The "Boo!" Factor of Book Bans

Despite all the skeletons, ghosts, witches, and zombies in the air right now, I would argue that the scariest thing I’ve seen this Halloween season is the terrifying amount of book bans that have swept the country.

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According to PEN America, a nationwide community of professional writers who advocate for free expression in literature, a book ban is “any action taken against a book based on its content and as a result of parent or community challenges, administrative decisions, or in response to direct or threatened action by lawmakers or other governmental officials, that leads to a previously accessible book being either completely removed from availability to students, or where access to a book is restricted or diminished.”

PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans recorded instances of 1,477 individual book bans (including 874 unique titles) between July 2022 and December 2022. This data indicates a 28% increase in banned books compared to the previous six-month period, with 100+ titles removed from student access each month.

As topics such as race, gender identity, mental health, and sexual assault become more stigmatized and restricted by law in certain parts of the US, students’ freedom in literature and discussion is being jeopardized. Of the 847 unique banned book titles, 38% cover topics of health and well-being for students (mental health, bullying, suicide, substance abuse, sexual well-being, and puberty), 30% include characters of color or discuss race/racism, 26% contain LGBTQ+ characters or themes, and 17% mention teen pregnancy, abortion, or sexual assault. In addition, 56% of banned books live under the label of young adult novels, despite the fact that YA books are understood to help students gain knowledge about our present world and develop a sense of identity and social responsibility. Many of the banned books also include classics and novels that had been wildly successful upon their release and for years after. To name a few, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give, and Jay Asher’s Thirteen Reasons Why have been members of several banned books lists.

When examining the causes and effects of nationwide book bans, it’s important to take into account where in the country these book bans are concentrated. Book bans have most commonly taken place in Texas (438 bans), Florida (357 bans), Missouri (315 bans), and Utah and South Carolina (>100 bans). Due to the fact that legislation limiting student access to information on racial history and gender identity has been passed in these states in recent years, it is unsurprising that the most book bans have occurred there. Furthermore, many books were observed to have been banned as a result of vague legislation regarding educational resources and materials for children; fearful of facing criminal punishment, both individual schools and school districts have taken extreme action in response to these laws. For example, Florida expanded its “Don’t Say Gay” law this March to include a new trio of bills that banned instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, prohibited teachers from discussing advantages and disadvantages based on race, and mandated that schools must catalog every book on their shelves. Because this legislation didn’t include much clear guidance for school administrators, it caused schools to remove certain books completely even though there were no direct challenges to specific titles.

However, these preliminary book bans are not the only constituent of the larger statistic encompassing all instances of book bans from July to December 2022. The poll also found that 70% of parents oppose book banning. Therefore, it’s easy to see that the effort to ban books isn’t made up of isolated challenges to books by parents from different communities across the country. Rather, it is an organized movement by state politicians and advocacy groups whose goal is to limit student access to certain stories and perspectives.

In addition to the horrific impacts that book bans have on students of all ages, they severely affect the lives of the authors and creative teams behind the targeted books. Regardless of the fact that book bans have been proven to boost sales in certain areas for a short period of time, the long-term impacts are incredibly harmful. Now that hundreds of books are being banned at once, this immediate spike in sales is becoming increasingly rare. In addition, libraries across a state compose a massive part of all children’s literature sales, so when school districts opt not to buy a book, it can cause extreme financial detriments for authors. Publishers are also now more wary of buying manuscripts from authors whose works have been deemed “controversial.” LGBTQ+ authors and authors of color have been hit especially hard.

It’s already taken so much work to shift the publishing and literature world to become more representative and inclusive; book bans essentially undo all of that progress. Book bans are a political tool to silence voices and erase identities, which is why it’s so important for us, as students, to take action and advocate for our rights to knowledge and free expression. The New York Public Library has partnered with Unite Against Book Bans and the American Library Association to offer widespread access to young adult titles that have been targeted by book ban movements. Even with these incredible resources, book bans in the US are more extensive than ever. For now, keep reading, writing, and learning all that you can!