Books must be read before being banned

After reading Mike Hlas's column in the Aug. 17, Gazette ("Bissinger blasts Mason City schools' ban of his 'Friday Night Lights'") I had some thoughts about book bans that I would like explained. It appears that Bridgette Exman, an assistant superintendent in the Mason City School District, after submitting the book to artificial intelligence to provide an analysis for her rationale for banning the book. She said it was "simply not feasible to read every book and for these new requirements." Hlas also referenced several wonderful books that have been banned from the school district's libraries.

It seems that books that are suggested (or demanded) to be banned require at least a librarian be given the time to read the book and be allowed to defend his or her decision to remove or not remove, and the appropriate administrator use his or her authority, after a conference with the librarian, uphold or reject the librarian's decision. If books with as little objectionable content as "Friday Night Lights" can be removed from circulation by a person who hasn't read the book, then the process is deeply flawed.

I believe that books like "Friday Night Lights,“ books I read as a youngster, were part of the reason that I became an avid reader as an adult. I have read books most of my adult life and at 93 years old I find it a great way to use my time comfortably.

Alan Seabrooke

West Union