Choosing what books are allowed in schools has often been a difficult process. Many want to be able to protect children from harmful messages, but also want to educate them on complicated or controversial topics. But recently, concerns about certain books have resurfaced in a major way.
This year has been particularly eventful in terms of certain books in schools being contested. In the fall of the 2021-2022 school year, in a period of only 3 months, the American Library Association reported 330 cases of books being challenged. Texas has been hit especially hard by this campaign for the removal of books as well, with 75 parental complaints this year, in comparison to only one being made the year before. In Pennsylvania, a similar surge in objections to certain books in schools has been found.
Popular books that haven’t been controversial such as Maus, a graphic novel which explains the horrors committed during Holocaust with mice, have recently seen more debate about the brief nudity and curse words within. Some other books include, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood for sexual violence, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison for sexual abuse and incest, and Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe for depictions of oral sex. The book All Boys Aren’t Blue by George Johnson is being banned in various states, including Pennsylvania, Florida, Iowa, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Virginia and Texas. The book was published in 2020 and features essays about violence against Black queer boys, especially focused on the author’s personal experiences.
Organizations such as Texans Wake Up and No Left Turn in Education have claimed that children should not be exposed to such vulgar content, creating a new hashtag #FReadom. They argue that children and teens are becoming “sexualized and politically indoctrinated” and that we should not have books in schools that contain references to sex or violence since it would ultimately hurt those reading them.
However, others contend that the excerpts brought up for debate have been taken out of context. They argue that, while there is some sexual and violent content, the context of it is better understood when reading the book in its entirety rather than taking out certain parts. For example, Maus does have some nudity, but some may say that it is depicted to educate children on what took place during the Holocaust and that even if it may be triggering to children, it’s a part of history.
Bans are also disproportionately related to books that target racism, sexism, or homophobia. Gender Identity focuses on discovering gender identity, All Boys Aren’t Blue discusses violence committed against those in the LGBTQ+ community, and books that talk about critical race theory have additionally been targeted for bans. Parents, teachers, and organizations pushing for bans maintain their view that children shouldn’t be influenced by a political agenda or be exposed to sexual pornography.
Navigating whether to keep books open for anyone to read or to accept parents’ concerns has proven to be a tough decision for librarians to make, as they and local Board of Educations would theoretically have the power to remove a book based on its content. Nevertheless, according to law, the question of whether they may actually even be able to do that is still unanswered, since it’s possible that it could be a violation of the First Amendment. It remains to be seen how school systems across the country will grapple with this rising debate.
Article by Zoe Duni of Walter Johnson High School
Photo courtesy of @FReadomFighters