Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men is a story following two migrant workers in California during the Great Depression - George Milton, an intelligent and cynical man, and Lennie Small, a man of large size but limited metal abilities. George and Lennie are on the run, having found themselves in trouble with the law after Lennie's simple-mindedness resulted in a misunderstanding. They find work on a ranch, finding trouble with some of the workers, but also finding friends and earning money and connections to build their way towards their dream of having their own land and a home. Unfortunately, Lennie's mind leads them to trouble again and George is faced with the decision of letting his friend fall to a painful justice or finding the strength to help his friend in the only way he knows how.

* For a more detailed summary - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Of_Mice_and_Men

The first banning of this book was in 1953 in Ireland and the first banning of it in America was 1974. Of Mice and Men has been banned for reasons ranging from the content of the book itself to the implications of the author's political standing. Some schools deemed the book to be "filthy" and contain explicit sexual references that are innappropriate for children. The book has been challenged and banned over the decades for reasons mostly including profanity and slurs, the most recent being in 2007 in Olathe, Kansas when a parent stated that the novel is a “worthless, profanity-riddled book” which is “derogatory towards African Americans, women, and the developmentally disabled.” 

* More infomation on the bannings of Of Mice and Men - http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedclassics/reasonsbanned

Do you think that profanity in a novel is reason enough to have it banned from schools? Is reading a book that contains realistic depictions of racism in the past beneficial to understanding the changes the American people have gone through or is it a pointless reminder to the pains of certain groups of people?

* 5 points extra credit