Banned Books – April 1, 2025
As Americans, regardless of socio-economic status, race, gender, employment or career status, place of birth, etc…certain rights are guaranteed to us under the Constitution. Freedom of religion, speech, the press, and rights of assembly and petition are guaranteed in the First Amendment to the Constitution.
In the past month, we’ve found ourselves at a precipice, as religious freedoms are attacked both overtly and covertly, and freedom of speech is quelled by the very administration that we, the people, elected, the news media are attacked on all platforms for speaking truth to power and keeping the American people in- formed. For the most part, journalists take great pains to be accurate, though there’s that small segment of the profession that does not. Rights of assembly and petition are challenged and labeled criminal as people gather in peaceful protest while the administration wages a war of attrition, slinging daily executive orders and threats under the cover of darkness.
This week, we discuss “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini and “Baseball Saved Us” by Ken Mochizuki.
“The Kite Runner” is about the complicated and unlikely friendship between Hassan and Amir, two boys caught up in the turmoil of Afghanistan during a time of war, change, and destruction. Hosseini’s novel explores themes of mistakes, consequences, seeking forgiveness and self-forgiveness, secrets, adultery, loyalty, betrayal, the damaging impact of ethnic tensions, war, and redemption.
Hosseini has received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement in 2008, the John Steinbeck Award from the Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies at San Jose State University in 2014, and the Indies Choice Book Award for Adult Fiction. “The Kite Runner” was made into a movie in 2007.
The book was banned for themes of explicit sexual content, offensive language, depictions of homosexuality, and violence, which some find inappropriate for certain age groups.
Mochizuki’s “Baseball Saved Us” tells the story of a young Japanese-American boy nicknamed “Shorty” and his family’s experience in a Japanese internment camp during World War II following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Facing boredom, harsh weather conditions, and an uncertain future, he channels his emotions into baseball amid the hate directed at him and his race. Shorty, along with his father, he builds a baseball field, creating a refuge and a sense of community while surrounded by soldiers with guns under the watchful eye of the man in the tower. This book is for K-3, with a reading level around third grade.
While protecting our children should be our highest priority, I fail to see how banning this book is helpful. If learning from past mistakes is helpful, then we’re doing a gigantic disservice to those young boys and girls who will grow up to be men and women, the voices of our democracy. What are we teaching them to teach to future generations?
Themes explored in Mochizuki’s book include prejudices, ingenuity, self-respect, hope, courage, race, injustice, and hatred. Though not a true story, the book is inspired by actual historical events and ultimately, at its core, examines the question, “What does it mean to be an American?”
“Baseball Saved Us” has received numerous awards and honors, including the Parents Choice Awards, Washington State Governor’s Award, and the Publishers Weekly Editors Choice. The book was banned because of a racial slur and the argument of some critics about the minimization of internment camps, presenting the information in such a matter-of-fact manner.
Another issue related to banning books is the demolition of the Department of Education, diminishing our access to education. It seems counter-productive to demolish the Department of Education, especially with the United States ranking 13th out of 41 countries in education.
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