Teen questions book banning
In honor of Banned Book Week 2024 (Sept. 22-28), I’m looking back at a poignant question posed to me two years ago by a 16-year-old. A Tennessee school district had just voted to ban Art Spiegelman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel “Maus” about the Holocaust due to “inappropriate language” and a picture of a half nude character (top exposed). We already had a Book Club at the Common Ground Teen Center. The teen said, “I’m Jewish, Mary Jo. Why can’t people read about the Holocaust?” Then, he broke my heart by adding, “Why don’t some people believe the Holocaust happened? I lost family in the camps.” I listened to him. I heard him. He continued, “I’ve read ‘Maus.’ I’ve heard a lot more inappropriate language on the bus.” As for the nude character, he snorted and said, “It’s just a mouse, Mary Jo!”
I brought his question to our Teen Center Teen Executive Board. They decided they wanted to read banned books in their Book Club. I asked the teens to create a list of books they wanted to read. They went to the American Library Association banned book list and gave me 30 book titles. I created a wish list and posted it on Facebook; wonderful people purchased all 30 books in one hour! So many people asked for books to buy that I went back to our teens and asked for more, and they gave me 30 more titles. Again, I posted the wish list; they were purchased in less than a day!
Then, we read. We discussed. We processed (the processing is when learning happens). I asked why they thought a book was banned. We researched that answer, then discussed if they would ban the book.
They appropriately decided to start with “Fahrenheit 451.” We talked about a society where books are burned, and how the title represented the temperature at which books burned fastest. The teens were shocked.
Then we read “1984,” “Animal Farm,” “Brave New World,” “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” “Lord of the Flies,” “The Diary of Anne Frank,” “The Outsiders,” Elie Wiesel’s “Night,” and many more. Some were harder to process than others…. “Night” was especially important but challenging. Wiesel was only 14 when he was sent to Auschwitz, and the teens connected deeply with his age.
Some of the teens became curious about what they’d seen on social media about banned children’s books, so they researched, and we began to read those titles. We read “A Light in the Attic,” “Charlotte’s Web,” “Ruby Goes to School,” “Fry Bread,” “And Tango Makes Three,” “The Color of Earth,” “I Am Rosa Parks,” “Roberto Clemente” and many more.
When we read “Fry Bread,” our cooking club made fry bread!
I observed and learned. I believe when caring adults process books with them, teens can develop discernment, empathy, and critical thinking through their reading choices.
I think we should teach our children to be aware of their developmental needs, to be conscious of the worth of others, and to connect with a caring adult for any topic that confuses or troubles them. Not all teens are ready for all books. We should not be afraid of a topic, but instead should teach teens the “why” of our unease about them exploring the topic. We should be open to discussion. We should listen to hear teens. We should respect them.
We need to understand if we censor so intensely, teens will find another way to access this material without us. How much better if we read the book together than for them to explore the internet, seeking information!
I respect parents and seek parental permission for programming. I have done so for nearly five decades. Still, one family’s personal concerns should not undermine the books available to all students.
Enjoy reading and processing books with your children and teens!
Have a question? Send it to Dr. Mary Jo Podgurski’s email podmj@healthyteens.com.