by Emma Myers~ copy editor
The art of literature is that, in its purest form, it is interpretative and subjective.
Books are vessels used to relay messages by telling stories. However, those stories do not always come without opposition.
“Challenging” a book is a call to remove a book from a library, school, or bookseller on the basis of its contents. The act of removing the book itself is considered “banning” (About Banned & Challenged Books, 2012).
The process of challenging is less official than it may seem. “Challenged” books are merely the result of general, community rallying brought to the attention of the desired book distributor.
Sometimes, the call to ban specific books can go as far as the supreme court.
For example, in 1982, Island Trees School District v. Pico challenged the legality of schools removing books on the basis of the first amendment. Although it was ruled unconstitutional, it did set a baseline for many cases to follow (How Do Books Get Banned).
“As of 2020, the top ten reasons books were challenged or banned, according to the American Library Association, included:
- sexual content (92.5% percent of books on the list)
- offensive language (61.5%)
- unsuited to age group (49%)
- religious viewpoint (26%)
- LGBTQIA+ content (23.5%)
- violence (19%)
- racism (16.5%)
- use of illegal substances (12.5%)
- “anti-family” content (7%)
- political viewpoint (6.5%) (How Do Books Get Banned”.
For obvious reasons, this creates an immeasurable slippery slope, and therefore a dangerous sentiment.
Some books that have been banned include, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, with ten bans, Crank by Ellen Hopkins, with twenty-four bans, and Tricks by Ellen Hopkins, with twenty-one bans.
Book banning is a more prevalent issue than most realize.
The best thing to do for understanding the stance you take and why, is to stay informed! Now, more than ever, it is imperative that you take it upon yourself to gather all of the facts.
About Banned & Challenged Books (2012, December 10. American Library Association.
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/aboutbannedbooks (Accessed April 28, 2024)
How do books get banned?. First Amendment Museum. (2022, February 4). https://firstamendmentmuseum.org/how-do-books-get-banned/
2023 banned books update: Banned in the USA. PEN America. (2023, August 21). https://pen.org/report/banned-in-the-usa-state-laws-supercharge-book-suppression-in-schools/?utm_source=google_cpc&utm_medium=ad_grant&utm_campaign=awareness&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw57exBhAsEiwAaIxaZllaPcKoEXp87JBNsmHK200Wr6vCc6-uzOEiUmHjeyRzx6CwRH0SghoCOj0QAvD_BwE