MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Salon: Books That should be Banned from Schools.

patrickt · 10-22-2011, 08:04 AM

And for me, if a school library chooses to not buy a certain book, it's a responsible decision they're made and not "banning". For example, I would not encourage a high school, or junion high, to have "The Anarchists Cookbook" on their shelves. Books on combat knife fighting would probably best left for other venues. The same would go, in my opinion, for racist hate-literature regardless of the source.

I discovered in the 5th grade that reading books I wanted to read was a lot more enjoyable than reading books that the teacher wanted me to read. There really needs to be a happy medium.

I was quoted once as saying that if schools taught sex like they teach reading by the time kids reached puberty very few of them would want to do it. I would have to say that in the past tense now, as in how reading was taught.

I tell little kids, "All the secrets in the world are written in books and when you learn to read you can learn all the secrets, especially the secrets your mother doesn't want you to know." They all laugh and know I'm joking, and not joking. The promise is there.

10-22-2011, 08:04 AM	#3
patrickt Wizard Posts: 1,221 Karma: 8381518 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Oaxaca, Mexico Device: Paperwhite 4 X 2	And for me, if a school library chooses to not buy a certain book, it's a responsible decision they're made and not "banning". For example, I would not encourage a high school, or junion high, to have "The Anarchists Cookbook" on their shelves. Books on combat knife fighting would probably best left for other venues. The same would go, in my opinion, for racist hate-literature regardless of the source. I discovered in the 5th grade that reading books I wanted to read was a lot more enjoyable than reading books that the teacher wanted me to read. There really needs to be a happy medium. I was quoted once as saying that if schools taught sex like they teach reading by the time kids reached puberty very few of them would want to do it. I would have to say that in the past tense now, as in how reading was taught. I tell little kids, "All the secrets in the world are written in books and when you learn to read you can learn all the secrets, especially the secrets your mother doesn't want you to know." They all laugh and know I'm joking, and not joking. The promise is there.