Why you (and your kids) should be reading banned books: a librarian explains

I have spent more than three decades working in libraries: high school, university, museum, private, public. I used to think that book bans were a thing of the past, and you might have thought so, too. I mean, there is a “Banned Books” week of recognition every year. One of the libraries I worked in used to set up an enormous display of books which had been challenged or outright banned over the years–the books would be “locked” inside a wire cage.

It has always been a show-stopper. People of all ages would pause to look at the books, their covers, the titles. There were always murmurs (and the occasional quiet exclamation) that revealed confusion, surprise, concern, or alarm, or some combination thereof. They would do a slow 180 to face the nearest service desk (mine) and approach, eyes wide, eyebrows raised.

Are those books really banned?

Why is the library banning books?

Who decides what books are banned?

What’s the difference between a book ban and a book challenge?

Why the heck is that one locked up? (Most often heard in reference to Harry Potter, by the way.)

And, the inevitable question: Am I allowed to check out books from the display?

That last one never lost its ability to warm the heart of even the sternest and most unsmiling among the library staff. Talk about the ultimate time to shine, and shine we did, lighting up like Christmas and the Fourth of July combined. Yes, Virginia, you can check out those books. Even Harry Potter, which made the top 10 list of most challenged titles throughout the 2000s. Fictional magic is dangerous, apparently.

Until very recently, I’d tell you that no library or librarian would consider removing a book from their collection due to a challenge or ban, regardless of who or what entity issued the challenge/ban, or what their reasoning was for their demand. It is 100% against the American Library Association (ALA) prime directive; in fact, censorship by librarians is a violation of the First Amendment, regardless of motivation. The ALA does receive reports from schools, libraries, and the media all over the US regarding books which have been challenged–they compile and publish lists of these titles to increase the public’s awareness of censorship issues.

The books in the cage? Some of those books have been banned, others have been challenged. A challenge is an attempt to restrict or remove access to materials they find objectionable. A ban is the actual removal of the title, or in some cases, all titles by a particular author or concerning a specific subject. Yes,

Book challenges are most frequently raised “for the sake of our children.” Sounds noble and commendable, right? Until the last couple of years, the three primary reasons for challenges were that the material was:

“offensive” or “containing offensive language” or

“sexually explicit content”

“Inappropriate” or “unsuitable for any age group”

In the last couple of decades, challenges and bans have taken aim at a variety of genres, . Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants series (vulgar), Looking for Alaska by best-seller John Green (sexual content), Toni Morrisson’s The Bluest Eye (racism, violence), and dozens of others. Picture books, graphic novels, YA, classics, contemporary novels, memoirs and biographies… You name it, they’ll challenge it. Hunger Games. To Kill a Mockingbird. The Handmaid’s Tale. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The Goosebumps series. The list makes me laugh at the ridiculousness (The Holy Bible gets plenty of challenges, too, by the way) and fills me with despair. What exactly are we afraid of here?

In the last couple of years, of course, we have critical race theory (CRT) bandied about as a talking point for book challengers. They don’t actually mean CRT. What they mean is that the title in question contains mentions of race and/or racism, equality, civil rights, slavery, sexism, climate change, LGBTQ inclusion, or simply anything a challenger deems to be too “woke.”

Most recently, NBC has reported that conservative parents and government officials have taken aim at library apps meant to expand access and literacy to millions and which provided a lifeline to students during the pandemic. The apps also provide resources to our servicemen and servicewomen overseas, which is now being restricted in the midst of this cascade of censorship. Parents in some areas are petitioning to have access to these resources restricted or removed altogether, and for all kids, not just their own. The worst part, from an information literacy advocate, is that it’s working.

Last month, a school superintendent in a Nashville, TN suburb pulled the plug on the school system’s e-reader platform, removing access to all included resources for more than 40,000 students. Access was restored after a week of backlash.

Counties in Texas and Florida have recently removed all access to online learning resources and even digital services libraries have used for decades, like OverDrive and its apps Sora and Libby, for K-12 students or even for the entire county’s population. A county in Texas has had a federal lawsuit filed against its sweeping censorship policy.

The increased challenges are particularly alarming, as they’re removing access to ALL titles for ALL of a particular group by banning services instead of the old-fashioned challenges to a single title. In a matter of only a few years, challenges to books have ballooned to include entire subjects, more challenges are being taken up by politicians and forced through to bans, whole aisles of school libraries are being cleared due to “objectionable content,” and now, access to all titles for all affected citizens is being terminated. And while the increased zeal with which officials are censoring their communities is deeply worrisome, it shouldn’t come as a complete surprise. This movement is an extension of the attacks on teachers, school boards and librarians, expanding to include even the tech companies who own and operate the services in question, much to their bemusement.

Downloadable ebooks and audiobooks from services like Hoopla or OverDrive were lifelines during the pandemic, providing research materials and pleasure reading alike to communities all over the country. When schools and physical library buildings were closed to the public during the early days of COVID and beyond, these resources allowed students to complete research assignments and book reports and provided a completely free means of education and entertainment, especially when financial instability and income loss meant that luxuries like subscription entertainment services often needed to be cut out of household budgets. Yet these are the very same vital services which are being cut off with a simple click, without any investigation, any evaluation of challenges filed, or due process of any kind.

The librarians and school media specialists nationwide are under fire, many of them faced with losing their jobs if they don’t comply with directives made by governing officials–particularly cruel in these times of inflation and pandemic. While the ALA believes very strongly that parents should be actively involved in the selection of reading material for their own children, it becomes a First Amendment infraction when those parents seek to enact restrictions on all children and all other parents. I feel that it’s necessary to stress this: it’s not just schools, it’s not just parents and kids, this is happening in public libraries. Public libraries which are primarily funded by taxpayer dollars. If informational and educational entities that you are helping to fund are under attack, it is up to you to fight back. For more information on the rise of book bans and censorship, and how you can push back, see the ALA website.

Lastly, yes, I want you and your kids to read banned books. Establishing censorship as acceptable policy for schools and libraries is only the tip of the iceberg, and if it is allowed to take root and spread, you may find your favorite books and authors on the no-read list before long. Removing access doesn’t make the subject matter go away. Rather, censorship removes opportunities for parents and children to discuss difficult topics in a safe environment. Also, have you ever told a kid not to do something? It only makes them more laser-focused, increasing tensions in homes, schools, and communities. Read with your children, parents. Have those tough conversations. If you don’t want your kids to learn about these things elsewhere (and they will), your strongest tool is more information, not less. The less we read, the less able we are to think for ourselves as adults, and ultimately, it makes us dumber as a nation. An illiterate, mentally stunted America is something teachers and librarians and authors all fight against. It’s our reason for choosing our professions. And we will not stop defending the First Amendment. Ever.