Banned Book Week - Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl

Most of us have either heard of or read Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl at one point in our lives. Did you know that places in Virginia and Texas challenged it because of it's graphic, pornographic nature? To the students in Texas who fought for this book, I give you a "job well done." The Alabama State Text Book Committee also asked to remove it because of it's depressing content.

The reason Anne Frank's Diary was banned was because of it's sexual offensiveness but because it is considered to be a downer. Seriously people? Life is full of ups and downs, and this was one of the world's biggest downs. Just because you don't talk about it doesn't mean it's going to go away.

What kind of world do you live in where you have to ban something that was written during one of the biggest and most atrocious events in history just because you don't think a young girl's sexuality is appropriate for a specific audience? Don't you think that the lessons learned and keeping the memory of all those lost souls is more important that feeling sad over a book?

As far as the "sexually explicit passages" go, what person Anne's age doesn't think about those same exact things? You wouldn't have a problem with it if it were coming from an older person, would you? Most likely not. I wonder if the people who wanted this book banned know that teenagers have the same feelings and questions they once had. Sexuality is a part of life, just as it always has been and for parents to think otherwise is just plain silly. The sexual nature of this book is NOTHING compared to what is shown on any given television show, so get over it and leave this book alone.

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl should definitely not be banned anywhere. The story Anne tells is so much more than what these people are focusing on and it's a shame that any actions that lead to taking this book away from students was even allowed.