Question on Censorship and Code-Switching

What is a justifiable reason for assigning a particular book? What should be your rationale?

This is an interesting question and one that I find particularly difficult. With this question arises many more questions, "What happens when your rationale differs from parents' rationales?" "What kind of subjects are definitely taboo in books?" "When does value of a text outweigh its 'inappropriateness'?" Aside from questions though, I believe that all books taught in the classroom should most definitely have some sort of rationale. You, your students, parents, principle, etc. should have a reason for reading the text taught in class, it's just a matter of finding value in texts. Books concerning cultural values, important human experiences, and thought provoking questions are all books that should be taught in school. While each book will probably have a more specific rationale, books in general should cover some (or all) of these topics in some way.

Rationale should be logical and written down prior to assigning texts. That way students and/or parents will have an explanation for why they are reading certain books and what they are supposed to get out of text. It might even be useful to send out a parent/teacher letter prior to reading controversial novels in class to avoid angry parents.