How do you judge a book?
How do you judge a book? Using its cover? Maybe with recommendations from a friend? teacher? Just by reading the blurb? or a few lines? Well, according to a snippet on Read Alert, quoting from a New York Times article, some people can judge a book from just one word! “The inclusion of the word has shocked some school librarians, who have pledged to ban the book from elementary schools, and reopened the debate over what constitutes acceptable content in children’s books” i.e. judging it inappropriate for schools based on one word.
This type of controversy is not new, and books have been banned for many reasons over the years. It is interesting to view some books which have been banned in the past, which are now accepted parts of school curriculum – - like ‘Bridge to Terabithia’ and ‘Of Mice and Men’.
Australian children’s author, Andrew Daddo, recently had his book , You’re Dropped!, panned – it included a story about a girl getting her first bra. Of course, the Harry Potter series has been notoriously controversial, being banned in many countries around the world!
“The Higher Power of Lucky,” by Susan Patron, is this year’s winner of the Newbery Medal, the most prestigious award in children’s literature. However, it has caused great controversy since it mentions a particular word within the first few pages. One word, in a book of 144 pages, has created a crisis which has seen it banned from school libraries, and resulted in major discussions about the suitability of the book for young readers. Author Susan Patron is quoted as describing the word in question as being “one of those words that’s so interesting because of the sound of the word.”
If that’s the opinion of the creative person (the author), do readers have the right to question the author’s choice of words? Also , is it appropriate to censor a book based on one word? How do you judge the value of a book?
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