USA Today Tells Parents To Not Let Kids Read Book “Wicked”

Well, this is interesting

Take your kids to see ‘Wicked,’ but don’t let them read the book by Gregory Maguire

Long before Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo were holding space for the lyrics of “Defying Gravity,” there was “Wicked” the Broadway musical. And before that, there was “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,” by Gregory Maguire, based on L. Frank Baum’s characters in “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” (snip)

Is the ‘Wicked’ book appropriate for kids?

In a word, no. The “Wicked” book by Gregory Maguire has key adult differences from the stage adaptation. One of the opening scenes is puppets having sex. When we first meet Elphaba in the book, she’s a feral infant who is muzzled after biting off people’s appendages. The book contains drinking, drugs, sexual assault, prostitution, crime and wild sex parties between humans and animals.

In an interview with MassLive, Maguire said while the main themes translate, his book is a “tragedy” and the stage production is a “bittersweet drama.”

“I purposely put some somewhat raunchy material in the first few pages of ‘Wicked’ the novel to show what people were getting into, that they were going to have to leave behind their ideas about an all-singing, all-dancing chorus line of flying monkeys,” Maguire said.

So, really, no, Wicked is not for young kids. At best, it is PG-13 heading towards an R. But, it’s kind of interesting that the USA Today doesn’t want kids reading a book

• US public schools banned over 10K books during 2023-2024 academic year, report says
• Banned Books Week: A visual dive into an alarming increase in attempts to restrict books
• People are supporting ‘book sanctuaries’ despite politics: ‘No one wants to be censored’

Just a smattering of headlines from the USA Today, and, what are those books

Why you should read these 51 banned books now

As journalists, it’s our job to seek out the truth even when it’s uncomfortable. We value diverse perspectives, are open to new ideas and respect intellectual freedom. So it should come as no surprise that the thought of banning a book would make us riled.

What happens when a book is challenged in school boards and public libraries? Titles can be removed from school curriculums or library shelves. Most public schools and libraries have boards made up of elected officials or members appointed by elected officials. It is by the power of these officials that a book can go from challenged to banned in a school district or public library. Even if it happens only once, it is one time too many.

And some of those titles

• ‘All Boys Aren’t Blue’ by George M. Johnson
• ‘Gender Queer’ by Maia Kobabe
• ‘Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda’ by Becky Albertalli
• ‘Two Boys Kissing’ by David Levithan
• ‘Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out’ by Susan Kuklin

There are plenty more like that. They are exactly the type you think are being taken out of schools, because they contain heavy sex, drugs, etc, just like ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ by Stephen Chbosky, which includes

Some of the content throughout can be intense or inappropriate for younger readers – topics include alcohol, drugs, sex, abortion, mental health struggles, suicide and sexual abuse. But these are all things high schoolers can and often do experience, and blocking them from a story that explores them in a thoughtful, empathetic way doesn’t do anyone any good.

So, it’s fine for young kids to read utter smut, especially if it is LGBTQ, in school and at the library, but, not Wicked? Older teens, fine, but, the crazies in schools feed this stuff to young kids. And, yes, Wicked is not appropriate for them, either. Kids should be left to be kids and not fed adult sexuality and such. Just let them be kids.

In fairness, some of the books mentioned in that last link are ones banned by liberals, such as Animal Farm, Of Mice And Man, and Lord Of The Flies. Literary classics. And any assigned reading should be age appropriate.

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