What Books Bans Truly Do To Us
Kimberly Farmer
Books bans have been around since the beginning of written text all around the world. All the way to Ancient Chinese emperor Shih Huang Ti who did away with historical texts in 259 B.C. and The Odyssey was banned for a period of time by Roman emperor Caligula in 35 A.D. because of his dislike for how the ideals of Greek freedom were written.
Since this time in history, book bans represent the struggle for political control by those in power. Typically controlling the literature they do not agree with or do not align with their ideals.
The first book in the United States to be banned was in 1637 with the book New English Canaan by Thomas Morton. It was seen as harsh and critical of the Puritan customs and power structures.
The banning of books in the United States did not stop there but there were times when it was not as prominent in society as it is today in 2023. The levels have fluctuated with every decade.
Since 1990, the consistency of book bans in the United States has been inconsistent decade by decade. In the 1990s there were over 600 challenges on books per year on average, but there was a drop in the first decade of the 21st century.
Between 2010 and 2020, the low levels of book bans remained consistent. The challenge dropped to being over 300 per year. 2020 had a record-low amount of banning efforts. This changed recently as the number of book bans that were attempted skyrocketed significantly in 2022.
The book ban efforts are typically in schools or in libraries as 99% of the requests in the country were in these two places.
Now in 2023, the use of books bans are political statements made state by state to remove certain books from classrooms and/or libraries. It is a hot topic in American politics and has been increasing each year.
With this in mind, school book bans or restrictions have risen 33% in the 2022-2023 school year in the United States. Florida having more bans than any other state.
There were 3,362 book bans in the United States in the 2022-2023 school year compared to the 2,532 bans in the 2021-2022 school year.
When counting only books that have been permanently removed from either school libraries or classrooms, the number is 1,263 compared to the 333 the year prior which is quadruple the amount.
Most of these books that were pulled off the shelf were written about or by members of the LGBTQ+ community and people of color.
The Supreme Court Case in 1982
The question is, “how is this legal when America has freedom of speech and expression?” This freedom covers using offensive words, wearing armbands in protest to school, to not speak, to engage in symbolic speech and more. How is reading a book not covered in this?
In 1982, the Supreme Court heard the case of Island Trees Union Free School District v. Pico. This case opened the gates to allow schools and school boards to ban books so that their students cannot get them from their libraries or classrooms. Specifically arguing for junior high and high schools in this case.
The case ruled in favor of the students in a 5-4 decision because as a place to enhance information and education, schools have a responsibility to follow the freedom of speech and press granted to students. School boards are not allowed to ban books solely because the board itself does not like what the book states.
Essentially the ruling decided that if the reasoning for the book being banned is to limit diversity for either nationalistic, political, or religious reasonings, then it is unconstitutional to be done. If the school board proves that the book is being removed because of vulgarity or educational ineptness, then they are within their right to remove the book.
This Supreme Court opened the ability of schools to be able to ban books for reasons that do not include limiting the diversity for students.
Types of Book Bans
There are multiple types of book bans that can occur. Book bans can range from four different types of bans that occur throughout the United States.
Books that are banned in both libraries and classrooms - When titles are considered off-limits for students to be able to read and are simultaneously taken off the shelves in both settings.
Books banned only in libraries - When administrators or school boards remove titles from shelves that were once available for students to read. This does not mean that they are banned from classroom curriculum and could potentially still be used in class discussions. This is where books that are taken off the shelves in a school-level library even if it is not taken off the shelves in other school-level libraries. These decisions typically do not follow the age recommendation by the author.
Books banned only in classrooms - Times when books have been taken out of classroom libraries, curriculums, or optional reading lists. These books are banned in classroom settings but may still be available in the library setting.
Books that have been pulled off the shelf but are still under investigation - This is when a book is removed from shelves while the investigation determines if there are any restrictions that should take place on it. Since the timelines of the investigations are typically a long process, they are considered bans while the book is off shelves, even if it does end up being temporary and because they are counter to procedural best practices for book challenges from the American Library Association (ALA) and the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAP).
How Book Bans Affect People
It is important to note that book bans have a negative impact on people. When the government decides to ban a book, it leaves the impression the message of the book is not okay and not accepted in society. When a majority of the books attempting to be banned are from LGBTQIA+ authors or about LGBTQIA+ stories or written by people of color, it leaves the impression that they are not accepted.
There is an issue that those in conservative areas typically have fewer books about the LGBTQIA+ community, or topics on abortion, race, and racism. These students do not have the equal opportunity to learn about these issues compared to their liberal area counterparts.
There is also a lack of freedom in a society in which books are banned because the government does not approve of them. It weakens the education that people receive and limits the ability of citizens to be able to freely think for themselves.
Book bans create a system of fear in a culture. Teachers do not know what they can teach and writers fear for what they are allowed to write.
There is also a fear of students not knowing important parts of their culture due to a lack of education. They will not have access to knowledge about their culture or other cultures creating a sense that there is something inherently wrong with that culture.
Top Thirteen Most Challenged Books in 2022
Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe with 151 challenges because of LGBTQIA+ content and with claims of being sexually explicit.
All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson with 86 challenges due to LGBTQIA+ content and with claims of being sexually explicit.
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison with 73 challenges for a depiction of sexual abuse, EDI content, and claims of being sexually explicit.
Flamer by Mike Curato with 62 challenges for LGBTQIA+ content and claiming to be sexually explicit.
Looking for Alaska by John Green with 55 challenges for LGBTQIA+ content and claiming to be sexually explicit.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky with 55 challenges for depiction of sexual abuse, LGBTQIA+ content, drug use, profanity, and claiming to be sexually explicit.
Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison with 54 challenges for LGBTQIA+ content and claiming to be sexually explicit.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie with 52 challenges for profanity and claiming to be sexually explicit.
Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez with 50 challenges for depictions of abuse and claiming to be sexually explicit.
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas with 48 challenges because of claims of being sexually explicit.
Crank by Ellen Hopkins with 48 challenges for drug use, claims of being sexually explicit.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews with 48 challenges for profanity and claims of being sexually explicit.
This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson with 48 challenges for LGBTQIA+ content, providing sexual education, claims to be sexually explicit.
Why do people support book bans?
One reason that people support book bans is due to a sense of protection for those who could be reading the book without fully knowing what is in the book. Books that are seen as inappropriate for a certain demographic may be contested and/or banned in order to not cause students to feel upset, marginalized, embarrassed or uncomfortable in their classrooms.
There are people who believe that banning books does not contribute to racism, transphobia, homophobia, and other prejudices. They do not see a correlation and do not believe that banning books increases these prejudices in society.
Public Opinion
A majority of the public does not approve of book bans even though the amounts that they occur are growing.
Polling among K-12 teachers, a second amongst the general public, with an oversample of parents of school-aged kids found that parents typically trust the teachers to make decisions that are in their child's best interest when it comes to books. They do differ on determining who is primarily responsible for decisions on what is taught in schools.
69% of Americans oppose the idea of book bans in and restricting discussions in classrooms about the topics of gender, sexuality, race, or racism.
Republicans are more likely to support a book ban compared to Democrats and Independents. Even with this, 52% of Republicans oppose book bans.
62% of Americans state they do not approve of lawmakers restricting what subjects and topics teachers decide to discuss in their classrooms. 64% say this for school boards.
81% of Americans with children in Kindergarten through twelfth-grade support teaching the history of slavery, racism, and segregation in public schools.
Book bans go state by state with some actively backing book bans in their state and states like Illinois that outlaw the banning of books. Illinois outlawed the banning of books in June of this year. The law goes into effect in January 2024 and any public library that is not compliant will be ineligible for funding.