Book Banning: The Fight Continues”

While the banning of books throughout the years mainly plays into the discourse surrounding censorship and citizens’ freedom to judge as they see fit, it also makes an audience wonder what exactly “needs'' to be censored. What is meant to “protect” children really just withholds the information that allows them to develop their own thoughts, opinions, and overall perspectives on a variety of worldly issues. It is of some concern that a lot of the books being perceived as harmful are ones that explore topics such as race, gender, and sexuality. In The New York Times, author Laurie Halse Anderson says, “By attacking these books, by attacking the authors, by attacking the subject matter, what they are doing is removing the possibility for conversation,” she said. “You are laying the groundwork for increasing bullying, disrespect, violence, and attacks.” Books with such content create spaces for conversation into broader topics that may be uncomfortable, but are a necessity in order to truly understand different perspectives and create a better tomorrow. 

From ALA’s (American Library Association) Banned Books FAQ, “... Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan, Jr., in Texas v. Johnson, said most eloquently: ‘If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable.’”

Below is a timeline of the history of banned books (each date references the most recent date in which the books faced removal):