Darkness Too Visible Response

Published in the Wall Street Journal, on June 4, 2011, the article “Darkness Too Visible”, by Megan Cox Gurdon, addresses the topic of banned books. She brings up her perspective, in which she believes that the books on the shelves, available for young adults, should not be there, because of their content. These books are "dark" and give a wrong and horrible image of the world, according to her.

Throughout the article, she proves her point through various examples, of both books and people. Take for example the beginning of the article, where she gives the reader a short narrative of Amy Freeman. This mother goes to a Barnes & Noble, to get a book for her daughter, yet she comes out “empty-handed”, because all the books are “lurid”. The Wall Street Journal is written typically for adults, and what better example is there to give than one with a parent with a child that can't find a book because of their content. This example is secretly shouting out to all parents to go look at the books themselves and decide if they want their children, who they care so much about, become corrupt by reading books with such content. Also, Megan provides the example of the book “Inexcusable”, by Chris Lynch. She says that it “...revolves around a thuggish jock and the rape he commits." She also gives the example of “Shine”, by Lauren Myracle, where the character has been sexually assaulted and lives in a place with many drugs and people that prejudice minorities. Her friend, a homosexual person, even gets beat. Both of these books, “Inexcusable” and “Shine”, are used to shout out at the parents that this is the content of the books their children read. She even says profane language is found in these books. Megan targets the parents well, with all these examples.

President John F. Kennedy once said, “Let us welcome controversial books and controversial authors. For the Bill of Rights is the guardian of our security as well as our liberty.” I agree with him, for I disagree with this article. Children have the right to read all sorts of books, and this right should not be taken away. During our young adult years we mature and learn a lot about the world, in order to make the clean transition into adulthood. Young adult books simply show us the world as it really is. The content in the books are real issues that are found all over the world, and should not be hidden from our sight anymore. With these books children can learn from the character ’s mistakes and not commit them in their lives. With these books, adolescents will not be naive and left back in their adulthood. With these books children can mature more and be prepared for things, instead of something happening and they don't know what to do. It is going to happen, and was always going to happen, where children learn and pass through an epiphany where they learn and become adults. It is not all about the details and the content; it is all about the big picture and the lesson.