Banning Books Should Be Banned

Why do people ban books? Especially for children? Shouldn't it be the students' choice of which book to read? Banning books is a very controversial matter that continues to grow in US schools as time goes on. Banning books started as early as the 1600s when the Puritan government outlawed New English Canaan by Thomas Morton. Officials claimed it painted their society in a "harsh and heretical" light (Book Banning). Now, schools across the US have banned over one thousand books. It makes no sense how someone can declare that banning a book is right because many people and students, myself included, believe book banning is wrong and shouldn't be done. Is book banning fair to all concerned? No, it's not because, first of all, supporters fear

Not only does banning books violate authors' rights, restricting them from freedom of speech, but it also violates the students' rights to "receive and express ideas" (Webb). Many people who think certain books deserve to be banned do not agree with or dislike the themes present in the books. For example, as of 2020, the top five reasons for banning books were sexual content, offensive language, being unsuited to the age group, religious viewpoints, and LGBTQIA+ content. The authors who decide to have these themes in their book are utilizing their freedom of speech. If someone were to take that away, it would be unconstitutional. If someone can ban a book because they dislike what the book is saying it would therefore be saying their freedom of speech is valued more than the authors. Banning books also disregards the students' rights because the First Amendment allows them to "read and view what they wish" (First Amendment). Failing to let students read books they want makes it seem like their rights aren't protected. Just because we are young, it doesn't mean we need protection from uncomfortable topics such as violence and racism, both reasons some books are

Book banning isn't really beneficial to anybody, not even those who believe they are "protecting" children from sensitive topics. There are topics in banned books, like racism, to spread awareness and to show it's wrong. Then there are other themes, like diverse religions and cultures, to spread inclusivity to show being different is normal. When children read about things in books, it shapes their worldview; especially, it makes them notice that most of these happen in the world around them. And it does build goodwill and better friendships because they'll be able to understand what others may go through, and those people will have characters to relate to. And overall, everyone could just bond over how great a book