Banned Books Week (bit of a rant)

[Sarah]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Belinda" <bhobbs at m...> wrote:
> Sept. 25 – Oct. 1 is Banned Books Week
> Tomorrow (Friday) marks the beginning of Banned Books Week.

I can't believe that the books of my adolescence are here on the 
list.  I'm British, but found Judy Blume just about the only author I 
read by choice as a teenager.  "Forever" got passed round and giggled 
over, and maybe our parents wouldn't have liked all the content, but 
its part of growing up isn't it?  I have bought my son books 
like "Living with a willy" and sex information stuff - would they be 
banned too?
I studied Lord of the Flies at school - what's wrong with that great 
literary classic?
I'm not a huge reader, my scope is limited and I'm trying to make an 
effort to read more, but I like to be able make the choices myself.  
My son is 14 and if he's reading something, I'm happy.  If he's 
getting useful information from it all the better, if it prompts an 
enquiring mind to ask questions and find answers then what is the 
problem?  We want our children to be well informed, making decisions 
based on fact and knowledge - for God's sake lets make that knowledge 
as great as possible.  Its hard enough living in this world as it is 
without denying information, limiting imagination and censoring the 
little darlings from everything that's bad until the moment they come 
of age and it all hits them simultaneously.
Sorry this turned into a bit of a rant
Sarah xx
Whose son is exposed to life's harsh cautionary tales on a daily 
basis just by living with me and his father.