In the age of information, where almost everyone has access to the whole world at their fingertips, it can be more realistically called the age of censorship. You can see it on the news, on social media, or even in your library, where book banning has swept the nation.
So why are books banned in the first place? According to an article published by the Teachers College of Columbia University, the answer concerns the country’s First Amendment. “The application of the First Amendment hinges on the existence of evidence that books are banned for political reasons and violate freedom of expression. However, without more explicit guidance, school boards often make decisions that prioritize “community values” first and access to information second,” wrote Morgan Gilbard, who created the article using answers from TC experts.
Book banning is nothing new, nor illegal, but another important question is how book bans keep reoccurring. “The United States’ history, since its inception, is full of uses of curriculum to shape politics, the economy and the culture,” says Erickson, Associate Professor of History and Education Policy. The long list of books that are banned consists of topics such as discrimination, Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ+, sexual abuse, and many more. Many people believe those topics don’t belong in schools or libraries in general, but getting rid of those topics would be a huge disservice to authors worldwide.
When asked why books are significant, the librarian at our school, Mrs. Sitte, praised the importance of literature. “They are important because I’ve been a reader my whole life, and public libraries in particular are important because that was my first paying job,” and “I think it is important to see ourselves in stories as well as other people’s experiences. I like TV and movies, but I feel like books give you more control, and you can form your own view on the characters. An author can create a world that a TV show can’t,” said Mrs. Sitte. Librarians have been hit hard on this issue since their judgment is being questioned. “A librarian is someone who is educated and intentionally decides what material would be beneficial to show for the students,” said Mr. Cornell, the English 10 teacher at our school, who thinks librarians should receive more recognition for what they do.
Censorship will impact not only libraries in the long run but also students’ education in general. “I think it does have an impact on a student’s education. As they grow up, they’re curious about different things- to be able to read books as a way to understand other people’s lives. And it develops empathy, all sorts of good things,” said Mr. Cornell, concerned about how banning books will influence students as they grow older without viewing different cultures and hardships that books can offer. The concern is also very real in terms of what students research as well. When it comes to researching, information can become sketchy online when scholars need factual information, but oftentimes, the more convenient place is the internet versus a book.
One thing that the internet and books do have in common is censorship. But, as of late, books have more censorship than really necessary, which is silly because books have more of a process to publish than a random video online. “I think it is unfortunate that there are people devaluing books in our culture because there is rigour behind making them,” Mrs. Sitte said when describing the unfairness of restricting books. Another opinion is that any censorship is bad censorship. “Every time a book is censored is when it goes too far. Literature is quality information, a published book. I don’t think it should ever be limited. I think you should be able to read whatever’s there,” said Mr. Cornell. He later shared a story from his high school days when some guys checked out the book Mein Kampf, Hitler’s autobiographical manifesto, and how even though they didn’t understand it completely, they still got the opportunity to read it in its entirety.
Book banning is critical right now as people reach out to suppress voices, which is why it is crucial to stop the censorship of books more than ever and to support your local libraries and librarians.