Why is the book drama banned? Check out the real reasons here!

Okay, here’s my take on the whole “Why is the book ‘Drama’ banned?” thing, just like that example.

So, I’ve been seeing this book, “Drama,” pop up a lot lately, but not in a good way. Turns out, it’s been getting banned left and right, and I got curious. Why all the fuss? I started digging around, just to see what the big deal was. First, I went straight to the source – I actually read the book. It’s a graphic novel, kinda cute, about a girl who’s into theater. I didn’t see anything scandalous in there, but who am I, right?

Then I started checking out what other people were saying. There were all these articles about how it ended up on the American Library Association’s “most challenged books” list. Turns out, it’s been there since like, 2014. That got my attention. I mean, if it’s ruffling feathers year after year, there’s gotta be something to it.

Next, I dug into some specific cases. There was this one school, Chapel Hill Elementary, that banned it. Then I found this group, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, talking about “Drama” being a “banned book case study.” They were all over it, trying to figure out why it kept getting challenged. It’s like this book has a target on its back. And the thing is that I saw an article that said this was the third time in just four years that it had gotten banned in a Texas school. Can you believe that? Three times!

I found out the main problem folks seem to have with the book is that it has a couple of characters who are gay. That’s it. That’s the big controversy. Two boys in the book like each other. Apparently, that’s enough to get it pulled from shelves in some places.

After all this researching, I listened to a podcast to see what the hosts had to say, and they basically confirmed what I found out. I was like, “What the heck?” I mean, we’re in 2024, and we’re still banning books because of this? It’s wild. I even went back to the book to see if I missed something, but nope. The “controversial” parts are, like, a couple of panels. It’s not even a big deal in the story.

So, after looking into all this, I’m just shaking my head. The book’s getting banned because it shows that, hey, some people are gay. And that’s something some folks just can’t handle, I guess. It’s a shame, really. The book’s pretty good, and it’s not hurting anyone. It actually could help some kids feel less alone. But instead, it’s getting locked away like it’s some dangerous secret.

Here’s what I found out why this book was banned:

• SEXUALITY AND GENDER IDENTITY: It seems to be the biggest reason for banning this book.
• LGBTQ+ representation: There’s a same-sex relationship between two characters.
• It was in the American Library Association’s top 10 list of frequently challenged books in 2014.
• It was banned in Chapel Hill Elementary School in Mount Pleasant.
• In 2016-17, it was banned again.
• It is a hot topic of the CBLDF Banned Books Case Studies.
• It was considered too hot for a Texas school for the third time in four years.

Anyway, that’s my deep dive into the “Drama” drama. I just wanted to get to the bottom of it, and now I have. It’s a whole lot of fuss over something that shouldn’t even be an issue. But hey, that’s just my two cents.