Banned Books. A hot topic throughout school districts all over the United States. Mass amounts of books should not be banned from public school systems because it restricts exposure for students.

         “Books act as mirrors, and as windows to the world. All students should be able to see themselves represented in books, as well as read about other people who have experiences different from their own. When we learn about others, we gain empathy for them and better understand the world we live in. When we ban diverse books, we take this important opportunity for learning away from our students. Diverse books give underrepresented people a voice, and it should not be silenced.” Davis School District Librarian, Bethany Monroe.

         The famous novel “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” By Steven Chbosky teaches of the pivotal experience of being a teenager. Living through groundbreaking and life changing events, figuring out who you are and who you want to become. Although it discusses difficult topics such as self-harm and abuse, the overall message of the book and influential life events in Charley (the main character)’s life overshadows the more difficult topics it covers. It gives young readers a chance to empathize with the characters of the book, the same ages as them who may be able to relate to their situations and help them to figure out who they are and how they can grow out of their trauma.

        This book is a personal favorite of mine, but I had to turn to my own bookshelf to find and experience this pivotal novel. It has been banned throughout public school systems due to some sexual content. Although officials think this may be worth the ban, I believe they are overlooking the valuable coming of age story that has helped teenagers for the last 25 years reflect on themselves and not feel alone. Districts are mass banning this material because they consider it explicit, and that people of that age should not be experiencing such things, but, despite the higher up opinions on said material these are events teenagers experience nonetheless and seeing it in writing gives them a window to realize that they are not alone in this experience even though it may seem earth shattering at that time.

This is just one of many important and influential books that have been banned from the libraries of public schools that most teenagers turn to for the majority of their reading and literary material. Banning books from the school libraries restricts students from being exposed to real world topics that help them to build character and practice self-expression.