the banning of “the hate u give”
In the beginning of December 2017, all 25 junior high and high schools in a Texas school district collectively banned a book. This book was The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.
If you didn’t already know, The Hate U Give (or THUG) is a book centering on police brutality. It’s easily one of the most popular books of 2017 because of the controversy it deals with. This book will soon have a film, starring Amandla Stenberg. In this novel, sixteen year old Starr watches a policeman kill her childhood best friend right in front of her eyes. She joins the #blacklivesmatter movement, speaking out against the unfair killing of her friend and demanding justice.
In Texas, however, some parents didn’t find the book as appealing as many of us did. They moved to have the book banned for “use of the n-word”, “drug use”, and “use of explicit language.” While it is true that all of these are in the book, many required readings handle these things as well. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is an example of a book we consider a classic, yet constitutes of many uses of the n-word as well as other curse words. Drugs are also a common theme in many YA books that are carried in library school systems. And unlike many books we find, hardly a thought was given to sex. It is easily written more appropriately than a lot of YA books that are being published.
After this accusation, what should’ve happened was that the superintendent would have some members of the board read the book for themselves and analyze whether it is a book worth banning. Instead, it was immediately pulled from school library shelves. There was no regard given to the typical process of book banning.
This is probably one of the most upsetting and ignorant things I've seen this month. I ordered my copy before the book was even released. I mean, a fictional book dealing with police brutality? YES PLEASE. So when I see people trying to eliminate it, you can see why this would make me mad. Through fictional stories tangled with important matters such as this, we can help educate more people, whether they’re in sixth or tenth grade. Being woke and understanding what is happening in the world has no age limit. Together, we can help fight this ignorance.
-y
