A former Tory councillor tried to ban my novel Pigeon English. Why should pupils suffer because of him?

I'm so done with this censorship nonsense . Like what's wrong with a book being too hard for some 10-year-olds? Can't they just read it with their parents or something? It's not like it's gonna kill them . And another thing, if we're worried about cultural identity, shouldn't we be reading books that actually represent our diverse experiences? This councillor's idea of "cultural heritage" is super narrow and problematic . What's next, banning all the good literature just because some people don't like it? No way, mate! Schools should be about challenging perspectives and encouraging critical thinking, not stifling them .

this farquharson guy sounds like he's more worried about his own feelings than the kids learning from the book his idea of a school's duty being to teach cultural heritage is kinda narrow-minded, don't you think? like what about teaching critical thinking and empathy instead? those who advocate for banning books are just plain scared, you can tell and schools should be places where kids feel safe to discuss tough topics without fear of judgment

omg u gotta wonder why 1 guy's opinion is more important than students having access to books that make 'em think it's not about the book being too difficult for age group, it's about challenging perspectives & promoting empathy, which r super important for young people the taliban's internet ban in afghanistan is a huge red flag tho, restricting info access can have devastating consequences

I'm so done with councillors like James Farquharson who think they can dictate what's good for kids just because they're uncomfortable with something. Newsflash: if we want to raise critically thinking humans, we need to expose them to difficult ideas, not shelter them from them . And by the way, who says all students share a single cultural identity? I mean, come on, that's just basic humanism 101 .

And let's not forget about the real-life consequences of book bans. Like, remember the Taliban's internet ban in Afghanistan? That was devastating for an entire generation of Afghans . We need to be careful what we're fighting against here... I mean, are we really fighting for a future where people can't access information or form their own opinions?

It's time to rethink our approach to education and reading. Instead of trying to protect kids from difficult ideas, let's give them the tools they need to navigate complex issues and develop empathy . And if that means having some uncomfortable conversations along the way, so be it... we can handle it .