How can you want to ban books?

There was a very interesting column on MSN encarta yesterday by Martha Brockenbrough entitled "Have You Read a Banned Book?". When I was in elementary school I remember there being a national uproar that our teacher discussed with us about banning books for young readers. The books in question included "A Day No Pigs Would Die", "Where the Red Fern Grows", "Bridge to Terabithia" and several others. It was one of the first times that I remember getting extremely passionate about a topic. There were about 10 books included on the "list" and I had read them all. Even at that age, I could not comprehend why someone felt they should be able to tell me I shouldn't have read the books in question, or that I couldn't read them again in the future. I even wrote a letter to the editor of the local newspaper. My father still has the copy of the letter proudly laminated - a memento his daughter's first real attempt at social change. Last year, during the presidential election, the debate over banning books became a bit issue again when it was reported that Sarah Palin had wanted books banned from her local library in Alaska. Again I was completely amazed by the idea that anyone should have the power to dictate my right to choose books for myself, my book club, my friends and family, my future children, etc. Once again, I had read many of the books that Palin had supposedly objected to including the Harry Potter series which is a personal favorite. The quote by Noam Chomsky included in Brockenbrough's column is very powerful: If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all. I will be the first to admit that I hate thinking about the number of books that have been published that are ignorant, racist, anti-Semitic, anti-feminist, anti-gay, etc. I hate that people (esp. children) may pick up a book at the local library and have their brains filled with this hatred and cruelty. However, I would hate it more if the books weren't available at all because it would mean that there was an equal chance that books about the Civil Rights Movement, Feminism, The Holocaust, etc. would be left out. At least by providing books that discuss the multiples sides of these issue we open the doors for dialogue, learning and understanding. Yesterdays column was so interesting to me because it reminded me that I am, in many ways, the same idealistic girl I was 20 years ago - committed to learning, to social change and to having a voice.