Title: Why your kid should read banned books - The Washington Post
Headings: Why your kid should read banned books
Why your kid should read banned books
I don’t censor the books my children read. I think they’ll be stronger for it.

Content: Banned books often deal with subjects that are realistic, timely and topical. Young people may find a character going through exactly what they are, which makes it a powerful reading experience and helps the reader sort out thorny issues such as grief, divorce, sexual assault, bullying, prejudice and sexual identity. The compelling teen rebels story “ The Outsiders ” has been banned, yet many middle-schoolers cite it as the book that turned them into readers. Controversial books are a type of virtual reality. Exploring complex topics such as sexuality, violence, substance abuse, suicide and racism through well-drawn characters lets kids contemplate morality and vast aspects of the human condition, build empathy for people unlike themselves and possibly discover a mirror of their own experience. “ Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry ” is an eye-opening story of an African American family facing racism in 1930s Mississippi, yet it has been banned for having racial slurs. Story continues below advertisement
They’ll kick off a conversation. What did people find so disturbing in a book that they wanted to ban it, and to what extent was it a product of its time or did it defy social norms of its era? For example, the Harry Potter books were banned by people who felt they promoted magic. Reading a challenged book is a learning experience and can help your kids define their own values and opinions of its content.