Since his previous term, President Trump has been known to support conservative groups that organize and enforce book banning in schools within the country, along with endorsing politicians who act to limit educational content.
After taking office again, Trump’s Department of Education dismissed complaints from several schools regarding censorship, and has eliminated the position of a “book ban coordinator” which advises school districts against removing books. As his presidency carries on, some speculate that the circumstance is bound to worsen, since many of his appointed administrators are associated with “Project 2025” which plans to further challenge books with controversial subjects.
The reasoning behind book banning differs, but it usually centers around the idea that certain material in books are “unsuited” for any age group to read. This “unsuitable” content ranges from sensitive subjects like sexual situations and violence to depictions of harsh reality regarding religion, racism, politics, and even the LGBTQ+.
Censorship such as this heavily originates from conservative groups and their conventional beliefs, along with the rallying for the “fundamental rights” of parents in managing children’s education.
Although there isn’t an official list of books being banned in more states, according to the American Library Association, over 389 books have been speculated to be targeted this year alone. This includes a myriad of classic titles that are at risk of being banned, such as The Handmaid’s Tale, 1984, To Kill A Mockingbird, Fahrenheit 451, and countless others that have had a major impact in education.
I believe that the censorship of content in books due to civil rights concerns is a violation of the First Amendment, as it directly restricts freedom of speech belonging to authors and the right of individuals to receive information. Furthermore, what the government deems “unsuitable” to audiences, is content that is actually really informative and eye-opening to people. In order to truly have an effect and capture the reality of the world, harsh and graphic material is sometimes necessary in books, no matter how difficult it may be to read.
As someone who reads a variety of novels with harsh topics, I consider how the issues expressed in the books being banned such as racism, sexual assault, etc. are real things that a vast amount of individuals go through, and not just fiction on paper. It’s important to me to remember that there are teenagers like me that experience things like this in highschool first hand. The fact that this content is being taken out of school libraries because teenagers aren’t “mature” enough to read it is quite insensible, since they are actively experiencing these hardships and part of the target audiences that these books are trying to reach. If teenagers are going through such adversity in their lives, they should have the privilege of being able to read about others with similar situations.
Furthermore, I think that silencing the authors writing about these subjects, also silences victims of these experiences in a sense, as less people are being educated about them and they suffer a from lack of representation.
The accessibility of books is extremely important to me since I have been an avid reader of books since I was young, and I have always had the privilege of having an uncensored source of titles whenever I visited the library or went to school. I developed a true passion for reading books of all kinds, and I found those that elaborated on the flaws of humankind and the oppression of certain groups resonated with me, and made me genuinely contemplate aspects of the world I would’ve never been able to notice without reading. It’s important that deeper thought is incited within audiences while reading, rather than never being exposed to anything other than “normal” content.
A book that is sentimental to me, which is banned in many states across the country is the “Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky, which details the coming of age of a teenage boy in highschool and delves into themes of sexual abuse, grief, and mental health. Despite being fiction, reading the story of someone who has experienced such things resonated with me deeply, because I found myself relating to this character at times in the story, making me feel seen in a way.
Even if you were unable to relate to the story, the novel allows you to completely envision what the main character is going through, and even how others are able to help them through their trauma, which spreads awareness in itself. If the privilege of reading books like this were taken away from people, less individuals would be able to feel properly expressed by and connected to something, and people wouldn’t be able to see realistic depictions of mental health issues in literature and potentially how to help with it . I would feel as if an object of comfort was being stripped away from me, because being able to read something like this makes me feel safe.
Something I came to understand is that writing books serves as artistic expression to many authors, and just like any form of art, the creator wants their work to be seen, which censorship takes away from them. It is heartbreaking to see so many people being suppressed by society, readers and authors alike.
