I'll say it: I read banned books. I'm prepared for the repercussions of this confession. I've said my goodbyes. I've given away my books. I've hugged my cat.
Oh, wait. I forgot. Banned books aren't bad. In fact, some of my favorite books are banned books. (Harry Potter anyone?) Not only are they favorites, but they've also taught me many important life lessons. Thirteen Reasons Why was life-changing, and Dr. Seuss's books shaped my childhood. Parents ban books because they worry about keeping their children "pure." Um, newsflash, but we've all heard these words before. Many of us have said these words. We've all heard about sexual stuff and drugs and drinking and smoking and homosexuality. Reading about this stuff doesn't make us want to do it. For example, Go Ask Alice is a story about a girl who gets addicted to drugs and how it affects her life until it ultimately *spoiler* ends. In the book, there is a lot of cussing and she mentions a couple of times that she's had sex and she is obviously doing drugs. (I don't, however, remember if there is any mention of smoking. I believe she thinks it's bad for you, which would be ironic, but I might be confusing it with a different book.) Bad things. Having our children read these things might taint their minds! Or, it could educate them and help them from going down the same self-destructive path as the narrator of the book does. This book, I feel, could be very vital to future generations. Say we make this a summer reading assignment or even just talk about it for a few weeks. Imagine how many lives it might save, giving a true, deep insight as to what happens when you get involved with drugs. (Then again, maybe not. Who knows?) I don't think this book is bad. It doesn't romanticize drugs; it doesn't say "You should do drugs because it's cool!" It's warning against doing drugs. Maybe it's in an unconventional way, I don't know, but I do know is that it's a great book that could help educate the curious younger generations. Why are we still banning books? Why is censorship still a thing? If you're worried that these "evil" books will corrupt your child, then why do they have a Facebook? An Instagram or a Twitter or whatever else is popular these days? I've had eight year-olds on my bus say nastier things than what I read. We can't stop teenagers from experiencing the horrors of the real world, but these books may be able to give them some insight. Some warning. Maybe even a way to not make a mistake. These books don't convince us to do drugs or cuss; we make that decision on our own. Books are wonderful things that no one has the right to take away. So, if I'm reading Harry Potter and the Chambers Secret and you come up to me and say that I can't read it, then you can expect a very long, very passionate rant about the pure amazingness that is that book. No one can tell me what I can or can't read. No one can tell you what you can or can't read. I read banned books because I love to read books with flawed characters and interesting dialogue and a great lesson. Why do you? Over my past sixteen years, I have read many, many books. It all started in third grade, with Harry Potter. I started the series in November and finished in March. (It may not sound that impressive, but I was eight going on nine and had hated reading up until that point.) I immediately fell in love with the story and the characters. The idea of magic really appealed to eight year-old me. (To be quite honest, it still does.) I can tell you that those books changed my life. I never wanted them to end, and I was heart-broken when they did. I was also heart-broken when some of my favorite characters died.
The next big series that I read was Twilight in the fourth grade, but those didn't really change me, so we'll skip that. In sixth grade, I read the Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Those books also broke my heart when they ended, as well as the Heroes of Olympus series that just ended last year. Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices were amazing and I cried at the end of both Clockwork Princess and City of Heavenly Fire. Why? Because I lost a few favorite characters. Last week, I finished James Dashner's The Maze Runner trilogy and the prequel. I can honestly say that I have never cried as much as I did when my favorite character from that series died. The Hunger Games was incredibly sad, too. I almost gave my dad a heart attack when he came out to the living room to see me sobbing when Rue died. These authors have given me hope with these characters. They've shown me new ways to live or view life or to love. These books have honestly shaped my childhood, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. So, as the title of this post suggests, I believe that it is better to have loved and lost (than to never have loved before) because I don't think that I would be the person I am today without these authors, books, and characters. Friday, August 28th, my friends and I decided to go do normal teenage things and go see a movie. We went and saw Ant-Man that was, luckily, still playing. Sounds normal, right? And it was...until Carol started giving directions. Miranda wasn't in the right lane at one point, Sophie made eye contact with a van full of boys, and we drove in a giant circle to get back to where we needed to be. Then, instead of making the wise decision and listening to me, Miranda continued straight instead of turning left and we once again got a lovely view of Purdue's campus. Carol and Miranda argued a lot. Miranda even said something about asking for directions to which Carol said that we don't need to, that she could do it. Sophie and I decided that they sounded like an old married couple on a road trip. Finally, we made it to the Taco Bell we were planning on eating at and got out of the car, as one does. Then, Sophie shouted "Are you kidding me?" as one does not do. Turns out she was reading a sticker on the back of a car.
Anyway, we went inside the Taco Bell and ordered. Sophie first, Carol next, then Hannah, then me, and finally Miranda. I ordered the three soft tacos supreme because that was cheaper than ordering two tacos and a drink. I got my order, filled my cup with Dr. Pepper, and went to sit down with my friends. I opened up my tacos to find that they only had cheese and lettuce, instead of cheese, lettuce, tomato, and sour cream, as one would expect when ordering a taco supreme. As can be expected, I was very upset. I believe I said something along the lines of "I'm gonna cry"... not my proudest moment, but the truth. Miranda, being the true friend she is, traded me two tacos with sour cream for my stupid tacos, saying "If I don't have sour cream, I'm not going to cry, so here." (Unfortunately, I still had to eat one un-sour creamed/un-tomato-ed taco. It's a crime.) I realize that this is all very eventful. I haven't even gotten to after the movie yet! So, we got to the movie theater (and paid $8 for a student ticket! What has the world come to?) and went into the theater. There weren't enough seats for us all to sit together, so Carol, Hannah, and I sat a row behind Sophie and Miranda. I put my foot on Miranda's head because I could. The movie began. It was a great movie; I'd recommend it to everyone. I laughed so hard I cried, and I almost cried at a very emotional part. (I'm afraid I shouldn't say for fear of spoilers, but it was heart-breaking.) We all enjoyed it, and our favorite character was Luis. This, after the movie, is where the fun started. Carol once again got on Google Maps. (And please, be forgiving in these next few parts because as funny as they were, they are very hard to describe.) Miranda got in the wrong lane. Carol gave bad directions. Hannah jumped in there at one point with her phone. We passed Carol's ex-sister-in-laws house and debated egging it. Eventually, we winded up in some off shoot neighborhood of West Lafayette. I had complained earlier to the lack of music in Miranda's car. She waited a few minutes and then proceeded to turn on the creepiest freaking music ever! It was classical music, but it was slow and in a minor key. It was made creepier by the fact that none of us realized she had turned it on and we were completely lost at nine o'clock at night. Sophie, Hannah, and I all thought we were about to be murdered by an ice cream truck man. Anyway, soon we were able to find our way back to the highway or the interstate or whatever (I don't drive) and be on our merry little way. (After much yelling, stopping, and wrong turns.) We drove back to Delphi, Sophie refusing to let me look at clouds because I didn't think they were cool. We got on the road to take me to my house, when all of a sudden a furry white thing appeared in the middle of the road. I thought it was a cat. Apparently, it was an opossum. The driver (Who shall remain nameless at this point) ran over it, and killed it. We all screamed and are still unsure as to who started the screaming (*cough* Sophie *cough*). And that my friends, was the end of my Friday night. Do you understand the title now? |
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April 2018
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