alansmithee

I think this is misleading. I don't think that a ban wants to eliminate the book altogether, just make sure it isn't mandatory reading. Many people would probably prefer that certain books weren't read, but at the same time they are not trying to get the book banned from publication, just from mandatory exposure in a school setting. And I agree that some choices are best left away from schools-I find that in the hands of someone who is unprepared or lacks the ability to comprehend complex issues, an idea can be just as dangerous as a gun (but for different reasons). And I think that many people in the K-12 system (and some above as well) don't have the proper ability to understand certain ideas, and being exposed to some books would not do any good, and be actively bad. I think before worrying about if a certain book can be assigned or read it would be best to work on ensuring that the most students possible are able to accurately analyze issues and make informed opinions; and hopefully these students will seek out some books with challenging themes because they desire to, and not because it was forced on them by a school.