Caught my aunt pulling 'To Kill a Mockingbird' off her shelf last Thanksgiving

She told me she hid it after her church group started a petition against it at the local library back in 2008. I was 14 then and didn't get why anyone would want to ban a book about racism. Now I see how fear of hard conversations drives this stuff. She still read it though, just kept it quiet. Made me wonder how many other people hide books they love just to avoid the drama.

2 comments

2 Comments

aaron89619d ago

Is banning a book just a shortcut to making sure your own kids never read it?

jaken2318d ago

Worked for me when my kid wanted to read Catcher in the Rye. I read it first. Talked to him about it. Had a real conversation. He ended up not liking it that much. But he got to make his own choice. Banning just makes kids sneak it at a friend's house anyway.