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Lucas Olson  808

The book, A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah and other books that deal with violence, drugs, murder, and depression should not be banned from schools and public libraries.  They raise awareness of important issues such as child soldiers, drugs, crime, and illness and teach us important lessons. These books inform us about what is going on in the world as well as what we can do to stop them.  The book A Long Way Gone should not be banned because it helps some people relate to issues like violence, drugs and illness.  These books also teach people how to deal with these issues.

            A Long Way Gone raises awareness of problems children face around the world.  For example, many kids are faced with drugs and violence in their lives.   In the book, Ishmael runs away from the rebels so he doesn’t have to kill other people and avoid being beaten himself.  

            This book also imparts an important message to its readers.   This message is: don’t give up.  Ishmael runs away with other boys his age.  They were starving, tired, and with nowhere to go.  If they gave up the rebels instead of being free would have recaptured them.  Ishmael was a good role model because he showed good leadership by warning the others when the rebels were coming.  He also watched over the other boys to make sure they were ok.

            Although there is a lot of violence in this book, it shows the reality of war.  All though war can bring out the best and worst of us the book should not be banned.  It shows how things are settled in the real world. 

It is not right to ban a book because of one person’s opinion.  If you are going to ban the book you should try to see other people’s point of view.  For example in Fahrenheit 51, one family took the book a little too personal after there read it at school.  They tried to ban the book because it involved the burning of the bible.  The other students in the class said it was the most interesting book they had to read all year.     

Although books are being banned it has almost no effect on the amount of people that read a banned book.  The banned books become more popular because it peaks the curiosity of readers.   Some authors like having their books banned because it means that people are actually reading their books says R.L. Stein, author of the Goose Bumps Series. 

            Book should not be banned from public libraries and schools.  The books can teach valuable lessons.  Books can give some people examples of good role models.  They can help teach kids how to deal with problems.  Some books can raise awareness of issues faced by people around the world. 

  

Beah, Ishmael. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007. Print.

"The Banned Books We Have Loved." The Atlantic Wire. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013