Broken but Beautiful: An Argument for Eleanor & Park

            Rainbow Rowell's young adult novel Eleanor & Park has been a subject of controversy for the Anoka-Hennepin School District as some parents have found the book to be "highly inappropriate" and have pushed to ban the book from summer reading lists (Anoka-Hennepin High Schools 2). While the parents are entitled to their opinion about what they think their own child should read, there is a difference between parental rights and limiting the access of materials for all students (Bucher & Hinton 96). Therefore, the push for banning Eleanor & Park in the school district requires a response that shows the value of the book for students. While I respect the parents’ decision to not permit their child to read the book, I would encourage them to examine the book as a whole rather than look at its individual parts. The overall message of the book is that beauty can come out of ugly situations and that there is hope. While there is some profanity and sexual content in the book, I would have to argue that the book speaks to students who are in ugly situations and the inappropriate language and content in the book is not being glorified. Therefore, the book deserves to remain on the summer reading list as an option, not a requirement, for students to read.

            As parents and educators, we must remember that every adolescent matures at a different pace (Bucher & Hinton 2). While some students may not have encountered the challenges the characters face in Eleanor & Park, many other students will be able to identify with the characters. Two of the main purposes of young adult fiction are that it "teaches adolescents about diverse peoples and the world beyond their community" and it "reveals the realities of life" (Bucher & Hinton 10). Eleanor & Park does reveal reality, albeit a sad reality, and it is important for our young people to hear these stories and see that the characters can find hope amidst the hardship. I would ask the parents to consider the young girl who feels trapped in her own household because she has an abusive stepfather like Eleanor. Perhaps this novel could give her the courage to do something about her own situation. I would ask them to consider any student who feels alienated and has been beaten down by his peers for being different; perhaps this novel could provide hope and assurance.

            I would also point out that the inappropriate behavior and language used in the novel is not glorified, and it points to teachable moments for adolescents. Readers should easily be able to recognize the main characters' dislike of the ugly language and behavior that they encounter on a daily basis. For example, the first two sentences in the first chapter of the book depict Park trying to escape from "the morons at the back of the bus" as he "pressed his headphones into his ears" (Rowell 5). Park tries to drown out the profanity. There are also some important lessons that come out of what the parents may consider to be sexually explicit moments. For example, during the final physical interaction between Eleanor and Park, Park is reluctant to go through with having sex with Eleanor on several accounts. He claims, "We can't do this," "I don't have anything," "I don't want you to get  ̶," and "No, I can't" (Rowell 302-3). Despite the fact that Eleanor is asking Park to go through with it because "it's [their] last chance," Park says no, and no means no (Rowell 303). While these moments may seem sexually explicit on the surface, overall, they point to a much larger lesson about consent and safe sex.

            While parents have every right to voice their opinion about whether they believe their own child should be reading a particular book, it is important for parents to realize it is not their right to dictate what other children can and cannot read. For the sake of other students, the book should remain on the summer reading list because it offers a message of hope and shows some of the true realities of adolescence that are often swept under the rug for no one to see. Though we may not want to look at the ugliness within our communities, it does exist. Our students need to have access to these types of stories as they can give them hope and allow them to see the world as it truly is: broken but beautiful.

Works Cited

Anoka-Hennepin High Schools. "Parent Findings & Additional Proposed Guidelines for Review and Approval of High School Reading Materials." 24 July 2013. Print.

Bucher, Katherine, and KaaVonia Hinton. Young Adult Literature: Exploration, Evaluation, and             Appreciation. 3rd ed. Boston: Pearson, 2014. Print.

Holmes, Linda. "True Love, Book Fights, and Why Ugly Stories Matter." Monkey See. NPR, 18   Sept 2013. Web. 3 June 2015.

Rowell, Rainbow. Eleanor & Park. New York: St. Martin's, 2013. Print.