Before the lesson about banned books, I did not even realize that there were children's books that had been banned for any reason at all. It was interesting to learn the strong feelings associated with why books are banned at all, and it just strengthened my stands on social issues in general.
When I saw the books that everybody brought in, I noticed that they all had to do with very controversial social issues that are constantly being debated in the political world and the media. Most of the books were banned because they featured characters that were different somehow, particularly families with a same gendered married couple. In certain parts of the country this is an issue that people feel strongly about, and parents who do not support this would not want their children reading about such things. Because I support gay marriage and believe all people should be treated equally, I thought it was quite silly that books featuring this kind of issue were banned. I believe that gay marriage is becoming an ever-increasing normality in our society, and it is important to expose children to all aspects of the real world.
Another reason for banning books that I thought was quite silly was books that supposedly taught a bad lesson to children, such as the idea that the book The Witches promoted running away. Most of the reasoning behind banning these books were barely subliminal, and I'm pretty sure that as a child I would not have thought of these messages the way the adults that ban them do.
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