One of my favorite books is "The Hiding Place" by Corrie Ten Boom. Not only is it a true story of tremendous faith and love enduring through a time of horrendous violence and hate, but it also has some great lessons for all people, regardless of their religion. One such lesson is taught through a story from Corrie’s childhood. Her father was a watchmaker and they would often travel into the city to reset the watches to the clocktower there. Mr. Ten Boom was in possession of a ginormous suitcase in which he housed all these watches. It was very heavy. One day on the train home, Corrie inquired of her father something she had seen happen but didn’t quite understand. His reply was to ask her to pick up the suitcase he had. She replied that she could not, it was too heavy for her to lift. “‘Yes,’ he said. ‘And it would be a pretty poor father who would ask his little girl to carry such a load. It’s the same way, Corrie, with knowledge. Some knowledge is too heavy for children. When you are older and stronger you can bear it.’” I happen to agree with Mr. Ten Boom; I think there is a proper time and place for kids to learn certain information. Obviously, some information they will come by organically, like swear words or the sex talk. But some, most I may even argue, has to be sought out. I’m narrowing down this sort of information as the kind that inhabits the pages of books. The kind that dances a fine line in between insightful and dangerous.
I think back to when I first read my favorite book, "Looking for Alaska," by John Green, when I was 16. It was a beautiful, heartbreaking, eye-opening read and when I finally turned the last page with tears streaming uncontrollably down my face, I had one thought coursing through my brain: everyone must read this book. It had so much to say about the human condition, hope, death, and life. It also had a fair amount of profanity, illegal activity, and sexual undercurrents. After taking that into consideration, I revised my streaming thought: everyone over the age of 16 should read this book.
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I truly believe that books are important. This may be obvious from the fact that I’m writing this article in the first place. I believe there are great classics and slightly less-well-regarded books that everyone should read because of their lessons on life, love, death, justice, suffering, and the human condition. Books like "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by Harriet Beecher Stowe, "Heart of Darkness"by Joseph Conrad, and "The Things They Carried," by Tim O’Brien are just some of the books that I believe should be read by many generations to come…but at the right time. It goes back to the fundamental idea of letting kids be kids. There are dark times ahead, no one can deny it, but before the realization of those dark times hit, I think little ones should remain in the light of innocence while they can. I do not endorse ignorance by any means, but I do believe that there are right times for right lessons. Some suitcases are too heavy for children to carry, either because they can’t yet comprehend their weight or because they have not been properly prepared to handle the contents without being crushed. The human mind is a delicate thing and can be influenced by many thoughts. I encourage people to take into account that a child’s mind is still exploring, still wondering, still dreaming, and we should let them be free before they are brought down to Earth by important and serious issues. I’ll leave with this summative quote by C.S. Lewis, an author who wrote both for children and for adults: “Since it is so likely that children will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage.”
