Alfred Whitney Griswold once said, “books won’t stay banned. They won’t burn. Ideas won’t go to jail.” Griswold was an American historian, scholar and educator who was strongly against banning books. Banning books would affect students negatively in many ways.
One of the ways students would be affected is limits on their learning and creativity. Books allow students to be exposed to unique and diverse perspectives and experiences, particularly those of other cultures and religions. Another reason why I believe books should not be banned is reading all types of books encourages emotional/social development and empathy. These traits are important for self-regulation, self-awareness, social skills, and much more which children can learn how to use through life with the help of books. The last reason why I think books should not be banned is because it gives a false sense of reality to children about violence, language, and other aspects of life. It is important for students to be exposed to all types of situations to be prepared for the real world.
On another note, some people would argue that parents should be able to decide what their children are exposed to. However, this argument is weak because although parents should have a say in what their child reads, they should not have a right to restrict what books other people can read. Parents can keep their children from reading something without affecting anyone else’s child.
In conclusion, I believe that books should not be banned for many reasons, such as limits on the learning and creativity of students, emotional and social development in children, and the importance of a good sense of reality for people. Although some would argue that they should decide what their kids are exposed to, they shouldn’t be able decide for everyone else.
