There’s a theme in this list, isn’t there?
Recurring names. Recurring books. Recurring ideas, which make the associated communities shriek with outrage.
A recurring issue, dealt with the same way every time, and held up for censure repeatedly.
Seriously? Time to get a grip.
And I say that with all intended kindness. I’m not a parent, but I can understand, I think, the urge to protect one’s child. The only issue there could possibly be with that is when one parent tries to fill that job for a whole community. Not going to happen — you take care of your kid, and I’ll take care of my imaginary kid. Teachers and librarians who find books offensive, in this better world I’m imagining, would remember that their job is to disseminate information, not to judge it, and they would act accordingly. School board members would read young adult literature, spend time with teens and tweens and Kindergartners, and be less afraid of what the world holds for the young, because they would know firsthand about their resilience and intelligence, and feel that they could trust them a little more. They could hold out books to them to read, with guidance. Maybe they could read along with them.
Man, I like my imaginary world.
Imagine.