Point-Counter-Point: Censorship
Statements compiled by Roxyanne Young

Book banning is serious business. If you're a writer, you might get excited to know that your book is on the banned list, because that means a lot of attention to your work as the lists make the rounds and the First Amendment Advocates go to work, but it also means that for every school district that bans your book from its shelves, several more will likely shy away from buying it in the first place.

In researching this story, I've listened to religious fundamentalists who literally burn books on a fairly regular basis. (Harry Potter is just the one that makes the evening news.) I've heard from an author who was shunned at booksignings in her own community and has had her books purposely shelved in the wrong places because the bookstore management doesn't believe children should be able to read books having to do with fortune telling and magic. I've heard from teachers, some of whose statements you'll read below, who have to deal with varying degrees of parental outrage over the most inocuous titles (Judith Viorst's Alexander and the Terrible Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, for instance!), and I've heard from one mother in Fayetteville, Arkansas, whose disgust with the sexual content of books in her child's high school lead her to do a survey of all the books in the school library system. She came away with a list of 72 titles that she and her friends believe should be removed to a parental permission only, restricted section of the school libraries because of inappropriate language, sexual situations, and so on. Her statement is below, as well, alongside a statement from a leader with the National Coalition Against Censorship.

This is not a black and white issue and there are no easy answers. This is serious business that affects millions of students and other readers. It deserves more sensible discussion than heated debate, but I find myself wondering of the various sides of this battle can really come together at all.

For myself, I believe that we should leave the decisions about school reading choices to the professionals - the educators trained in how to teach children's literature in a thoughtful, relevant way, and the librarians trained in seeking out the best children's books for their particular school population. With education budgets being slashed all around us, school library funding is in peril, and classroom library monies are practically non-existent to begin with. (A brief, unscientific survey of teachers found that they spend between $600 - $1200 of THEIR OWN MONEY on classroom supplies and books every year!) I think we should trust these professionals to do their jobs.