ASK THE EDITOR: There are no bad books

Repeat after me: There are no bad books. The "concerned" citizens objecting to books on shelves in libraries in Johnson City and Kingsport would do far better by addressing concerns about why students cannot read, why they have difficulties comprehending what they read and by working harder to ensure that children enjoy reading. Once more: There are no bad books. There may be books that may not be the most suitable for certain grade levels. That's why we empower educated experts — teachers, librarians and others —to make smart, judicious choices about reading material for students. Ransacking library shelves in an effort to remove any and all books with themes related to LGBTQ issues, race or other social themes is not a solution. It's the opposite — these misguided efforts are a problem. Books are mirrors, reflecting not only the life and experience of authors and writers, but of readers, as well. Books as mirrors show LGBTQ youth and members of racial and cultural minorities, as well as their peers, that no one has to feel alone. Books with characters that readers can see facing the same problems and the same issues as they do are valuable books. Such books are part of the overall human story. They foster compassion and confidence while they also encourage empathy. Parental choice is important. Parents have every right to decline to let their children read any book. I don't believe that books should ever be feared, but it is their right. What is not their right is trying to remove books from shelves that other parents and children might want to read. That is, in fact, denying parental choice, and it is censorship and a violation of the constitutionally protected rights to a free press and free expression. But more to the point, while some parents argue that they have such a right to keep these ideas from their children, this is not the same as building a convincing argument that they should. Books shouldn't be banned, no matter how controversial, because controversy itself isn't harmful, it fosters discussion and understanding; and all books serve an educational purpose and can aid in increasing knowledge and understanding of various subjects. Do you disagree with how a book presents a topic? Have this conversation with your child. If you don't, rest assured someone else will, probably on the playground or other place beyond your ability to influence the conversation. These efforts to stifle controversial content from libraries appear to be cyclical. I remember a quite similar regional effort in the 1980s to censor books. That effort saw considerable pushback, and so should this recent foray into censorship. Political representatives should work on real problems, including the aforementioned disconnect between young people and reading. Pandering to fear accomplishes nothing of value. Threatening funding is a cheap shot unworthy of someone elected to represent all constituents, including those who want such books to remain freely available in our public libraries. There are no bad books. There may be complex books, controversial books, provocative books, and even poorly written books with mediocre themes and pedantic ideas. But all of these books have value in America's marketplace of ideas. There are no bad books, but we need far fewer bad-faith actors in our political discourse. ••• Bryan Stevens is managing editor of The Erwin Record.