There’s been a lot of fuss about Harper Lee’s latest release, "Go Set A Watchman" (actually the first draft — or "parent" as Harper Lee calls it — of "To Kill A Mockingbird"), which hit the shelves this week. The story takes place 20 years after "Mockingbird," Lee’s only other published novel and considered a classic among American literature. Now, Harper Lee’s cooked up quite the controversial storm in 2015, over 50 years after the publication of her original masterpiece.

The reason for the controversy is simple: "Watchman" depicts Atticus Finch as a racist instead of the kind, just person we're used to, thus thrusting the beloved hero of "Mockingbird" into a new category of evil and shocking America back into 1960. Many feel this undermines the positive themes and values present in "Mockingbird" and are debating whether it should still be taught in schools because of this new perspective on Atticus, our favorite role model for lawyers, fathers and humans alike.

Whether we approve or disapprove of the dramatic character change, we need to welcome the fact that there is a challenge associated with this novel in general. Why? Because the most influential, eye-opening books we have are also the ones that were challenged just the same, with many being banned in various institutions for their (blatantly honest) content.

Many novels you analyzed in your high school English classes were at one point challenged or banned. Let’s look at a few favorites, brought to you by the American Library Association’s "Challenged Classics" List:

• "The Catcher in the Rye" by JD Salinger: Banned by over 20 schools between 1960 and 2009; called "obscene," "blasphemous" and "anti-white" to name a few.
• "The Lord of the Flies" by William Golding: Challenged by multiple institutions for "excessive violence," "language" and, of course, for being "demoralizing ... it implies man is little more than an animal."
• "1984" by George Orwell: Challenged by Jackson County, Florida for being "pro-communist" in 1981.
• "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley: Challenged and banned across the U.S. mostly for, as the town of Miller, Missouri put it, making casual sex "look like fun."

And let’s not forget about the partner in crime to "Watchman":

• "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee: Challenged for its "degrading" subject matter and accused of producing "psychological damage to the positive integration process" (and this was the so-called "clean" version of her first novel).

The thing is, the reason the classics have been challenged so often is the reason they are classics. It’s because they startle us with such truth that they become hard to ignore. This shocking discomfort is what makes them timeless. And this doesn’t just apply to the 19th and 20th century literature we automatically think of, it also applies to important modern novels, our future classics, for example "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini and the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. These two modern examples are challenged to this day due to personal discomfort with content. Many books are challenged by individuals or groups who have not even read the books in question, so they end up judging its appropriateness by its surface instead of delving into the meanings of its complexities.

Unfortunately, the discomfort is also the reason for the opposition. Some attempt to stall circulation due to their own moral, religious or personal objections with the subject matter. What they don’t realize is that the unnerving content is in there for a reason: to address problems in society. It is not meant to teach our children bad manners and hatred; it is there to do the opposite. These books make us accept the hard truths we don’t want to think about (like the fact that our beloved Atticus is human, and humans change for the better and the worse). We cannot just burn these books until they disappear, because the problems they stand for will not.

The fact is, we need more challenge in our literature. Authors are an instrument of social change. We need to trust them, whether or not we agree with their ideas, in order to progress. No, not all writers are good guys, but we just need to risk that fact in order to read about the ideas that continue to change the world.