The idea of banning books is nothing new. Censoring of the printed word has been a part of every cultural since the printing press was invented in 1436. Anytime there is a major cultural shift in America, (really, anywhere) it seems that the accompanying literature, or art, become a target for scrutiny and the voice of the new and the unheard become martyrs as their work ends up being looked upon as a threat to the status quo. Even back in 1992, Stephen King, the famed horror author, wrote a short essay after discovering a handful of his books were banned in Florida. “It doesn't hurt to remember that John Steinbeck, J.D. Salinger, and even Mark Twain have been banned in this country's public schools over the last 20 years.” The authors Stephen King spoke of in 1992 are authors we now revere and use as core curriculum for high school reading, whereas at their time, they were looked at as dangerous and were indeed banned for a time. Society catches up with these rabble rousers though, like King’s aforementioned authors finding cultural legitimacy years after being banned. But as we are seeing now in Florida, again, society seems to be reverting to its old ways of censoring. This censorship, I believe, comes from fear and lack of understanding of concepts within these books or ideas that are not yet mainstream, or are still counter culture. These new laws, which specifically in Florida, are being set in place by current Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, are looking to ban books that convey modern ideals about empathy and inclusion, as well as decry racism, sexism and old biases. To the Floridan and other “red” state lawmakers, this is an affront on the old ways and to them, a danger to children. They are afraid of this wave of change and it disrupts their complacency. Advisory Committees and curriculum cops are beginning to circulate. Yea, I said curriculum cops. Is that a thing?
What can seemingly be a subjective choice to pull a certain book from the shelves has become more objective (by law) and this is to the chagrin of some parents. In the School Library Journal in 2022, writer Colleen Connelly quoted a parent as saying “These books offer our young readers a wide variety of viewpoints and experiences in life…Through the process of sharing those experiences, we all grow.” Conversely, some parents find the texts to go against what they would teach at home. So, how do we define what is appropriate without fully emptying libraries or banning books altogether? It seems, on the surface, very dystopian to allow the government to get rid of books because what we are ostensibly doing as a society is not talking to each other. We are unwittingly erasing points of view, cultures and ideas because we are not comfortable with having an open and honest conversation. We wouldn't be sweeping it under the rug, we’d be getting rid of the floor completely.
Regardless of the initial social ramifications at the moment, there is also a fear that students who aren't allowed to read certain books now may be negatively affected later in life. Megan Palmer makes this point in her essay “The Negative Effects of Book Banning Regarding High School Students.” “In order to effectively grow and develop, both intellectually and democratically, books that discuss the truth that adults so love to hide from kids might be the most beneficial” Moreover, if these books are banned, how can we learn from the past if it it white washed or ignored?
Megan Plamer, and I am sure most other writers and scholars, are on the side that books, especially books from BIPOC voices, books about gender equality and books that bring up critical race theory should not be banned. The information within these books are vital for younger people to understand the world as it was and how it is now and how it could be. These books, this information, can and will help establish a more nuanced, modern and inclusive point of view needed to help bridge gaps that are currently becoming wider and wider with political and social division ruling the day. Book-banners, after all, insist that everyone should see things their way. Stephen King points out “If they are left to their own devices, a great deal of good literature may soon disappear from the shelves of school libraries simply because good books -- books that make us think and feel -- always generate controversy.”
Ray Bradbury brings up an even more scary thought. “The problem in our country isn't with books being banned, but with people no longer reading. You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” Let’s hope both Bradbury and King are wrong.
What do you all think
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We investigate banned books in my 7th grade class. I just got interested in the new edited versions of Roald Dahl and the debate there. https://www.npr.org/2023/02/21/1158347261/roald-dahl-books-changed-offensive-words