues such as bullying, racism, harsh language/cursing, and more. For example, Junior is a Native American living on a reservation, also known as ‘the Rez’, and decided to go to an Reardan, an all-white school. This created a few problems for him, like having people pick on him for being the only colored kid in the school, and how he has betrayed the tribe by leaving their school. One kid at Reardan, Roger, was bullying Junior with a few of his friends and said, "Did you know that Indians are living proof that niggers fuck buffalo?” (Sherman 64). This includes stuff that I know a lot of parents wouldn't want kids reading. Racism is a huge issue in the book and I know that it could be offensive to some people. Some kids may even feel uncomfortable reading such content.
Everyone should have a say in what the get to read without being criticized, especially in a time like this where we have access to such educational freedom. “And just because one person finds something objectionable, doesn't mean they have the right to restrict access to that item that other people - other parents and other children should have access to” says Roy. One problem with banning books is that usually, if only a few people want it to be banned , then there is a chance that it might be. I find this very unfair and I agree with this completely. Another thing about banning books is that it sometimes does just the opposite of what some people want. It sometimes becomes more popular. Suzanne Collins says:
‘Usually they provide good publicity.’ Comparably, The Hunger Games’ Suzanne Collins seems unaffected by the criticisms of the censorship contingent: According to the daily beast, Collins says she’s fully aware “people were concerned about the level of violence in the books. That’s not unreasonable. They are violent. It’s a war trilogy.’
I can imagine a lot of parents being frustrated, trying to limit what their kids can or cannot read and this shows that banning books may not always help the case and that despite the fact that they are banned, it may spark others curiosity and that the authors know about it.
I feel that the word 'hope' also plays a pretty big role in this book. On page 43, Junior is talking to Mr. P, his teacher. He's telling Junior that he has to leave the Rez forever. After this part in the book, it shows something that Junior has drawn that has two signs pointing one way saying “REZ” and “HOME”, then two signs pointing the other way that say “HOPE” and “???” (Sherman 43). There’s also another drawing of Junior’s face drowning in ants on an anthill with a thought bubble that says “Hope?!!??” (Sherman 47). This shows that the Rez is the only place Junior could ever call home and that he had no idea what he would do or where he would go if he had to leave. This shows that the book does teach valuable lessons, one being about hope.
The book makes Junior have to deal with alcoholism in his family. He says that his dad is an alcoholic, and also that his sister and a family friend, Eugene, died because of alcohol. These topics might give kids the wrong impressions about these harsh topics, and might even scare them. There's also other mature content such as masturbation. Junior has been open about it and says it helps him cope with everything. Again, many parents do not want their kid finding out about such content until they are at least in 8th grade or high school. I think that if a book, like this one, contains mature content should be banned from at least 6th grade classrooms and below. I think that when kids think they are mature enough to decide what books they should or shouldn’t be reading, they would be smart enough to just put it down. I remember reading books meant for kids that were older than my age group when I was younger, in the 4th or 5th grade or so, and feeling uncomfortable when presented with the content. I can imagine parents and other adults not wanting this for their kids, so they should be banned
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