In our final post regarding Common Sense Media, we have two teens’ reactions to the postings on www.barnesandnoble.com. The first is from one of our teen contributors, Marina:
When I first read over the “Common Sense Media” summary for the novel Unwind by Neil Shusterman (which, by the way, is a fantastic read), I was partially appalled by the way they categorized it as a highly violent novel. They way they portrayed the events of the novel in a couple sentences made it seem as if the entire novel was filled to the brim with felonies. And though to some extent there are some violent scenes, they are all in the nature of the book.
The novel itself deals with the very controversial topic of abortion, so it is only going to be assumed that there are going to be some controversial sections.
Another topic they reviewed was the “consumerism” of the novel. This was marked as moderately influential due to an Old Navy being blown up and a couple mentions of iPods and SPAM. I doubt that the few times that these items being mentioned are going to really influence anyone, so I do not understand why it is marked as a moderate threat.
The only two things I did agree on were the age they suggested and there was one chapter that even made me squeamish at age seventeen. But for the most part they made this novel out to be horrific festival of violence, which is utterly ridiculous.
Our next reaction comes from Maggie at Bibliophilia — Maggie’s Bookshelf. In part, she writes:
I do not feel that Common Sense Media itself is censorship. I feel that it could be used as justification by parents/educators to censor kids, but that the site itself does not promote censoring books, movies, or any other kind of media. What I feel it does is promote healthy discussion between parents/guardians and kids/teens about what we’re absorbing through the media, and whether or not it is a realistic portrayal of the real world ….
Unfortunately, I feel that the way the CSM ratings have been integrated into the B&N site is negative and does not accurately represent the mission of CSM. In leaving the full reviews and positive categories like “Role Models” and “The Good Stuff” out, you are putting the “Things Parents Should Know” rating categories out of context and making CSM look like it really does promote censorship. I hope that Barnes & Noble realizes this soon and decides to reformat the way the reviews have been integrated into the site.
And perhaps the wisest statement of all concerning this debacle:
But for now, let’s get real, people – it’s your choice whether or not to read those reviews, it’s your choice whether or not to censor children, not CSM’s.
We’ll keep you updated on this issue and let you know when/if Barnes and Noble modifies its CSM reviews. Have something to say about this? Send an e-mail to clumzbella@yahoo.com.
Novel Novice 
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