Why Were The Giver Books Challenged Or Banned In Schools?

2025-08-29 09:55:55 321

4 Answers

Zane
Zane
2025-08-30 20:34:52
I’m a teenager who first read 'The Giver' for a class and then got curious why it shows up on banned book lists. Short version: it’s not because of swearing or sex, but because it makes adults nervous. The idea of 'release' (which equals killing) and the society’s strict control over life and death freaks some people out. Others worry it teaches kids to question family or faith.
What annoyed me at school meetings was how quickly people assumed it would 'corrupt' young readers. In reality, the book invites questions — about history, memory, and who gets power — and those are the exact conversations teens need. If anything, the controversy made me want to reread it and talk about the scenes with friends, which turned out way more interesting than the ban drama.
Selena
Selena
2025-08-30 22:34:49
I've worked in a small-town library for years, and one thing you see is that bans and challenges are rarely about a single page — they're about social anxieties. People challenged 'The Giver' for multiple reasons: perceived promotion of euthanasia through 'release,' claims that it fosters distrust of parental or religious authority, objections to its portrayal of a society without a divine moral compass, and worries that middle-grade readers aren't ready for those ideas. The ALA catalogs many of these complaints under 'unsuited to age group' or 'offensive content.'
From my perspective, requests to remove the book often escalate when communities lack a shared idea of what kids should encounter in school. Some districts respond by offering opt-outs or alternative texts, which feels like a practical compromise. I also see how sequels like 'Gathering Blue' and 'Messenger' complicate matters by deepening moral ambiguity, so challengers sometimes target the series rather than just the standalone novel. For me, censorship decisions should weigh pedagogical value: 'The Giver' encourages critical thinking and discussion about memory, agency, and societal design — valuable topics if teachers provide proper framing and support.
Declan
Declan
2025-08-31 06:33:27
I get why people get rattled about books like 'The Giver' — I teach literature on the side and watch these conversations play out all the time in staff rooms and parent meetings.
At the heart of most challenges are themes that some adults find uncomfortable: the book treats 'release' (which is essentially euthanasia) in a way that forces readers to think about death, choice, and who gets to decide. Parents sometimes argue that kids shouldn't be exposed to talk of killing, infant swapping, or the idea that a supposedly perfect society could be so morally empty. A lot of objections also come from people who read the book as promoting disrespect for elders or authority, or as containing values they feel clash with their religious beliefs. The American Library Association has repeatedly listed 'The Giver' among frequently challenged titles, often with complaints filed for being 'unsuited to age group' or 'anti-family.'
Even though it's not explicit or graphic, those themes still make some school boards nervous, especially when communities differ over what's age-appropriate. I usually tell my students that wrestling with hard questions is the point of the book — it opens up conversations about ethics, memory, and freedom — but I also get why some parents want alternatives for younger readers.
Zoe
Zoe
2025-09-04 10:16:45
I’m a parent who sat through a curriculum meeting and heard the exact reasons people wanted 'The Giver' pulled from shelves. In plain terms: the book talks about 'releasing' people (which reads like assisted death), it questions authority, and it paints a society that’s sterile and emotionally numb. For some families that’s too heavy for middle-schoolers; for others it clashes with religious or moral beliefs.
Another common complaint I heard was that the book introduces kids to uncomfortable concepts — death, control over reproduction, and moral ambiguity — without enough 'positive' framing. What surprised me was how often the challenge wasn't about offensive language or pictures, but about big ideas. Personally, I ended up reading it with my kid and using it as a springboard to talk about empathy and history. If schools handle it with context, the book becomes less frightening and more useful.
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