Book Bans

In October of 1953, Ray Bradbury released his award-winning novel Fahrenheit 451, which tells the story of a world in which literature is censored to the point of burning and destroying any books that are discovered. While we view this as an unimaginable concept, in reality, this is happening in our world today— just on a less extreme level. Every day, some adults in a position of power, whether that be in government or just their local communities, are pushing to challenge and ban certain books that they deem to be inappropriate for younger readers. The feeling of responsibility to protect our upcoming generations from content they may be too young to handle or be exposed to is understandable, but when it stops them from learning about different walks of life and begins to affect them and their learning negatively, that is when book bans become a problem for students. Ironically enough, Fahrenheit 451 has been banned and/or challenged multiple times. 

As books are challenged left and right, it’s hard not to notice a recurring pattern. After researching each of the books in Reader’s Digest's The 50 Most Banned Books in America Right Now— updated as of October 20, 2023– the majority of them were either written by or tell the story of someone who is part of a minority group (e.g., LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, disabled, etc) or discusses sensitive yet very important topics such as mental health, substance abuse, and feminism, just to name a few. While it is not to say that these books are being banned solely because they focus on “non-traditional” storylines or characters, it is still rather concerning the amount of representation we are taking away from students who could see themselves and their lives in these works of literature. 

Regardless of your personal beliefs, it needs to be understood that if we continue to take books away from students that show characters who have faced similar trials and tribulations, characters that the young people of today can relate to, we can seriously harm the next generation. Imagine, after not being able to see yourself or the experiences you’ve gone through represented in the media accurately, you finally found a book that made you feel seen, only to have it removed and added to the growing list of banned books. It’s a horrible feeling, as if your life has been labeled as taboo. Taking away these small pieces of representation can be extremely isolating to minorities. It runs the risk of increasing the rates of discrimination and prejudice of students who can relate to these stories.

Among the hundreds of books banned or challenged, I have read some. The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli, most widely recognized for her novel Simon Vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda and its cinematic adaptation Love, Simon, is labeled as #36 on the Reader’s Digest list. I received this book as a gift for my 13th birthday, after having read Albertalli’s other novels, and I fell in love with it. It tells the story of Molly Peskin-Suso, a girl who has lived through 26 unrequited and unconfessed crushes and who tries to navigate her hesitant feelings toward her dorky coworker Reid. While there are scenes with some romance, dirty jokes, strong language— nothing a high schooler hasn’t said or heard before— and what Common Sense Media refers to as a “realistic portrayal of underage drinking at house parties, hangouts,” there is truly nothing too extreme in Albertalli’s novel that would deem it inappropriate for a high school student, even a mature middle school student. The book promotes body positivity, represents LGBTQ+ characters and families, represents characters of color, and conveys a message of loving who you are and accepting yourself as you exist today. 

Another widely recognized book on this list is Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give, one of the best books I have ever read. I read this novel in my 9th grade English class and it opened my eyes and helped me understand experiences I will never live through. This book tells the story of Starr Carter, a 16-year-old African-American girl who watches a white police officer murder her childhood best friend, Khalil who is an unarmed Black boy, and goes on the journey to speak up and fight against injustice as the officer is not being punished. Across the country, many argue that this book is too vulgar for schools, which I believe is just the opposite. The Hate U Give brings about an important discussion of racism and police brutality, which is more relevant than ever nowadays, and topics like these should not be shielded from the young people of today. Reading is about gaining knowledge of the world around us, and it is crucial that stories like Starr’s are being heard; nothing about that is too inappropriate for a high schooler. 

Once you understand how harmful the constant banning of books is on the generation of the future, there are steps you can take to fight against censorship. According to an Instagram post from Talking Leaves, a local Buffalo bookstore, it is important to stay up to date with the books currently being challenged and research what opportunities are available in your area to help. The post tells how you can get involved with your local school board to advocate for diversity in literature, read and request diverse books at your local library and recommend them to your friends and family, and show support for authors, librarians, teachers, and anyone else whose jobs or lives have been affected by book bans. The more authors are censored, the more we need to fight back for our right to read.