What do kids think of their books being banned?
There are plenty of adults weighing in on the debate over banning children's books—some believing it's necessary to avoid subjecting kids to potentially upsetting topics like slavery and exposing them to LGBTQ+ literature and "adult material."
Other adults believe it's a responsibility to teach children about the country's history, both the good stuff and the dark. They say educating kids about diverse lifestyles will help them grow to be more accepting and empathetic.
In this short article, four kids, ages 9, 12, and two 14-year-olds, give their simple but logical perspectives on what the book-banning movement means to them.
https://www.npr.org/2023/10/04/1203277224/kids-on-book-bans-during-banne...
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Sanatana
I agree with the latter. Parents can talk to their children when the time is right. If you're three, you're not going to be reading books on slavery and LGBTQ, but as kids get older they need to know about important history facts. If only so that history is not repeated. Because just because it isn't talked about, doesn't mean that the hatred doesn't exist.
In my opinion, books should not be banned. If the parents don't want their kids to read them, then OK. But why shouldn't the kids know about slavery, the Holocaust, and other catastrophic things that have happened?
If we start censoring history now, what next? The books can be read at the discretion of the parents, but not eliminated like as if it never happened. That, in my opinion, is criminal.
Slipstream
There are some really good comments from these kids. Priya, at the ripe old age of 14, says she wants "to learn about how voices get silenced in our society ... and why." She sounds like future Presidential material to me.
Evangel
Book burning is as old as the hills. America is heavily invested in protecting its brand image along with the power it conveys. This image, not the reality, has been carefully shaped into an ideal brand that not only convinces children of falsehoods, but also allies around the world. American diplomacy is about selling a specific way of life to other nations, not the reality.
In light of the butterfly effect, many of today's conservative leaders believe outspoken truths don't reflect the pristine image they want to convey. They see everything they hate in our culture and history as stains on America's carefully crafted noble reputation. And it's a loss of control over every child's mind. They think, what child would eagerly go to war for a country they don't believe in?
Thanks for sharing this interesting piece!