One mother's mission to ban 'vulgar' books - BBC News

In the last year, book challenges have flooded local school boards and statehouses across the country at a pace not seen in decades.

The BBC went to Katy, Texas, where the town's school district has removed some books from its library shelves after protests from parents about vulgar content.

Students are speaking out against the move, saying it's a direct attack on their identity.

#BBCNews

[Morgan]

I was raped as a teenager by a classmate. Like many in my situation, I wasn’t believed. Books about rape, injustice, sexual abuse, and other dark subjects really helped me get through this difficult time. I ended up graduating near the top of my class and got a big scholarship to my first choice college. I now have a successful career and am doing great.

As for the rapist, as an adult he ended up in prison anyway. So much for protecting the guilty.

I’m so sorry this woman is taking away these books. She’s not protecting innocent children. She’s harming the children who have been scarred and wounded, and who have no other way out but reading until they are an adult.

[Nylphinx]

This overly protective mother doesn't realize that elementary school children have access to the internet and have already been exposed to MUCH worse explicit material than what's in these books. She's a bit out of touched & dated.

[Martial-Mat]

Yeah, let's not let teens read books that reflects their actual language and experience. Let's hide all the scary things from them. Then these same idiots whine that their kids get changed at college awaty from their stifling, toxic influnce.

[Iamrightyouarewrong]

Any book someone tries to ban, is a book I want to read.

[breakingoff]

"All kinds of people are degraded in this book", let teenagers discover that themselves. Let them say "Oh, this is not how one should act, this is derogatory". If you spoon-feed children with your own, sometimes flawed, values - how are they going to develop free thought and actual opinions?

[rockingredpoppy]

Books don't need to be banned, if you don't like the book, don't read it. 😡Don't take away the choices of others.

[JohnnyPeacenic]

I hope she doesn't have internet at her house

[normanhull]

"I'm not about censorship but here's why these books should be censored. See my beliefs outweigh every child psychologist and parent out there because I'm literally more moral and understanding."

[melissaquinn]

As soon as I got my adult library card at the tender age of 13, I started checking out romance novels, which is hardly a healthy avenue for learning about the functional and emotional sides of human sexuality. Unfortunately it was all I had, growing up in the conservative Midwest. The excerpts that woman read seemed very relatable to my recollections of conversations I had with girlfriends in my teens. I doubt kids are much different today, but their access to information and misinformation is vast in comparison. Her book banning crusade feels as futile as closing the barn door after the animals escaped and the barn burnt down.

[DieNibelungenliad]

Censorship is bad for people's wellbeing and growth

[musicguy]

She’s busy out banning books whilst her teenager is watching CornHub. Kids are gonna come across these things and it’s always been normalised even when I was teen in the 2000s before smart phones came about.

I think this woman needs to get a real job.

[Heartford]

Banning books has never been a good idea for any society

[I_Am_NiiTA]

I'm so confused. The older generations always complained about how children and teens don't read anymore but when we do pick up a book, they want to police the content we read. Go figure smh :/

[PolinaLee]

Hey, here's a question. Would you rather have your child learn about rape or racism from book or from real life? Just asking. Because all the things she wants to ban in books are stil out there in real life.

[DieNibelungenliad]

16-19 year old teenagers are legally adults in Canada. These aren't prepubescent children. They are already done with puberty and are capable of driving vehicles and working jobs. They even pay tax

[Casey-ipug]

Why is banning books is the first response when they find vulgar language or unhealthy relationships? Why not try to have warnings added to the books instead ( either from the author or the librarian) for both vulgar language and others things such as abuse, rape, gun violence ect. Especially the unhealthy relationships so that a teenager or even adult could recognize something they should try to avoid in real life and or keep an eye out. Also banning a book for vulgar language from highschool is so ridiculous since it would take away a sense of realism or relatability from the books targeted to teenagers.

[titteryenot]

This form of censorship, unchecked, leads ineluctably to the the ultimate form of censorship, where you not only do away with the book you disagree with, but you do away with the *writer* of the book you disagree with.

[TheTsugnawmi]

"I'm not an advocate for censoring anything... BUT..."

Yeah, don't let the teenagers read this material in schools under the supervision of a teacher who can teach them about nuance or differing worldviews, or something. No, let them find that material in private on their phones, laptops, or computers. Smart!

[onaughto]

Remember when this happened in the 80's? How'd that work out? I'm curious to know what this woman's qualifications to decide what all of our children and young adults read. If you don't want your kid to read it.. then you do your job as a parent and explain why to them. Because you aren't doing a good job of explaining it to anyone else other than "it makes me uncomfortable."

[warpocmuse]

Often when I see these people "acting offended" about what their kids see and hear. I wonder have they forgotten what it was like when they were a teenager. All teenagers swear, experiment and tease. Remember?