Recently, books like All Boys Aren’t Blue, Gender Queer, The Hate U Give, and Thirteen Reasons Why are amongst many books that have been banned in the U.S. The banning of these books, each of which involve topics like sexuality, suicide, bullying, and racism, bring up the discussion about whether or not banning books is right. 

In the U.S., book banning is one of the most common forms of censorship. Books, in general, can be banned by school libraries and public libraries. While book censorship can appear to be a violation of the First Amendment, certain acts of censorship are permitted constitutionally. When deciding if it is okay for a book to be banned, public officials are to take into account the community standards. Although, books by popular or accepted authors Like J.K. Rowling or Mark Twain cannot be banned just because they do not appeal to the sentiments of some people. Nonetheless, when banning a book, the beliefs and standards of the community are what play the most important part. Something which is acceptable or thought to be progressive in one school district may be deemed too inappropriate for another school district, causing the book to be banned in that specific district. 

Despite books being so widely banned, I believe that books shouldn’t be censored. Even though some books pose opinions that are unpopular or uncommon, I believe that discussing such books, especially in schools and public libraries, can open the floor for discussion about new opinions. It can also encourage children and students to explore more viewpoints before forming their own opinions on topics.

Book banning, or book censorship, according to The First Amendment Encyclopedia, is described as “a form of censorship, occurs when private individuals, government officials, or organizations remove books from libraries, school reading lists, or bookstore shelves because they object to their content, ideas, or themes. Those advocating a ban complain typically that the book in question contains graphic violence, expresses disrespect for parents and family, is sexually explicit, exalts evil, lacks literary merit, is unsuitable for a particular age group, or includes offensive language.” 

Before diving into why books shouldn’t be censored, it is important to understand the difference between challenged and banned books. Challenged books are books that have been attempted to be banned based whereas banned books have already been removed from the shelves. 

California happens to be the state with the most challenged books, yet Arcadia High School Library and Arcadia Public Library do not censor books. In fact, the book Of Mice and Men, a book that has been heavily challenged and even banned in the last decade or so, is a part of the freshmen English curriculum here at Arcadia High School (AHS). The book includes racial slurs as well as racist and sexist comments, but instead of shying away from the content, students are encouraged to analyze the book as well as think about the issues the book portrays, and connect the events in the book to situations currently happening. Other books that are challenged elsewhere but are included in the AHS curriculum include 1984, The Catcher in the Rye, and Lord of the Flies. However, it is worth noting that Arcadia Unified School District (AUSD) does have a procedure that allows parents/guardians as well as AUSD staff to formally challenge a book. 

There are many reasons why books shouldn’t be banned. When banning books with uncommon views, children miss out on learning about views and people different from them. Exposing children to only things that they are comfortable or familiar with makes them way too accustomed to the “normal” course of things. When exposed to ideas that challenge their thinking process, children can rethink their own opinions and think more critically about topics rather than just adapting the opinions the people around them have. 

Ms. Shannon Will, AHS’ teacher-librarian said “Library professionals are trained in collection development, which includes selecting books based on specific criteria, including (but not limited to) accuracy, relevancy, social significance, age-appropriate, awards, and  inclusion in standard bibliographies or indexes, and reputation of the author, illustrator, publisher or producer.”

Some people may argue that some books are “outdated” or too mature for children to read, and while parents should be able to restrict their children from independently reading certain books at a certain age, it is important to know that books help provide children with multiple perspectives on a single topic, and is essential in letting them independently develop their own opinions. 

Like Arianna Hawkins, a person who participated in an online forum that asked people whether books should be banned or not, said “Even books like Mein Kampf should not be banned, because if we ever want to defeat certain kinds of enemies, we have to know who they are and how they work.”

It is okay to put age restrictions on books, but it’s not okay to take away the liberty of reading books just because it’s uncommon. 

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