Recently, a total of 41 books were banned and removed from the shelves in the Keller Independent School District in Texas, USA. From The Bible to The Diary of Anne Frank, the list is extensive and shocking. This mass banning comes as a part of the increase of book banning across the world, especially in high schools throughout the USA, which has reached an all-time high.
According to data by PEN America, 1,145 books have been banned by school districts across the USA between 1st July 2021 and 31st March 2022. It’s an ongoing argument between those who want to censor particular ideas and politics – including certain historical and cultural moments they believe shouldn’t be taught – and those who don’t believe in censorship and think all books should get a place on library shelves. But which books, in particular, are making their way onto forbidden lists?
Books written by LGBTQ+ authors and authors of colour are particularly under attack. According to the ALA, among the 10 most challenged books in 2021 were those from the black writers Ibram X. Kendi, Jason Reynolds and Angie Thomas. On top of this, 5 of those 10 challenged books were challenged specifically because of LGBTQ+ content.
The Washington Post specified that books most frequently challenged include:
- LGBTQ+ topics or characters.
- Subject matter dealing with sex, abortion, teen pregnancy or puberty.
- Subject matter dealing with race and racism, or centring on protagonists of colour.
- History, especially of the black community.
Is book banning ever justified? In my opinion, of course not. In America the First Amendment states that everyone has the right to freedom of speech and expression. Taking away the ability for students to read what they want and form their own opinions restricts this right.
It’s also a waste of time; if young people want to read a certain book they will do it whether it’s banned at school or not. In fact, banning it may even encourage people to want to read it more. Words should never be illegal.
Although these schools claim that they banned certain books largely due to explicit content, the statistics don’t lie and it is underrepresented groups that are being silenced the most. This is stripping away people’s identities and making it less likely for young people to be able to find someone to relate to, especially those in minority groups.
Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe was the most banned book in 2021 – a coming of age novel that explores Kobabe’s journey from adolescence to adulthood, and the author’s exploration of gender identity and sexuality, ultimately identifying as being outside of the gender binary. It was banned due to its ‘sexually explicit content.’ However, if this is the case, why is it only LGBTQ+ books being targeted for this reason? This book would be so helpful and relatable to a young person who’s unsure of their gender, so pulling it from the shelves is not the right decision. One Amazon reviewer described it as ‘a handbook for non-binary kids that would help them feel not so alone.’
Another book on the most-banned list was The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, which is a New York Times Bestseller. The story follows a young black girl whose friend is killed by a police officer. It’s been banned a lot due to its violent and graphic descriptions of police brutality, which is heartbreaking. Banning such an important read won’t make the issues go away. Reading this and understanding the devastating realities of what has happened to people is so important. If we keep banning books like this, the younger generation will grow up sheltered from the world around them.
The same goes for classics like To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, which has been banned in several states due to the racist language used by characters. People are smart enough to read a book about difficult topics and be able to separate that from themselves; reading a book that involves racist language is not going to make them racist. Understanding the racial issues that go on in America is vital for the younger generation to ensure history stops repeating itself.
Ironically, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale has often been banned for ‘vulgarity and sexual overtones’, which is a reflection of the aim of the author and a scary reality. It’s not really being banned for its explicit content, but for its depiction of totalitarianism and what the USA could end up looking like. The whole message is that legally controlling women’s reproductive freedom is morally and politically wrong, something that the country is doing right now.
The institutions banning so many important books are excusing the action by saying that the books’ content is too explicit, when the world is filled with novels that fit under the category of ‘explicit’ and without provoking a similar response. In reality, words are so powerful and books have the power to change lives. Limiting which books people have access to growing up is going to be really damaging. The process cages children and young people away from being able to learn about themselves and others, no matter how challenging or ‘explicit’ the topic.
