Last time at our meeting, we came upon issues much larger than the simple stories you find in a book. The main book we discussed was Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury. Our talk reached an area of book banning -- when, if ever, is it right? Another Whyvillian mentioned Harry Potter and argued how witchcraft is against Christianity. This brought me to thinking, is it really wrong to read something just because it's against your beliefs and religion?

Here is an example I thought of: If I am a Muslim, is it wrong for me to read the Bible?

No, I don't believe it is. We are in this world to learn, in order to succeed we need to be open-minded and learn about others and the world. If I never watched a movie on Christianity or asked what Christmas is about, would I have come this far in accepting other people or other situations in our world? When you learn about other types of people and their cultures, this helps you to succeed at a being a better human being. When you read a book that you do not believe in, how is it hurting you? Are you not learning views of other people? Their thoughts and opinions? As the next generation, I think we need to succeed at acceptance and being open-minded.

Please join us at our book talks; even if you're not a book person I think you'll like the topics that we discuss. It's to your own benefit!

This is Sugarz, saying think before you speak!

Editor's Note: In addition to Calliope's Critique Club, which happens every first and third Saturday of the month, MediaWiz holds his own BookHour once a month. Keep an eye on the MediaMenu to learn more about that; Calliope writes regular book reviews for the Times as well.