"BANNING" IS DANGEROUS

Recent Book Bans and Why "Banning" is Dangerous

By Shayna Cohen

In a new wave of state and local legislation, school districts across the country are moving to ban more books, prohibiting the teaching and distribution of books which they believe to promote inappropriate or radical ideas. Most of the banned books are novels that feature protagonists of color or members of the LGBTQ+ community, specifi cally transgender characters. However, the bans go beyond just stories– schools are also banning nonfi ction books which discuss similar historical themes. Many politicians, schools, and parents in favor of book bans defend their argument on moral grounds, claiming that the ideas presented are too dangerous for their children to read.

United States-based non-profi t organization PEN America, dedicated to protecting free expression and digital equality around the world, published an Index of recently banned books in April 2022. By reviewing documents, news stories, and school curricula, PEN America has totaled 1,145 unique book titles that were banned from July 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022. Book bans in the last year have taken place in 86 school districts across 26 states, aff ecting over two million students.

As mentioned, a majority of banned books are works of fiction including Black, Muslim, Jewish, gay, or transgender characters and themes. The specific statistics provided by PEN America are striking: 33 percent of stories feature LGBTQ+ protagonists (7 percent have specifically transgender characters), and 41 percent of all banned books feature protagonists of color.

This new wave of book bans in schools is dangerous and sets a scary precedent for what could come. Banning stories that touch “taboo” subjects prevents students from learning about the realities of our world. Whether the topics are dark and heavy, or beautiful and free, stories allow us to look at our world through the lens of anyone but ourselves– of someone who has valuable ideas to share about their realities. In a world where diversity and inequalities are ever-increasing, reading about the experiences of other ethnicities, religions and genders is vital to ensuring understanding and compassion. Without free access to a variety of books in schools, students are more likely to be taught only one or a few narratives, which history has proven will have negative effects on a population. This is especially important for the younger generation, students in K-12 who are just entering “the real world".

Stories allow the reader to construct their own understanding of the world around them. Students should be able to explore the vast world of ideas on their own, and synthesize what they read with their own experiences to shape their worldview. Especially for students of color and gay or transgender students, having access to stories written by people like them can provide comfort, solidarity, and the promise of belonging in a strange and sometimes cruel world.

Continuing to ban books in schools across America will only have negative consequences. As a lifelong avid reader, I have learned so much through reading stories about lives I will never live and experiences I will never have. Preventing students from the opportunity to read honest and free stories, and use what they have learned to understand themselves and the world around them– will not only create a generation of insecure and sheltered American youth, but a future world of misunderstanding and division. 40

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