Book banning has become a hot topic in recent years and is one of the most controversial. But what does it mean to ban a book and when did it start? Book banning is a form of censorship where books are either removed, suppressed, or restricted in availability because of subject matter that is deemed objectionable.
Book burning was a common occurrence in the 17th century, with the first book banned in the United States being Thomas Morton’s New English Canaan. It was banned because the Puritan government felt that it was a harsh critique on their customs. They were able to assert their power to induce fear of talking bad about the government, pushing forward their own narrative of how they should be viewed.
The government is the most common entity to ban a book, but you can also see it in your local schools, libraries or bookstores as well. What is being banned is also dependent on the body and/or state initiating the challenge.
Here’s some examples of recent books that have been banned and why:
- Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank; banned for discussions of puberty and teenage sexuality
- Crank by Ellen Hopkins; banned for drugs, offensive language, and sexually explicit
- Goosebumps by R.L. Stine; banned for supernatural themes, violence, and encouraging disobedience
- Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling; Unsuited to age group, witchcraft, religious viewpoint, anti-family, darkness/scariness/violence, and for “setting a bad example”
These are just some of the few that have been banned and are popular today. (Interested in viewing the most commonly banned books and why? Click the link here.)
Florida is one such state that has taken book banning to the extreme. In 2023, a bill was introduced in Florida (HB 1069) that bans certain books in schools that depict or describe “sexual conduct” or is “inappropriate for the age group” and parents are able to object to books as well that they deemed not suitable for their children. But Pen America has said that the majority of books removed are ones that “talk about LGBTQ+ identities, that includes characters of color, that talk about race and racism, that include depictions of sexual experiences in the broadest interpretation of that understanding”. Florida has one of the strictest school bans in the country in 2023, according to the American Library Association. One school district even pulled encyclopedias and dictionaries to be reviewed under the ban. The law has even generated a lawsuit by publishers and authors, saying that the ban is too strict and too broad. They can ban a book for saying “made love”, without knowing the context behind it.
Florida has said that they have not banned any books but if they did, it was only because it was sexually explicit and not appropriate for young audiences. This is a form of propaganda, where the government is trying to sway a certain audience to their thinking. It’s for the children! But when minority groups and LGBTQ+ identities are being targeted, it just shows that it’s not about the children really. It’s to push forward their own ideas of what is acceptable and what is not.
This is an ongoing, modern controversy that doesn’t seem to be getting better any time soon. Some people do think that abolishing certain books because of their content will make a better future for everyone, but it limits perspective and knowledge. It also goes against our rights as human beings.