The written word has been an integral part of our lives almost from the very day we are born. As children yet to learn our ABC’s, parents read books to us as we lie tucked in bed. Taking us on wonderous journeys that feed our developing imagination. Even at these ages, picture books serve as highly important literacy tools for the developing brain. Later on, we learn the alphabet and the meaning of reading takes on a whole new meaning for us.
Books are the tools by which we learn about the world around us and the world imagined by those with vivid storytelling powers. It serves as a portal to a world that, to others, seem unreachable for one reason or another.
We can go all the way back to the beginning of time through the written word. Learning about the dinosaurs and their demise, the ice age and the development of man. As our comprehension skills develop over time, so do our reading abilities. We then veer away from the most basic of books and slowly develop and interest in a specific genre of writing. One that serves to feed our mind with information that we crave. It is this craving for knowledge and learning that is the main reason why I believe that books should never be censored for content nor topic.
Books are a continuing part of a person’s lifetime quest for education. We all seek answers to our questions through books which then offer us a deeper understanding and insight into various topics that may or may not be taboo for our current society. The reality of the situation is that if a topic is considered taboo, the only reason it is so is because there is very understanding or a lack of knowledge about certain topics. In my opinion, those are not reason enough to censor books. Just because we may not agree with a certain writer’s views or method of writing does not mean that the story or educational content of a book is bad.
Instead, books should be freely read by one and all. If there is truly a list of banned books, these lists should be burned and forgotten. For it is only by reading about the unknown and little understood that we shall become enlightened and better educated in the end.
It is my belief that book censorship is a dictatorial way of controlling the way a person thinks, feels, and is educated. By telling us that we cannot read certain books, the message being delivered is that I am too stupid to judge written words for myself and therefore should only be allowed to read books within my level of understanding. That is why book censorship should be seen for what it actually is, a personal insult to the high intellect of mankind.
Let us never forget that the First Amendment of our constitution guarantees that the written word shall never be censored as this is part of our right to freedom of speech as a people. If anything, book censorship should only be a personal choice, just everything else in this world. Nobody should have the power to infringe on my authority over myself. Only I have the option to choose to read a book or not. Self censorship of books? That I would support.