My 12 year old asked why anyone would ban a "silly little book" and I froze

We were driving home from school last Tuesday and she picked up "The Giver" from the back seat. She's read it twice for fun. She asked why schools try to stop kids from reading it. I told her some parents think it's too heavy for kids, the stuff about pain and choice. She just said "but that's the whole point of the story right?" It hit me that kids get it better than adults sometimes. Has anyone else had a kid say something simple that just rewired how you see a banned book?

2 comments

2 Comments

adam_butler3810d ago

The Giver is widely taught in schools around here.

avery_carr579d ago

Honestly your kid sounds smarter than half the school board members I've met. Like imagine being a grown adult and your takeaway from The Giver is "this is dangerous" instead of "wow, community without pain sounds like a nightmare." Maybe it's just me but I feel like the people banning these books haven't actually read past the first chapter or they just skimmed for words they don't like. I mean if a 12 year old can figure out the theme on a car ride maybe the adults should sit down and try again.