Dark Literature and Censorship

Chris Crutcher's Deadline is a piece of "Dark Literature" that has been censored and even banned in some schools. Dark literature is real life experiences, usually evolving teens and problems with early adulthood. In the book, the main character has around one year to live since a deadly disease is found in him. When he lives out his bucket list live style, he discovers many problems of his town and people he has gotten to know. His girlfriend has been raped by her uncle when she was young and is raising her child in secrecy. His mom is an alcoholic who has trouble with maintaining her life. He has befriended the town's alcoholic bum who was once a priest. All these problems are very personal and can be related to teens who read the book, making it a difficult but inspiring read. Despite its strong contents, it helps readers come up with an understanding that everyone has a troubled past or is facing some sort of trouble. Teens more than anyone think that this relates to their lives the most. Schools have acknowledged this and have encouraged many students to read the book. However, since there is some language and situations that some find disturbing or unsettling, some schools have banned the book, leading to the argument of censoring it. Though some language is pretty rough, it hits the reader straight on and confronts the point directly, which is an excellent way in proving Crutcher’s point about the problem with racism, relationships, and most importantly, deciding to keep something from someone or telling the truth.