A Thousand Splendid Suns: Banned
By: Joshua Macnamara
Why is it banned?
A Thousand Splendid Suns has been banned in countless libraries throughout the country. One concern is the language inside the book. Some of the language is explicit, which makes parents weary of letting a child read the book. Another concern is that both main characters are abused in the book. Both Laila and Mariam have abusive relationships with Rasheed. There are many beatings that in the book that go in pretty good detail. There are also not any women's rights in the country of Iraq, which is the setting of the book. This also brings up an up an issue where people think that men and women should have equal rights. There are countless scenes of depression as well. Whether it be a scene of a baby getting lost, Tariq leaving, or seeing Mammy hanging in the tree dead, etc. These scenes can be very gory and should not be seen by or thought as a child. A final reason is the fighting and war that takes place in the book.
Reaction to the ban
I personally do not believe that any book should get banned. That is censorship at its finest and it does more bad than good. Books are a very good way to express oneself and that should not be taken away from a person. When a person reads a book they normally read for the entertainment aspect and are not usually looking at the deeper level concerns the story may contain.