I don’t think institutions should tell people what to read. Individuals should have the opportunity to choose for themselves. Readers need a broad selection of materials in order to make their own choice. Parents are in authority when it comes to decisions about what their children read. Not institutions.
John K. Amanchukwu Sr. is a pastor in North Carolina, public speaker and is affiliated with Turning Point USA. He has gone viral for speaking out against public schools for having books in school libraries that depict sexual activity. I understand his point but I think those decisions need to be made in the home.
I grew up reading Harlequin romances and VC Andrews novels. They were very popular for my generation (X). My parents never thought twice about anything I read and I didn’t need to hide anything. Maybe I’m delusional but I don’t think I’m worse off for reading those books at a young age even though they were filthy. I was entertained and reading is better than other youthful shenanigans of the 80s and 90s like joining a gang and running drugs.
These are examples of trashy books I read as a child. From what I remember “Go Ask Alice” is about the street life of a teenaged hooker and drug addict in the 70s. It’s unclear if Alice was a real person or not. VC Andrews was popular in the 80s and 90s. Her books are terrible and I assume VC is a terrible person.
I’ve read a VC Andrews novel but I can’t recall if I read her most famous work “Flowers in the Attic”. I know I saw it at the theater in middle school. It’s kind of wild thinking back.
Lifetime remade “Flowers in the Attic”. I watched it and thought it was disgusting. I don’t know why those books got published in the first place. I don’t know how authors like VC Andrews, Stephen King and Dean Koontz even think up this stuff.
Romance novels use to be sold cheap at supermarkets, drug stores and gas stations. I use to walk to the store buy a 2 liter of pop, a snack and sometimes a romance novel. When “Fifty Shades of Grey” became popular I read it for old time’s sake. There was no real comparison. The book was weird and kind of dull. I read steamier books than that when I was twelve.
I don’t blame people for monitoring what their children read. I’m personally glad my parents stayed out of my business though. I wouldn’t want to discuss any of these book selections with either of them to this day.
I’ve worked in libraries and I think the YA and children’s selections are questionable. I think parents should talk to their children about their reading choices and have their children talk to them. I remember attending church when the Harry Potter books came out. I knew families that didn’t let their children read the books. I have no opinion at all. It’s not my business. The parents made their choice. That was long ago and those children are adults. Harry Potter is still available if they want to read it now.
I wish John K. Amanchukwu Sr. would point out what’s not in libraries as opposed to what is. When I worked in libraries I noticed that there aren’t many books that were targeted to boys beyond elementary school.
Most YA books were marketed towards girls. They mostly featured teenaged chaos. There are not many positive depictions of girls and women in literature for young people. The choices need to improve in general.
I remember seeing this book on the shelves when I worked for a library. It is credited to Kobe Bryant. The series is about a youth girls’ basketball team that practiced witchcraft. A lot of YA books are about occult practices.
Most of the trash I read as a youngster was geared towards adults. I just happened to be reading it while I was young. Alice was a sympathetic character trapped in unfortunate circumstances.
The books I’m complaining about featured young characters and are directed to young audiences and they are presented as normal teenagers with typical experiences. I feel like Pastor Amanchukwu should broaden his complaints to school libraries. He should probably address the publishing industry in general.
I’ve noticed that many public libraries don’t have a Bible on their shelves even in the reference section. Regardless of what anyone thinks a Bible should be available for reference. I think it’s strange that some libraries don’t have Bibles. And yes, I think other religious texts should be available too.
One of my favor books is being banned by several public school districts due to sexual content. “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison is a great book and is still relevant. I read it long ago and don’t really remember depictions of abuse. That’s not what the story is about. I think the author was making the point that the main character was seen as disposable and wasn’t valued. I think that is what Toni Morrison wants the reader to think about.
Libraries have strong views on censorship and free speech. I remember going through training as a library employee about respecting a patron’s choice and privacy. We were told not to judge what others read or share any information about their library activity. What others choose to read is not the library’s business unless a patron asked for assistance. For example, “Mein Kampf” was a part of the library collection despite it’s controversial nature. It was never available because it was always stolen but it was not banned from the collection. If anyone asked about it we were supposed to help them locate it. No one ever asked me personally about “Mein Kampf”.
Readers can choose their own material to read and parents can make rules for their child. I assume a school library may operate differently than a public library as far as a patron’s privacy and what they can check out. It’s ultimately the job of institutions to give readers the choice and offer a good selection of materials. It’s not a library’s job to decide for others what they can read.
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