After reading Ellen Hopkins poem "Manifesto," we freewrote focusing on certain themes. I choose to focus on religion. Hopkins wrote this poem after a middle school canceled her talk about her books which describe her daughter's addiction to crystal meth.
I like that Hopkins says "the father who opens his arms to all." Much of the book banning is done by religious groups who think the message is corrupt. But I think writing is a gift given by God. If He didn't want us to share it, he wouldn't have given us the ability. We can often learn so much more from the "bad" stories than the "good." Ignoring the problems and differences won't make them go away, like Hopkins says. It's better in my opinion for children to experience things in books.