Banning and Challenging books:
It’s 2022 and a new, yet, old trend is emerging
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by Amy Shannon
February 26, 2022
All over the world, banning and challenging books is not a new trend, however, it has started coming back in full force. More books are being challenged by parents or governments that think because of a topic or a scene in a book, that the book should be banned from schools, and even public libraries. There are some states that have tried to push through laws written in a way that certain books would be banned, such as those which may have obscene or vulgar scenes, or even promote a certain lifestyle.
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Recently, Oklahoma’s Attorney General has been investigating whether or not fifty-one books were violating the state’s law. (https://www.readfrontier.org/stories/oklahomas-attorney-general-is-investigating-whether-51-books-violate-state-obscenity-law/?utm_source=pocket_mylist). Eventually, the attorney general dropped the investigation.
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School districts have procedures that parents can go through to challenge a book, and many do, but just because they challenge the book, doesn’t mean that it is removed. There are many reasons why a book is challenged. Books that contain inappropriate language or scenes for small children should not be in elementary schools, but it does not mean that the book cannot be in higher levels of school. There are books that are specific for children to read, and those books are also challenged, and many times it’s because of race, a different culture, or even gender-based books, such as those written with the LGBTQ2S+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, and Two-Spirit. (https://kidshelpphone.ca/get-info/2slgbtq-what-does-it-mean/).
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There are books that may be able to help children, especially those that feel different. The book, award-winning “I am Jazz” by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings and illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas has been a challenged book, and on the list of the American Library Associations list of challenged books for 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2019. The book was challenged because it was about a “girl that was in a boy’s body.” Jazz is transgender, and the book tells her story, with her words, and feelings. This is a book that another child could read and not feel so alone or be able to figure who they are.
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The top four books that have been challenged, pretty much since they were written, are The Holy Bible (different versions), The Communist Manifesto, Friedrich Engles and Karl Marx, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain and The Call of the Wild, Jack London.
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On the website, ABSR Promotions: Banned, Burned, & Challenged Books, there is a growing list of books. It is the intention of Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews to buy, and review banned books. The concept and continuing trend of book banning, and wanting to educate people about these books, this blog/website was created. The list does keep growing. On The Official Blog of Amy Shannon, the list of banned books also has links when possible of where to purchase these books.
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When adding the fifty-one books that were being challenged in Oklahoma, and a comparison to the current list (This is created based on information from the American Library Association), thirty-nine of the books were not on the list, and have been added.
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Censorship is what is happening when books are banned. In the United States, there is the first amendment. There are some caveats about freedom of speech, but books cannot be hurtful. Not all readers will like certain books. Everyone has their own opinion. Some just want the book banned because it contains vulgar language, but they are not looking at the period that the book was written about. In recent years, the trend has been growing, and a book that is about the LGBTQ2S+ community (self-discovery, self-described) or books that promote that Black Lives Matter.
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One thing that does happen when people challenge or try to ban books, it gains more publicity. People want to know why this book “should” be banned. Why the book is being challenged. And, if it’s a topic they would want to read, being banned can make readers want it more.
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It’s not a new trend, but recently it is a growing trend. The banning of books is censorship. There are places for books to be, public libraries, school libraries or used as teaching aids (when it’s appropriate), and bookstores (online and brick and mortar). A parent may decide what their child can and cannot read, but a teenager, an adult, can choose what they want to read. Books are listed with their genre and description. Before challenging a book, the book should be read, and then decided, not decided because someone heard something about a book, or they know the genre of the book, and think they know what it is about.
For more information on book banning and censorship, you can go to the American Library Association’s website. Also, the ABSR Promotions: Banned, Burned, & Challenged Books, where it is constantly updated with information, and book titles.
Amy Shannon