I swear it doesn't mean anything: Should you ban a book that uses swear words?

I love love love this post on bookriot.com written by Jill Guccini: "Dear School Boards of America: Have a Backone. Also, Read Books."

Here is an excerpt from it, but you must read the whole post:
"Politicians can keep passing laws that hurt women, that hurt people of color, that hurt poor people, and say that they’re necessary to protect our freedoms. But we’re not idiots. We know who they’re protecting. School boards can keep banning books that are about LGBTQ people, that are about people of color, that are about real-life hurt and oppression, and say that it’s because of a few naughty words. But kids aren’t idiots. They know what you’re actually censoring."

I'd like to touch on the issue of swear words in YA. One of my favorite books of last year was "The Universe Versus Alex Woods", by Gavin Extence. Within its pages, is one of the worst swear words one can say. (Yeah, I'm a feminist. It is the worst.) It is only used once. It made me jump when I read it as it was so unexpected. And so absolutely brilliant! I was happy to pitch this novel to our 14 and upward readers (all girls), because I wanted them to read this word in the context of the novel, to be shocked, and to understand why. I wouldn't never dream of banning it because of the use of this word; the message the book is conveying is far more important.

I am tasked with purchasing all the books for our media center, which are used in a variety of reading programs. Our 10th Grade reading program is a little different - along with our English Department, I select twenty newly published books (apart from one or two classics) from a range of genres, and we put these aside specifically for this program. When I'm reading for this selection - and yes, I do actually read them! - I won't turn a book down because of its use of swear words. One of our set books for 12th Grade - meaning every student reads it for class - has some choice language in it! But I might turn it down if I think the language has been used gratuitously, or if I don't think it adds anything to the novel and has been used more for shock value than anything else. 

But the key issue here is that you can't ban a book because of something you've heard about it or because other schools are banning it or because of the language used. You have to read it, then form your own opinion. At that point, you still can't ban it. You need to hear others out and read other books around it. And then if you still want it banned, you'd better have a strong argument to back up that decision.