Harper Lee’s 1960 novel To Kill A Mockingbird deals with harsh realities in 1930s deep south, racial inequality within the legal system and the harsh realities that faced many blacks during this period. Sadly, you could argue that not a whole lot has changed, black people are still worse off by the system, still pushed into poverty and still face blatent racism on a daily basis.

The book analyses these aspects, it asks the reader to judge morality and face harsh truths. In my opinion, it’s very important that children read stories like this. Stories that put a mirror up to society and bring out the truth.

However, some Virginia schools seem to disagree after the book was suspended (temporarily for now) after complaints from one mother over the repeated use of the N word!

There is of course more to this story.

Accomack County banned the book along with The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, two American classics, due to the complaint of the mother, who has a biracial child at one of the schools.

Her complaint read:

“There’s so much racial slurs and defensive wording in there that you can’t get past that. Right now, we are a nation divided as it is.”

The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) slammed the decision and wrote:

“By avoiding discussion of controversial issues such as racism, schools do a great disservice to their students.”

“Each book enables readers to gain a historical understanding of race relations in America and invites them to examine race in the present day. Although discomforting to some, the racial slurs realistically depict American history and should be addressed under the guidance of a teacher.”

Of course this decision is extremely controversial, especially as the child is biracial. It’s the right of a parent to expose their children to things or not, so maybe this particular child should have been exempt to reading this at their request but I have personal reservations about the ban.

What do you personally think about this?