Lots of craziness: Ban the book? I don't think so.

Monday, September 05, 2005

Ban the book? I don't think so.

I ran across this story the other day while surfing the web and was absolutely shocked.
It wasn't required reading when I was in middle school or even high school, but I read The Giver when my brother brought it home as an assignment. He had read it and then raved about it and then went out and bought his own copy.
The book is a story about a structured society. Much like Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, only much more strict. I hate to give away the story in a book, even in cases such as this, so if you haven't read it... STOP reading this and go get it. It is only a few hundred pages and an easy and stimulating book. Then you can come back and read my rant here ;)
Anyway, for those of you who didn't listen, you are reading the story from an eleven year old boy's point of view as he learns about the world around him. I remember the part that hooked me was when he suddenly realized that he was seeing things in color. He had no idea what color was and so seeing apples turn red was freaking him out. Shortly thereafter, he was to be given the job as the person who remembers the past (Receiver of Memories). This was taken to be a very painful job. It is physically painful in the book for the person who remembers.
In the book, when a person reaches a certain age, they are put to death. They are also put to death as babies if there is anything wrong with them. It's horrible, but I think it opens up a new range of thought when you read it. It kind of pulls the wool away from your eyes and steps you a little closer to realizing that bad things do happen. Perhaps not these exactly, but bad things nonetheless.
In the end, this child realizes that the absolute hypocrisy of this Utopian society is more than he can handle. Isn't that brilliant? Isn't that something you want your child to be exposed to? When he, a child, knew that his world was against his own morals and values, he rose up against it. This little boy was so brave and the story is really very moving...
I won't keep going on and on about the book except to say that it is unsettling and sad. I thought about this book for several weeks after having finished it. Sort of like when you see a movie and at the end you are thinking but what happened NEXT?? That was how I felt, like there was to be more. But isn't that the point? Why the hell read something if it doesn't make you think and wonder and feel?

Anyway, I read this story of how these moms were trying to have the book taken out of the curriculum and I was appalled. I mean, would you seriously censor what your child is reading? Don't get me wrong, I don't think Playboy should be readily available for check out at a school library, but The Giver??
The last time I took my girls to the library, Emilee checked out Bridge To Terabithia. This book was a serious stepping stone in my growing up. I read it when I was about eleven and it touched me in so many ways. It brought me to tears - beyond tears really, I was sobbing while reading it. But, it made me more aware and it touched me. If my kids are going to be reading books in school, I WANT them to react. I want them to finish the book and think about it and wonder at the possibilities and feel as though they experienced something besides several hours of TV time being ripped from their very grasp. I want them to read about the apple being red and not be able to put the book down. I want them to be so enthralled at the horrific-ness of it all that they recommend the book later... Emilee didn't get into Terabithia as I had, but she is only seven... And I didn't push her to read it. I think when she is ready for it, she will.
My daughters grab three or four books every night on their way to bed. They have night lights by their beds and they read until they fall asleep, which is anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour. They read. In a time where your kids don't want to read because the TV will do it for you. And when it comes to big six hundred page monsters, I get the books on cd. They have already listened to the first three books in the Lemony Snicket's series. And are on book four of the Harry Potter series.
I would rather that they actually read them, but I am just glad that they get excited at night about using their imagination to see the story in their minds.
I would never attempt to take that from them. And I wouldn't allow someone else to either.

so eloquently put by katehopeeden at 1:20 AM
| link to this post | 4 spoke |

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