Dear Ms. Berner:

“Books take these fearful things and make them approachable to young adults,” said David Levithan. Books can take heavy issues and make them easier for teens to understand. Banning books stops that from happening. M.S. 51 should not ban books.

Banning books has been a practice in the U.S. since the 1920’s, when the Boston Public Library kept controversial books in a locked room. Many other times in history books have been banned, in most cases in an effort to limit knowledge. Many parents think that reading about difficult issues will have a negative effect on their teenagers. I think that young adults should have the right to decide themselves what is appropriate to read.

            The teenage years are some of the most difficult of a person’s life. Many teenagers feel lonely and isolated and a lot of times the only people they can relate to are characters in books. “Librarians and book sellers say that even pitch black books have value,” said the author of “Teen Fiction Plots are Darker and Starker.” Teenagers find comfort and can be consoled by fictional characters. If a character is experiencing the same thing you are experiencing it makes you feel less lonely and scared. I think banning books in schools is wrong because teenagers and their parents should be the ones deciding what is appropriate. Teens can explore dark and gruesome themes and use them to explore their own issues,” wrote David Leviathan. If Middle School 51 were to ban books, access to a lot of very valuable information would be cut off. Banning books only has negative impacts.

            Banning books is also wrong because it limits the amount of information accessible to teenagers. Books teach valuable lessons and if books were banned some teens might never be able to learn lessons that could help them later on in life. “Books taught me lessons that I never could have learned elsewhere,” said Suzanne Collins, author of the frequently banned trilogy The Hunger Games. Most teens are not at the level of maturity where listening to their parents is a priority very high on their list. When teens read books about other teens, they’re more likely to learn valuable lessons than if their parents try to teach them. Reading about someone’s experiences can be more impactful and teens are more likely to learn through reading. “Millions of teens read because they are sad, lonely, and enraged…the especially dark and dangerous books will save them,” said Sherman Alexie, author of The Absolutely True Diary of An American Indian and fighter of his own demons. Books help kids learn to cope with heavy issues and learn how to help themselves.

            Some parents, religious groups, and school officials say that young adult fiction is “too harsh” for young minds to process. “The thing that kept hitting me was these kids dealing with their own mortality, and how difficult that might be for some eleven or twelve year olds reading this book [The Fault In Our Stars],” said Betsy Schmechel the principal of a middle school in Riverside California that has banned The Fault In Our Stars. But teenagers live extremely complex lives, and having guidance from books can be the best thing that happens to some. I disagree with Ms. Schmechel’s statement because teenagers understand what mortality means, and facing your own mortality is something that is a part of life. Having read The Fault In Our Stars myself, I know that it teaches teens important lessons how to deal with mortality and the death of a loved one. “Most of the controversy is centered around witchcraft and occult themes,” said Tania deLuzuriaga, regarding banning books. Reading a book probably doesn’t make a teen believe in magic or want to change their religion. But reading books can help teens explore themselves and who they are and what they want to be.

            In conclusion, MS 51 shouldn’t ban books. Books can help teenagers through the hardest year of their lives. Teenagers and their parents should be allowed to decipher what is appropriate for them. In the real world, there are harsh realities, and banning books can’t protect teenagers from these realities. But reading can help to prepare them.