I wanted to start this post with “every day, a book is challenged,” or “X number of books are removed from library shelves each year,” but I couldn’t find an exact statistic. What I DO know is that despite the surprise demonstrated by someone I know each year when I start explaining banned books week, I stumbled up two separate news stories just in the past couple weeks about multiple books being removed in one school system, and one book being removed in another. That was without me going looking for stories about book banning – just things that showed up in my everyday internet use.
Additionally, when I started looking at reviews for just a single book I was reading for this blog series, I found calls to have it removed from school libraries. I think challenges happen a lot more frequently that we realize. I think removals (a successful ban) also happen more often than we realize… but I also think one plus side to social media over the past several years is that it has become easier to share when these challenges and bans happen. The multiple-book ban I mentioned above? It was rescinded a couple weeks later due in part to very vocal students on social media.
So, I have a challenge for you – listen up and speak out:
If you hear of a book being challenged or banned, check it out. Look into it. Don’t let it lie. Even if you don’t like the book personally, there’s a big difference between “I don’t like this book” and “no one should read this book.” I hated Beloved, but I will stand shoulder to shoulder with you and defend your right to read it.
Check out that challenged book. Read it. Write a review for your library, or for Goodreads, or both. If you think you’re going to like it, or you just want a challenged book to grace your bookshelf, buy it. Write a review on amazon, or wherever you bought it.
Step it up a notch. Get involved with your local school board. If you hear about a book being challenged or banned, write to them. Make a stink on social media. Go to school board meetings.
Or, if you’re not outgoing, not outspoken, don’t have the energy for that kind of fight or attention, simply check the book out. Libraries keep statistics on how often a book circulates (checks out) – the more frequently it’s checked out, the less likely it is to be removed from the collection.
So pick up the gauntlet – and pick up a banned book.