The Pros And Cons Of Banning Books

Why Banning Books is Harmful Censorship has been a source of debate in the United States for a long time. In the name of censorship, book bans have been on the rise, particularly in schools. Book bans come about through book challenges. A person or group of people can challenge a book on a variety of different bases. Once a book has been challenged, those involved in the library, typically librarians or teachers and school board members in the case of school districts, assess the challenge. After the assessment the book is either banned which means it will be removed from curriculum and/or the library. Book bans are a way of restricting access to books. They can be specific to age groups in the case of schools or they can be generalized with

Concerns about opposing political views, the LGBTQ+ community and racism are topics that shouldn’t be restricted but rather discussed so that everyone can get a better understanding of them. When discussing the topic of book bans, it is clear that they are overall harmful to society and the education of students.

Clearly, books have a profound impact on one’s view of the world. Learning about the history of the world is an important part of education. In spite of this, certain parts of history are under attack with book bans. Discussions of racism and its history in America are said to be inappropriate for students, but it gives future generations a more well-rounded view of the country. The ALA (2019) notes that “parents challenge materials more often than any other group.” (American Library Association, 2019) While on understandable grounds, it’s reasonable for a parent to deny their child access to certain books, one parent or a group of parents shouldn’t have the power to deny all children access to a book. All this does is force one's beliefs onto others. There is a similar argument for public libraries. Why should one person or group

That's not to say that books shouldn’t be judged in other aspects such as age appropriate material and explicit language, just as any other type of media would be judged. Seeing other people's points can broaden our own. Looking at other peoples experiences with deep rooted social issues can make us look at our biases and redress where we stand. When discussing who most often challenges books to be considered for banning the American Library Association (2019) states, “Throughout history, more and different kinds of people and groups of all persuasions than you might first suppose, who, for all sorts of reasons, have attempted—and continue to attempt—to suppress anything that conflicts with or anyone who disagrees with their own beliefs.” (American Library Association, 2019) and looking at how polarized America has become, this statement makes sense. Healthy discussions about one's thoughts and beliefs are uncommon lately. People have become so set in their ways that they refuse to look at anything that may tear down the walls they’ve constructed. Yes, it is difficult to reconstruct how you look at issues, but is it not worth it if it benefits society? Books like Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe, All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, the top 3 most challenged books in 2022,