Book banning is action taken against specific books due to their content. In 2024, book banning attempts, especially in schools, surpassed historic records.
Over recent years banning books has become a very controversial topic.
According to reporter Daniel Arkin, “In recent years, school districts and state legislatures nationwide have been roiled by fierce, politicized debates over what reading materials are appropriate for kids and teenagers.”
However, the content that has entered the spotlight has become the issue, as many people are upset that the topics are even being questioned.
Many topics such as the LGBTQ+ community, sexual content, the use of illegal substances and abuse has led to books being banned.
The idea that these real-life topics are too sensitive for students to be reading or learning about has caused many classic books to be censored.
“Animal Farm”, “The Color Purple” and “The Catcher in the Rye” are among the long list of books that have begun to be censored in different parts of the United States.
According to Southeastern Oklahoma State University librarian Susan L. Webb, these bans go against a student’s right of freedom of thought and choice.
“Bans argue that by restricting information and discouraging freedom of thought, censors undermine one of the primary functions of education: teaching students how to think for themselves,” Webb said.
While bans may seem like they are a beneficial option, because supporters campaign against the mature content some books may supply, in reality, it limits the diverse content that students can see.
According to a spokesperson for the Institute for Youth in Policy, “banning books infringes on the freedom of expression, impacts LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities unequally, and restricts opportunities for students to engage with a wide range of perspectives, hindering their intellectual and emotional development.”
Reading books and seeing different types of media with people and characters who are going through the same experiences can help children and teenagers learn to cope with the different situations they find themselves in.
According to journalist Mary Ellen Flannery, “A good book can help you understand what it’s like for people who don’t share your race, religion, sexual orientation, or socio-economic status.”
Diversity in the books available in the classroom environment help students build essential characteristics such as empathy, compassion, and acceptance.
Not only that, when “an author’s book is banned from a school library, the reader’s right to freedom of speech is censored with it, interfering with the ability of school libraries to serve as the “marketplace of ideas” in education, Drexel University student Shane Morris said.