Letter to the Editor:

This newspaper often reports on Oxford Area School Board meetings. In recent months, those reports have covered discussions on banning books. My reaction is to read the books. 

At this point I have finished “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” and “Push.” 

I understand that the objections raised were to descriptions of sexual activity. Both books include such descriptions, but there is a lot more to be found in them. The big message, I believe, is the importance of school. The two main characters are passionate about their own learning. Charlie (Perks) and Precious (Push) have very different stories, but each of them is dedicated to reading. Charlie finds a teacher who gives him a series of challenging books to read. Precious fights to read at all because she missed out on the early years of school. Eventually she finds a teacher and classmates who stay in her corner as she catches up on what she missed. 

Charlie and Precious also write. All the time. They figure things out by writing about them. They grow through their writing. Both characters are tough and persistent. It is exciting to read about their successes. 

Reading. Writing. The excitement of learning. The importance of a teacher. These are the messages I find in these books. I find it odd that a school board would object to books with these themes.