what bans a book?
Anyone else get thinking after watching the Handmaid’s Tale?
It is important to note that there are different kinds of censorship within this realm. To start, there is a difference between book bans, and book challenges. Book challenges can take many different shapes and have multiple outcomes. A challenged book could lead to redacted or reworded passages from original writing; it could also mean that the book moves to a different point of access, such as from the young adult to adult section. Book bans become more serious because it affects the access to information. When a book is banned it is removed from libraries and curriculum in schools. Books are chosen to be challenged or banned because “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.”
PEN America “found that many challenged books focus on communities of color, the history of racism in America and LGBTQ characters. In fact, one in three books restricted by school districts in the past year featured LGBTQ themes or characters.” They also share that “parents challenge books more than any other group” along with school board officials, local and statewide lawmakers, and activists.
More banned book information from ALA:
The 10 most challenged books of 2021
* “Gender Queer,” by Maia Kobabe
* “Lawn Boy,” by Jonathan Evison
* “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” by George M. Johnson
* “Out of Darkness,” by Ashley Hope Perez
* “The Hate U Give,” by Angie Thomas
* “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” by Sherman Alexie
* “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl,” by Jesse Andrews
* “The Bluest Eye,” by Toni Morrison
* “This Book Is Gay,” by Juno Dawson
* “Beyond Magenta,” by Susan Kuklin
Many books that were historically banned ended up becoming literary classics that are still taught in modern classrooms.
Frequently banned classics include:
* "To Kill a Mockingbird," by Harper Lee
* "The Catcher in the Rye," by JD Salinger
* "The Grapes of Wrath," by John Steinbeck
* "The Color Purple," by Alice Walker
* "1984," by George Orwell