Support Intellectual Freedom

[Julie]

I'm an English major and I'm reading a young adult novel by Chris Crutcher called Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. Truly, it is appalling that so many individuals and parents want this book banned from schools. As a future teacher, I feel it will be my duty to bring truth to my students. Frankly, I cannot stand those books that sugarcoat the lives of teenagers. They are not real. Crutcher's work is reality. Fact of life: reality is more bees than butterflies, but when we take it off of our shelves, we further isolate our youth. Kids are growing up in this society where they oftentimes do not have anyone to turn to. Can't we prove them wrong? We need literature like Cructcher's that discusses abuse, homosexuality, abortion, adotion, divorce, drug addiction, etcetera so that kids can feel less alone. We must support intellectual freedom for our well-being!

Frustrated,

Julie

[Seth Jackson]

You can say that again. Ignorance as a strategy has a poor track record on outcomes.

[Rodney Best]

The more things change, the more they are the same.

They have been trying to ban books since before I was in high school. In my day it was Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain and A Brave New World by Adieus Huxley.

Carry on the tradition proudly, You can win this, your opponents are ingorance and fear.

Rod