By Meghan Morris
As Stephen Chbosky famously said, “Banning books gives us silence when we need speech. It closes our ears when we need to listen. It makes us blind when we need sight.”
The issue of book banning is becoming increasingly relevant. According to The Guardian, more than 10,000 books have been banned in US public schools from 2023 to 2024. Nearly 60% of those banned books were written for young adult readers and depict themes that young people experience daily. These topics help readers navigate their lives while not feeling alone. Some of these topics include grief, death, experiences with substance abuse, suicide, depression and mental health concerns, sexual violence, and many more.
Across a variety of institutions, we have seen a range of policy changes and new state laws all designed to suppress education about certain viewpoints, identities, and histories. These particularly target literature concerning people of color, LGBTQ+ people, and gender identity.
In Florida, any book that was challenged for including “sexual conduct” was pulled from school and library shelves while under review. Such guidelines have led to a sharp increase in book bans, PEN America reported. Florida and Iowa recorded the highest number of book bans during the 2023-2024 school year with over 4,500 book bans in Florida and over 3,600 in Iowa alone. The books they deemed unfit for the masses overwhelmingly include books with people and characters of color (44%) and books with LGBTQ+ people and characters (39%).
America has a long history of banning books from shelves; the first book ban in the United States took place in 1637 in what is now known as Quincy, Massachusetts. Thomas Mortan published “New English Canaan” which was banned by the Puritan government due to its harsh critiques of the Puritan customs and power. Some may assume that these types of targeted bans are a thing of the past, however, according to Anjali Berdia with the Reporters Committee of Freedom of The Press, a similar ban took place recently.
In June 2020, the Trump administration attempted to stop John Bolton from publishing a memoir about his time as the president’s former Nation Security Advisor. Two weeks later, the president-elect’s niece, Mary Trump, was sued after publishing her book “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man.” It has also been revealed that a federal judge had returned the president’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to prison to retaliate against him and his plan to publish a book about Trump. These examples of banning books about real-world topics and the newly elected president are all examples of unconstitutional prior restraints. Prior restraints are considered violations of the First Amendment because they prevent information from being published in the first place.
Despite the history of book bans in America, banned books have helped to shape the world of literature we know today. “Moby Dick,” “The Scarlet Letter,” “Little Women,” and “The Wizard of Oz” were once banned books, but are now considered classics.
Books play a significant role in our society and personal lives, especially for children. Reading increases knowledge and empathy for others and improves intellectual skills such as writing, critical thinking, and understanding of vocabulary. Books offer many benefits including stress relief, cognitive health, increased concentration skills, and empathy, and it can improve sleep.
