Book banning dates back to 213 BC during the reign of the Huang Dynasty in China. The Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, burned books from the past in an attempt to erase China’s history. In the United States, the first book to be considered “banned” was William Pynchon’s, The Meritorious Price of our Redemption, which was a source of outrage in the New England Colonies in 1650. However old these practices seem to be, recently, book banning has gained national attention as it has heavily resurfaced in the last 2-3 years.
Some, mostly conservative and right-wing activists, believe that banning books is essential for children and students; they question what constitutes age appropriate topics for students. They often inaccurately claim books on nuanced topics like race propagate critical race theory and are used to indoctrinate students. Conversely, opponents of book banning argue that it is censorship and violates America’s First Amendment free speech protections.
Book banning campaigns have been flaring up and gaining momentum in recent years. Currently, over 1500 books have been banned by various schools across the country. Increasingly, groups like American Principles Project have inaccurately claimed books contain academic critical race theory to justify sweeping bans of books depicting LGBTQ+ and minority lead characters, feminism, and other issues of identity that are reflected in the real world.
In regard to critical race theory, very few stories contain the theory. Critical race theory is taught in colleges as a lens for examining social constructs of race and systems of racial oppression.When people claim they are promoting the banning of critical race theory, they often are actually advocating for the ban of books that portray historical and current realities surrounding racial injustice and oppression.
Misconceptions around critical race theory have become typical across the US, as people who support the ban of critical race theory in public schools are often unaware of what it specifically is.
The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas is a great example of a book challenged as something that promotes critical race theory because it suggests that young black men are more likely to be the victims of police brutality and mistaken for criminals. While this is an upsetting fact portrayed in the book, it is also backed up consistently by data. The novel itself does not promote critical race theory; it does contain racism, showing critics do not understand what critical race theory is.
Although banned books are technically not censored, they are taken out of libraries, which makes them inaccessible to students and people who do not have the luxury to buy books. Consequently, students are denied access to the knowledge and perspectives the books hold.
School districts in Pennsylvania are documented to be almost at the height of book banning. Pennsylvania ranks 3rd in the nation with 457 bans in 11 districts, beaten only by Texas (number one) and Florida (number two).
A majority of these book bans took place in Central York School District in York County, which was responsible for 441 of the 459 bans. Other districts with large bans include Kutztown Area School District, North Penn School District, Pennridge School District, and Wissahickon School District.
Additionally, Pennsylvanians are concerned that under the influence of candidate and potential governor, Doug Mastriano, we could face even more book bans and censorship over school curriculum. With Mastriano’s plan to throw “critical race theory out the window”, we may be denied access to many books. While most of these books that actually contain critical race theory would be college history textbooks and articles, given the misconceptions about what critical race theory is, we could be facing bans on books that depict racism, like in The Hate U Give.
Banned books are also restricted because they may contain graphic violence, disrespect to parents/family, sexually explicit themes, a lack of literary merit, unsuitable themes for a particular age group, or offensive language (Free Speech Center). Campaigns and organizations like Moms for Liberty have pushed for book bans that target books and other materials that they consider offensive and inappropriate under the guise of “parental rights”.
As Ms. Burnett, Upper School English department head, says of banned books, “They get banned because they make people uncomfortable–because they force us to face things we would rather not face.”
Mostly, books are banned due to fear. Fear within people, including parents, of voices who were silenced and now speaking up; fear of the attrition of their privilege; and the commonly shared fear of change. These people mask their fear by calling it “parental control” or “what’s best” for the youth of America.
But when does “what’s best” for our youth become a restriction of one of, if not the most, principal form of education, which is teaching students how to think for themselves? “Banning books silences voices and stories that challenge us to think, to ask questions, and to formulate our own, thoughtful answers,” says Ms. Burnett.
Book banning calls us to question the following: if children and students are not exposed to these increasingly banned heavy topics, will they know how to face them when brought up in real life? The short answer to this question is no. Whether or not you support or oppose book banning in our society now, it is inevitable that we will face topics discussed in most banned books, through relationships, the media, or first person experiences.
By ignoring situations discussed in banned books, we simultaneously ignore the fact they happen in real life. Through banning books, we deny students the knowledge of how to cope with heavy topics, how to support someone going through them, and how to confront them.
The censorship of books is, for lack of a better word, a disservice to the youth of our nation. Censoring books violates our freedoms and basic human rights while hampering our access to becoming better-informed and more knowledgeable. As students, we must advocate against the banning and censorship of books.