Entry #4 - A Message More Powerful

 When asked to talk about her book, Eleanor and Park, and it's ban from all schools and public libraries in the Anoka-Hennepin School District, author, Rainbow Rowell says, “I respect these parents' decision to not let their own kid read my book or hear me talk. But it really shocks me that they've been able to make that decision for the whole school district” (Ortberg). This hindrance on the intellectual freedom of the community is the real argument against censorship. It is absolutely the right of all parents to pre-read a book prior to allowing their child to read it, as well as to make the decision that they would like their child to not read a particular book. As a matter of fact, one could argue that parents should be reading all of the books that their children are being exposed to. Not just to check for appropriateness, but also to engage in some educational discussions regarding the book. It is, however, not the right of parents to restrict all children in a given school district to read a particular book and in fact, it can be argued that this is an infringement on their intellectual freedom.

When the book in question is one the entire class is reading, parents have the right to request that their child read a different book. Often educators will request written permission from parents stating their child can read a title under debate (Bucher and Hinton, 95). In this particular case, the students were not required to read Eleanor and Park, but rather it was on a recommended summer reading list (Ortberg). A list, in which, students would not have been required to read all of the books. The parents could have easily asked their child to not read that book and to skip out on hearing the author speak. To get the book taken off the list and shelves of the entire school district, as well as uninviting the author to come and speak is impeding on the intellectual freedom of the entire community, as well as the author's right to freedom of speech. It is the responsibility of libraries and schools to provide opportunities for readers to be exposed to intellectual freedom or the right of every individual to seek and to receive information from all points of view without restriction (Bucher and Hinton, 91).

The two main reasons for Eleanor and Park's ban is the offensive language and sexually explicit references. The parents questioning the book claimed that on the first three pages alone there were eight instances of profane language. The instances that they are referring to are in fact directed at Park, not coming from him. Park even alludes to the fact that he is bothered by their language and tries to use his music to drown out their voices (Rowell, 5). They tallied a total of 227 profanity instances in the entire book. The vast majority of the instances that they reference are not words said by the main characters, but rather words that are directed to them in a form of bullying. It can be argued that bullying and profanity are a reality of high school. One of the jobs of an author is to portray life as it really is and isn't that exactly what Rainbow Rowell is doing by having high school students use profane language? Regarding the sexual content in the book, Eleanor and Park never get much further than making out. They even decide not to have sex at the end of the book (Rowell, 302). The sexually explicit references are often made to Eleanor by other characters, specifically her abusive stepfather. This is something real that some girls have to deal with not just in school, but at home. Eleanor uses her relationship with Park and music to help her overcome her struggles. Park finds himself and his place through his relationship with Eleanor. This story is “about two 16-year-olds who feel lost — because of bullying, because of abuse, because of race, and because of the simple tendency of high school to create a sense of powerless despair in an alarming number of kids. They meet, they fall in love, and being loved makes them feel less lost” (Holmes). This message is much stronger than that of the obscene language or sexual references; both of which one can argue help to solidify the real-life feel of the book.

When asked to talk about the book ban, Rainbow Rowell says, “When I told my sister that some people were outraged by the language in my book, she said, 'They should try living through it.' And that’s just it...Teenagers swear and are cruel to each other. Some kids have terrible parents...When these people call Eleanor & Park an obscene story, I feel like they’re saying that rising above your situation isn’t possible. That if you grow up in an ugly situation, your story isn’t even fit for good people’s ears. That ugly things cancel out everything beautiful” (Ortberg). By banning this book in an entire community, the people are not being protected by censorship, but rather their intellectual freedom is being infringed upon and they are missing out on a great story with a powerful message of love helping two adolescents overcome feelings of hopelessness.

Works Cited

Holmes, Linda. “True Love,Book Fights, and Why Ugly Stories Matter.” http://www.npr.org NPR, 18 September 2014. Web. 1 June 2015.

Rowell, Rainbow. Eleanor and Park. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2013. Electronic.

Ortberg, Mallory. “A Chat with Rainbow Rowell About Love and Censorship.” http://ww.the-toast.net Web 1 June, 2015.