13
Just found out my middle school banned a book I actually read in class back in '94
I was looking through the ALA's top 100 banned books list from last year and saw 'The Giver' on there. I remember reading that in 7th grade English in Portland and nobody batted an eye, now parents in some districts are calling it dystopian propaganda. Has anyone else noticed how the same books we read as kids are getting targeted now?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
allen.iris13d ago
My friend's kid in Texas had to get a permission slip signed just to check out 'The Giver' from their school library last year. Crazy how things change in 30 years.
8
Oh gosh, that permission slip thing just blows my mind. I mean, we read that book together as a whole class and had actual debates about it, nobody thought it was dangerous or anything. It's wild how something that was just a normal part of learning is now this whole controversy.
3
mianelson9d ago
@emmam89 I gotta push back on this a little. You say it was just a normal part of learning, but context matters a lot. The Giver deals with stuff like euthanasia, suicide, and sexual awakening. I remember reading it in class too, and honestly my teacher didn't prepare us well for those topics. The reason some parents push back now isn't just random paranoia, its because they have a better idea of what's actually in these books. Same with a lot of the ALA list books. Just because we read them without fuss in 94 doesn't mean they're automatically appropriate for every kid in every district now.
1