I have a news flash to share. Earlier this year, my fourteen-year-old granddaughter read Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita. And guess what? She hasn’t jumped into an unhealthy and inappropriate relationship with an older man. Nor did she all of a sudden start wearing provocative clothing. But she has gotten a perspective on what it is to negotiate that tricky path through adolescence. And reading the book gave her the opportunity to think about what a healthy relationship might look like.

My granddaughter has also read S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders. And you know what? She didn’t join a gang, get into fights, or get in trouble with the law. But reading the book did help her think about class, social groups, bullying, and acceptance. Can you believe it? She got the chance to think about prejudice and how that impacts the way we treat others and they treat us.

There are other authors, too, whose work my granddaughter has read. For instance, she’s read some Agatha Christie (now I wonder who’d have given her that idea?). And while classic mysteries aren’t tops on her list, she’s gotten some exposure to them. And – can you believe this? – she hasn’t poisoned anyone. Instead, she’s gotten some perspective on history, not to mention things like plot structure.

She’s read books with gay characters without actually ‘turning gay’ (whatever that even means). Instead, she’s gotten some insight into what it is to be a member of the LGBTQ+ community. And that’s given her a sense of empathy.

Do you see where I’m going with this? I’ll bet you do. Reading a variety of books isn’t threatening. Instead, reading broadens our perspectives on the world. Banning books limits that perspective and narrows our thinking.

And it’s not just my granddaughter who’s survived the experience of reading banned books. When my daughter was younger, she read Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. You know, she didn’t ‘turn Black’ (again, whatever that means). Reading the book did let us have some conversations about race, about racial history, and about what that means. She got, I think, a broader perspective.

A similar thing happened when my daughter read J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. She wasn’t a fan of Holden Caulfield (I don’t know many who are). But she didn’t run away from her school or start drinking, or any of the other things Holden does. Instead, she got the chance to think about not fitting in, about the awkwardness and anger that a lot of teens feel, and about the choices young people have.

And then there’s Tommy Chong’s The I-Chong. In case you haven’t read it, it’s Tommy Chong’s autobiography, and as my daughter put it, it’s ‘surprisingly philosophical.’ It discusses Chong’s experiences in the 1960s counterculture, his imprisonment, his use of marijuana, and his film and comedy career. After reading it, my daughter did not run off to become a comedian, she didn’t start using drugs, and she’s never been in prison. Instead, it gave us the chance to talk about larger issues like censorship, different perspectives on drug use, and even spirituality.

See? As I say, it’s not just my granddaughter. And it’s not just my daughter, either. The fact is, when young people read, lots of good things happen. They get new perspectives. They meet characters who resonate with them and help them feel less alone. They learn things, too, about different places and times. And reading can open up important conversations about life’s tough questions and encourage young people to face those difficulties.

That process can be uncomfortable at times. Not every truth is pleasant, and mental growth isn’t always easy. But here’s the thing. Banning and censoring books isn’t going to stop people thinking about those uncomfortable, sometimes unpleasant things. And it’s not going to make those things go away. What banning does do is limit young people’s ability to develop the thinking skills they need to confront life’s issues and come up with solutions. Banning and censoring books can disenfranchise young people, too. Research shows that students stay more engaged in learning when they see themselves represented in what they read.

As this is posted, it’s Banned Books Week in the US. Now, more than ever, it’s important to stay committed to the free exchange of ideas that books offer, and to ensure that people have access to those ideas without limitation. Even those ideas we may not like. If you know me at all, you know that I bring this issue up every year at this time. And I’m going to keep on doing that until I don’t have to.

*NOTE: The title of this post is a line from Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall (Part Two).