Censoring: It Isn't OK.

There has been a lot of hype in the blogging world about censorship with books. This has always struck a cord with me because I’m a teen and telling us what we can and cannot read is wrong. People who believe in certain things have been commenting on different reviews and posts on book blogs what they think. I don’t mind if they comment in a civilized manor stating their opinion. But, to call the blogger names and insult books and authors is horrible. Bloggers and Authors don’t go into your place of work and criticize the things that you like.
I’m sure people who believe that there shouldn’t been sex or anything paranormal in young adult books have their reasons. I just wanted to tell you a few things.

1. I’m sorry that you think your teen doesn’t know about sex. They most likely do. If they don’t know, then they will learn eventually. Why prolong it? Wouldn’t you rather they be informed than misinformed about facts?

2. A lot of young adult books are works of fiction. Why get upset over a book that talks about vampires or reincarnation if it’s a fiction book?

3. In the current world, drugs are an issue. Everyone knows this. Stopping your teen from reading a book involving drugs won’t keep them from learning about it. Open the common gossip magazine like US Weekly or People and you might find out about celebrities being charged with drug possession. It doesn’t mean that your teen will try drugs.


4. Now to one of the most controversial topics in Young Adult literature- Homosexuality. Though I strongly dislike talking about my religious and political beliefs, with this topic, you kind of have to. I personally believe that people should be able to be with whomever they want to be with. I think that humans have an unwritten right to live happily and if that involves being with someone of the same gender, than they should be able to be with the same gender.


Ellen Hopkins who has written amazing books has recently been uninvited to a book festival because of the content of her books. People have tried banning her books because they contain drugs, homosexuality, and depression. I’ve read 3 of her books (the Crank series), all 3 books deal with the main character being addicted to Crystal Meth. Reading these books actually reinforced my decision to never try drugs ever further. It shows you that doing drugs can severally ruin your life.

As long-time readers of this blog know, my favorite author is David Levithan. All of his books have a character or multiple characters that are gay. His first book, Boy Meets Boy changed the Young Adult world by widening the range of LGBT books out there. These books don’t only help teenagers come out and tell people about who they really are. They are also about hope, being accepted, what it means to be human, and so much more.

Those of you who are new to this blog. I would just like to introduce myself.

Hi! My name is Zoe, I’m a 14 year old teen who loves reading controversial books. I’m a free-minded person who believes strongly in freedom (both freedom of speech and freedom in general). I believe that people should be able to read whatever they would like to read. I believe that teens can make the right decisions for themselves, and if not, that they will learn from their mistakes. I believe that even the darkest books can make us feel alive. I believe that reading banned books makes us stronger.

My parents trust me to make my own decision about what to read. If I come across something while reading that I don’t think I can handle, be it something involving sex or violence, I take the initiative to stop reading.

If you have any comments about this post or would like to share with me your opinion on censoring. Or why you censor. Please, feel free to email me at zaser_jam AT yahoo DOT com. I strongly encourage your emails and will read every one of them.
(The AT and DOT should be replaced by the actual symbols, writing the words help prevent spam)

Everything said in this post is solely my opinion.