What would you do if you found out books were banned from Allen High?

Highland Park: Book Ban lifted, Allen High’s Philosophy

Highland Park has just reversed a ban of seven books in the past week. Books include:

The Glass Castle: A memoir by Jeanette Walls

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Working Poor: Invisible in America by David K. Shipler

Siddhartha by Herman Hesse

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

and… An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

While Highland Park fights its book ban battles after repealing the seven books banned originally, Allen High questions book banning as a whole.

“We don’t have any banned books that I know of,” Librarian Jana Dorough said. “We look to see what books other schools have banned and bring them here [to Allen] for kids to read.”

The advanced academics programs involve a lot of class reading and idea analysis, particularly in English where novels become major studies.

“International Baccleaureatte itself [as a whole organization] does not have any book bans, ” Advanced Academics Coordinator Lindsay O’Neal said. “[The organization] leaves the it to the school to decide on any banned books.”

Allen High’s overall academic courses require reading, and students disagree with banning books.

“I think banning books [in school] is kind of redundant, because aren’t books meant to be read [in school]?” Junior Rinnah Chang said. “I just don’t see the point in banning books.”

Other students are against the idea of a book ban and support the freedoms of owning and carrying literature in Allen High.

“I’m against [book banning],” Junior Nick Smetzer said. “I can understand not carrying books in the library if they are pornographic or visual, but if some kid brought a book [like that] to school, you shouldn’t take it away from them.”

Some students argue that books should not be banned for the sake of a student’s rights to read books on religion or other literature that supports a student’s beliefs.

“I think the basic standard[s] they have for banning books are very subjective, and I don’t think it’s appropriate to ban something that you believe [in or support],” Junior Maddie Young said.

Highland’s Park’s book ban was overturned by the school’s administration about eight days after the book ban.