Don’t Boycott What You Don’t Know
Today’s FnFS post sparked an idea, for me, of a post I could write that’s bookish. 
It’s a post that deals with the topic of boycotting books (and other things, like movies or music). But, for this post we’ll stick to books.
As I previously mentioned in the FnFS post, I absolutely cannot stand it when parents/people will refuse to read a book –and just blatantly boycott it– without knowing for themselves what it’s about. For example, the Harry Potter series. Too many Christian parents get up-in-arms about the fact that the books deal with scorcery & witchcraft, and think that, if their kids read these books (or watch the movies), they’ll become enthralled with these topics, and will walk away from the faith.
The problem starts when these parents ban their kids from reading these books without ever having opened one themselves! How can you say you don’t agree with something if you haven’t read it for yourself? Sure, you can say, “Well, so-and-so said _____ about it“, but that’s a lame argument, IMHO. Kids don’t buy that stuff, and nor do a lot of adults. So, why bother?
I agree that there are some books out there that we Christians just need to avoid. The whole “garbage in, garbage out” argument. Admittedly, sometimes I don’t take my own advice about reading the book before knocking it. But, I’ve gotten a lot better about that… I will usually check it out for myself, first, before I say I don’t agree with it.
My reasons for doing so are so that I can say “I don’t like this / agree with this book because (1)….(2)…. and (3)….” I can list off the points that I disagreed with.
This is one of the reasons I so greatly love the pastor at my church… he isn’t afraid to read the “controversial” stuff so that he can give his proper opinion on things. He’s read Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code”, for example, and even did a sermon on his thoughts about it! I could’ve kissed him! LOL. He’s a smart man, my pastor, and I thank the Lord (truly!) for him. 
What do YOU think? Should people boycott books without having read them? Or, should they read them, first, so they can give a proper argument for why they disagree with the contents?
This doesn’t just happen with books–this happens with everything. Somebody gets this idea about something in their head and bases it on other uninformed opinions. Actually, my husband just wrote a piece for the local paper about this brainless jumping on the bandwagon habit.
And yes, if one wants to disagree with something or someone, one should do the proper research, which includes reading the book. (It’s like some Christian reviewer site calling the Coraline movie blatantly anti-God or however they phrased it.)
Well for me this is pretty much a no-brainer. I think it is important that we read controversial books. Why? Because controversy stimulates discussion which can open up pathways to increased understanding of different viewpoints, or improve our efforts to communicate with kids about important issues. By simply “banning” a child from reading something that flies in the face of our faith, we are just shutting down what could be an important dialogue.
I am a Christian, but I don’t want to restrict my reading choices to only those things that agree with my faith. I really, really believe that much of the conflict in our world stems from people being unwilling to listen to other peoples’ beliefs and thoughts…instead choosing to remain ignorant to anything that doesn’t “fit” with their own beliefs.
Oh, and to answer your core question: I don’t think anyone has a right to voice an opinion of a book they have not read.
I agree with Wendy: kind of a no-brainer. It makes no sense to attack something you haven’t even read. The Harry Potter critics who didn’t read the book always baffled me. I think those books are pure, magical fun and all you have to do is read the first book to figure out that J.K.Rowling wasn’t out to turn kids into witches and wizards.
I don’t believe we should boycott books at all. If something is controversial and a person believes it should not be read, then DON’T READ IT, but don’t force those views onto others. Not everyone has the same belief system and what’s “wrong” to one person is not to others. There are *some* instances where “wrong” is subjective (such as stories about sorcery).
I think often that adults don’t give children enough credit. Fantasy books are fun. You don’t have to believe it is real and you don’t have to agree with everything written in it to enjoy it. Just because a child reads a book about magic or sees a movie about doesn’t mean they will turn away from their faith. A child is much more likely to turn away later in life if they have been sheltered from all that is not “pure” because they will want to know what they’ve been missing. Children who are exposed to other ideas and faiths and then able to discuss with their parents why these beliefs are different (and why the parents feel what they practice is the right way) are much more likely to stay with the faith. Discussion and reasoning has a greater impact in the way you want than banning.
Another point about banning: I believe there are lots of books that might have never been as popular as they were if there hadn’t been trumped up controversy due to banning. I never saw what the great fuss was with Catcher in the Rye. I was bored. Just my two cents.
Everyone already said what I would say! Truly a no-brainer. If you haven’t read it, you can’t complain. Can you look at other reviews and choose not to read it? Certainly.
The Harry Potter thing just bugs me. Anyone who has read it, knows that it’s not about evil magic and sorcery. It’s not about converting children to Wicca. Like Bookfool said, they’re pure, delightful fun and, for many people, reading Harry has brought them closer together as a family.
While I don’t believe in book banning, I do think that not every book is appropriate for every child at every age. Does that make sense? There are a lot of books that I have chosen not to read, based on reviews by other people, knowing that the subject matter or issues portrayed are ones I don’t enjoy reading about (e.g., too much s*x, child abuse, etc.). But, I’m not going to go out and boycott them or condemn others for reading them.
I think that parents have the right and the obligation to be aware of what their children are reading and we can all choose for ourselves and our children to not read certain books. But to complain and boycott them out of ignorance is something I just don’t comprehend. I have friends, also Christian, who refuse to let their kids read Harry because they believe it’s all about evil magic and who wouldn’t let their kids read The Secret Garden because of the “mysticism” and “magic” they believed was in it. I found that incredibly sad, because I found the book is delightful and charming and a beautiful story of the power of love.
And to echo Tonya, I hated Catcher in the Rye. I never understood the controversy over it or Huckleberry Finn, which I loved.
I agree with everyone else. I hate when people boycott/ban, etc without actually looking into it themselves.
“Should people boycott books without having read them? Or, should they read them, first, so they can give a proper argument for why they disagree with the contents?”
If someone choses not to read a book because they don’t like the content, so be it. But they really can’t argue why they disagree if they haven’t read the book. Case in point. “Da Vinci Code.” My dad decided it was sacrilegious based on what he heard about it and wouldn’t even read it. I read it a couple times and even researched some of the things to form my own opinion. Same with Harry Potter. When I heard all the hoopla about the book, I decided to read it and liked it. Didn’t have a problem with it.
If someone wants to argue against a book, they have to read it first to know what they are talking about.
So essentially I’m agreeing with everyone else.
Oh, the HP thing bugged me so much- I blogged about it several times. I think that it is very easy for Christians to completely segregate themselves from the rest of the world, not watching the same movies and TV or listening to the same music or reading the same books, and then we seem like another species to the non-Christians we meet.
Now, obviously, there are some things we should avoid because they are blatantly sinful – but I am amazed at how many times I find a redeeming or hope-filled story in a book or movie that some people would deem too worldly.
I agree with everyone. If you haven’t read a controversial book you have no right to condemn it. Although my now young adult children would have been the right age for HP, as Christians we managed to side step the whole issue. They were both already voracious readers and had too many other books they wanted to read. Reading HP just never came up. If they had wanted to, I would have read HP first and then made the decision. We still haven’t read HP although we may do so some day.
Stephen King has the same negative reputation in Christian circles. I’ve always thought that most of his books contain a basic struggle of good against evil and could easily be appreciated by a Christian. So many times I’ve heard his books condemned by people who I know have never read them. If they had read them, still felt the same way, and could hold an intelligent discussion about their reservations then I would respect their opinions.
On the other hand, sometimes books are praised simply because the authors are Christians but when you read their books, well, they were not worth all the praise heaped upon them.
Someone mentioned this already but I’d just like to throw in my 2 cents.
Not every book is appropriate for a child to read, nor is every book appropriate for every adult. As parents we need to be aware of what our children are reading and engage them in intelligent discussions about it. If your son/daughter wants to read something that you object to, consider a compromise – you will BOTH read it and then discuss it afterward. Of course, that won’t work for every book but it is an option to consider when appropriate.
My mother-in-law (MIL) is a much more conservative Christian than I am and we had a bit of a debate about the HP books. She hated them passionately and I loved them just as passionately. When Kiddo was old enough to watch the movies and listen to the audio books, I encouraged his interest in them. MIL was not happy with that and I had to have a discussion with her about who actually gets to make those decisions for Kiddo …
Anyway, this is a great topic and I’m glad you brought it up.
I agree. I am completely against banning books anyway. Just because you don’t like it or approve, doesn’t mean it should be that way for everyone.
And, if my own childhood and adolescence is any indicator, the very books that you ban as a parent are the very books your children will seek. Just knowing a book is banned is enough for a kid to seek it out just to see what the big deal is. I know I did it. In fact, I still do.