Vicariously Living through Literature

I've read three out of the ten most challenged books of 2014: Persepolis, The Kite Runner, and Perks of Being a Wallflower. In all three of these books, I've noticed a very interesting similarity: They're all told in a sincere, intimate tone somewhat akin to a diary or a conversation. Admittedly, they all have some "inappropriate" aspects such as obscene language, violence, and rape. However, it is absurd to ban literature simply because it may upset certain people. I said in an earlier blog post that failure is an essential part of success. In the same way, knowledge of bad things is necessary for us to appreciate the good things in life. Many parents try to protect their children by raising them far away from any dangerous influences, but it very often backfires and results in one of two things: their child becomes overly dependent and doesn't know how to function without someone holding his or her hand, or their child becomes rebellious and indulges in said dangerous activities after his or her parents are gone.

Out of the three books, The Kite Runner was probably my favorite. I remember carrying it around the whole day and much like Luo, eating was less important to me than finishing the book. The story of the novel isn't pretty, but it forges a strong connection between reader and writer. When we read, we often live the characters' lives vicariously through the text on the page. Everyone knows of the saying, "Learn from your mistakes." By reading of the struggles of a diverse variety of people from different walks of life, we learn of how they deal with their problems and we learn to apply their situations to our own.

If books like these were banned, I would probably still read them if I knew I could get away with it. On the other hand, if they had been banned my whole life and I never had the joy of reading anything, I might not risk it. If I catch a glimpse outside of the cave, my curiosity would get the better of me and I would try hard to surreptitiously find books to read.
I remember reading somewhere that Fahrenheit 451 was banned in certain places. I find that hilariously ironic.