Banned Books Project
Summary
My Sister’s Keeper is the story of a thirteen year old girl who files a petition in court for the medical emancipation of herself from her parents. Parents are supposed to protect their children from anything that would harm them, but in this book Anna was born to save her sister by donating tissues, cells, and bone marrow which cause her just as much pain as Kate, her older sister who has a rare form of cancer.
History of My Sister's Keeper Being Banned
The novel has been challenged in recent years and some schools have succeeded in banning My Sister’s Keeper. In 2009, a school in Clawson, Michigan pulled the book out of classroom curriculum because it was “...too racy for middle school students” (“Banned Book Week”). In 2010, many cases were filed to challenge the novel because of the inclusion of “...drugs, suicide, violence, sexism, homosexuality, religious viewpoint, offensive language, being sexually explicit and unsuited to [the] age group” (“Banned Book Week”).
What is happening socially when My Sister's Keeper was challenged
In 2004, the novel was published, this was also the year that five babies were born to be genetically identical to their ill siblings who needed stem cells. This was also the way Anna was brought into her family’s life in My Sister’s Keeper. The doctors had said that the only thing that would be used from the baby was the umbilical cord, and the child would not even know it had been used (Bhattacharya). The book took it a step further and showed what would happen if the “designer babies” were to be used as they grew older because of the choices of their parents (Bhattacharya). Picoult published her book before the births of these children; in a sense she predicted the results of this research and what would happen if the parents’ of these babies were to take advantage of the available donor.
Should My Sister's Keeper be Challenged or Banned?
My Sister’s Keeper should not be banned or challenged. This book contains some situations where certain actions of drugs, sex, and violence are alluded to and may occur but the age group reading this book has already been exposed to this or they would have a hard time understanding what Picoult was referring to. The way these events occurred were not harsh or crude and the presence of these actions in the novel only increased the quality of real life and relatability to situations some readers may be experiencing. The novel does not make these situations a thing that the reader wants to do, because it might be fun to try, but instead shows the risks and results of these actions. My Sister’s Keeper speaks the truth of these actions while the novel does not offend any of the readers. Teenagers are experiencing these situations already through their peers, or personal experience and adults that are challenging this book, and all books, must realize that adolescents are preparing to enter a new stage of their life.
Connection of My Sister's Keeper to Fahrenheit 451
Bradbury predicted many things that are in the American society today that we can start to see taking over the lives of United States citizens. Picoult used the knowledge of the research of genetically engineered children to tell her prediction of what might happen if babies were used for this ongoing purpose of being a donor to their genetically identical sibling. Both novels address the rising issues that would soon occur and spread word of new ground the reader's would face. Fahrenheit 451 is about the idea of censorship and the citizens in that society are overpowered through the lack of knowledge. In My Sister’s Keeper the characters do not face censorship of knowledge but Anna is not allowed to make her own decisions. Anna’s mother prevents her from deciding whether Anna is going to undergo surgeries to help Kate because their mom makes her believe it’s her only option. Anna is censored because her mother withholds information about the procedures and the ability of Kate to undergo other things to allow her to survive.
Works Cited
"Banned Book Week." Marshall University Libraries. Ed. Ron Titus. N.p., 4 Aug. 2010. Web. 17 Nov. 2015
Bhattacharya, Shaoni. "Five “designer Babies” Created for Stem Cells." New Scientist. Relix Group, 5 May 2004. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Del Rey Book, 1991. Print.
Picoult, Jodi. My Sister's Keeper: A Novel. New York: Atria, 2004. Electronic.
Bhattacharya, Shaoni. "Five “designer Babies” Created for Stem Cells." New Scientist. Relix Group, 5 May 2004. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Del Rey Book, 1991. Print.
Picoult, Jodi. My Sister's Keeper: A Novel. New York: Atria, 2004. Electronic.