Beginning in 1559, the Catholic Church issued the Index of Forbidden Books, preventing Catholic countries from reading books that would “corrupt the morals” of Catholics (“On Censorship”). Book censorship, like the ones issued by the pope, has existed since the creation of written literature and many individuals are under the false impression that it is a thing of the past, especially in the US. However, this is not true. Books are still being commonly challenged and censored in the US. One of the ways books get censored is due to parents challenging books they find unsuitable to their children. Parents should not see the need to try to get books censored for their children’s sake because it is unjust for children to be censored from the realities of life and clipped from the imagination and creativity only books can encourage.

Many books are challenged and censored for topics surrounding violence, drugs, racism and many more (Crum). Concealing these issues in books does not mysteriously erase them from the real world. Throughout American history, a series of novels that are considered to be classics have been challenged. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a novel that  sold over 30 million copies and awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1961, was also widely challenged by schools across the nation  ("To Kill a Mockingbird”). The storyline following two children and the injustice in the south understandably includes racial slurs and violence.  Parents deemed these topics unsuitable for children and not too long after, challenged the book to be taken off reading lists. However, does the blocking of these topics make them disappear in the world outside of homes and classrooms? Would it really be beneficial for parents to prevent their children from reading To Kill a Mockingbird, a highly appraised and thought provoking novel, and other classics solely because of the inclusion of more mature topics that are still relevant in the real world? Shielding students from negative aspects of real life puts them under the illusion that the world is flawless. It is unjust to the children on the receiving end of censorship that are not given the opportunity to understand controversies of life and form their own opinions on them.

Parents may be quick to defend themselves and claim that their kids do not need to be exposed to the  “controversies of adulthood” at this point of their lives (Repko). There is a line between shielding the innocence of a child and impeding the thoughts of the youth. Small kids will not have books with profanity or hard topics at their disposal to begin with, but when those kinds of books begin to come home with students as they go on with school,  it is hard for parents to distinguish the line. 

In a recent conference in Highland Park ISD, seven books in the school curriculum were suspended. Parents were uncomfortable with the material that the students were reading and took their concerns to the district board. As a result, classics and novels from award winning authors were put on hold from reading lists.  One of the books, The Working Poor: Invisible in America by David K. Shipler, was questioned for its storyline including rape (“End of Highland Park”). These challenges would make more sense if the book was given to young students; however, this is not the case. As a book directed towards juniors in an Advanced Placement english class, it is unreasonable to try to justify a challenge by saying that the context is not suitable to the “kids”. These students are somebody’s kids, but they are also young adults that most likely already have some knowledge of these topics and, if not, should be allowed to be given the chance to read about hardships of the real world. The world that these students would be a part of once they graduate in a few years.

The censorship of a substantial amount of fantasy and sci-fi novels impedes with the opportunity readers have to let their imaginations completely run free. Most of these kinds of books are challenged in the US due to issues surrounding the beliefs of the society and violence . The most well known example would be the distinguished novels by J.K.Rowling, the Harry Potter series. Despite the success globally of the novels with the seventh novel selling  8.3 million copies in the first 24 hours, parents still challenge them for the topic of magic/witchcraft, stirring up religious debates (“Author J.K. Rowling”). Magic, being something that children typically do not encounter with, are left to use their brains to imagine the miracles of their favorite heroes and heroines that ultimately saves their town. Young readers would be too absorbed in the fantastical world only fantasy novels deliver to debate whether or not the themes concur with their religion. Censoring books disallows young people from having a creative mindset, which according to Albert Einstein, is the “true sign of intelligence” (“SPEECHES & TESTIMONY) .

Book censorship, an act that has been around since the earliest of times, still occurs in the 21st century US. Censorship is not fair to the youth who are prevented from developing a creative imagination and shielded from the realities of life. Parents may believe that they are being just by helping to preserve the purity of their children; however, it would be most beneficial for children if they were allowed to read and have an imagination while discovering the real world that they will live in, both the good and the bad.

Works Cited
"Author J.K. Rowling ? Harry Potter | Scholastic.com." Author J.K. Rowling ? Harry Potter. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.
Crum, Maddie. "Banned Books By The Numbers (INFOGRAPHICS)." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.
"End of Highland Park School's Ban on Books Not the Final Chapter, by Morgan Smith." The Texas Tribune. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.
"On Censorship." On Censorship. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.
Repko, Melissa. "Highland Park ISD Suspends Seven Books after Parents Protest Their Content." Web. 25 Feb. 2015.
"SPEECHES & TESTIMONY." "The True Sign of Intelligence" Web. 26 Feb. 2015.
"To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee - Paperback." HarperCollins US. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.