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ALA Banned Book

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky made the top ten for the 2006 list of challenged books. The reason that this book was in the list according to ALA website is because it has "homosexuality"and "offensive language", and it is "sexually explicit", and is "unsuited to age group". To actually be banned means that the novel was not allowed to be read in a number of school institutions. The site even lists the schools and the years that each book started to be banned from the institution as well as the simple reasons why. I agree that The Perks of Being a Wallflower does contain some ideas and words that can be offensive to some people. However, the slight vulgarity adds to the bigger story that the main character, Charlie, is telling. Focusing simply on those points in the novel is just asking for trouble. The problems that people have with the novel are some of the traits that make Charlie so lovable and relatable to current teenagers. The fact is, is that teens go through everything in the novel that was deemed to be "unsuited to age group." Teens hear offensive language and sexually explicit comments in school almost everyday. Teens often times have homosexual friends and are troubled by sexual encounters. It is a part of life for teenagers growing up in the 21st century. Rather than banning the novel, it should be allowed. Teens often feel better in knowing that they are not alone; they become happy to read about someone that they can relate with.
After looking at some of the other novels on the banned list, I noticed that a lot of them have anti-heroes. Charlie is an anti-hero; he lacks the traditional heroic qualities. He does not try to be the good-guy and he does not go out of his way to be a hero. There is no self-sacrifice present; he is simply trying to survive life. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is not the only novel with an anti-hero that made the list. Novels such as The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey, and A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess all have anti-heroes within the novel. I suppose that whoever challenged the novels does not want its readers to strive to become an anti-hero. However, I think it is ridiculous to try and control what people read and who they might become.
The reason that The Perks of Being a Wallflower started to be questioned was because a grandmother to a 6th grader in Arizona complained about the date rape scene early on in the novel. The book was available in her grandchild's library, and she brought it to the Superintendent's attention that a book with such raw scenes should be banned from an elementary library. Others argued with the position of banning the book. Melissa McCoy said in the Tucson Citizen that “Censorship is not a learning tool; censorship is a limitation.”
The article explaining the challenge for the novel includes both sides. Obviously I agree against the censorship and limitation of the book.

posted by maggie @ 8:23 AM