In previous years, I've often started Banned Books Week with a quick little anecdote about a friend being surprised that "they still do that?" Sadly, in the last year, we've see a big uptick in the news about parents pushing for schools and libraries to ban books.
But what does "banning" a book mean, exactly?
You may be picturing book burnings, people keeping books secreted away in hidey holes to prevent the government from seizing them. Those images are exaggerations... usually.
Per the American Library Association, "A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials." This will be on the test ; ) (I'm kidding. But I will referred to both banned and challenged books this week and may not revisit the definition each time.)
For example, if a parent complains at a school board meeting about This Book, and asks it to be removed from the school library, that is a challenge. If the school board agrees and removes This Book from the curriculum or the library - or even makes it harder for students to obtain that book, such as requiring a permission slip - that is a successful ban. A ban doesn't have to be large-scale to count (and I'll revisit that this week, too).
Additionally, the most common reasons for books to be banned or challenged is that an adult feels that a books is inappropriate for students of a certain age group. This can be due to language, sexual situations, or social issues such as race or "alternative" lifestyles. This can be anything from claiming high schoolers aren't ready for graphic sex and violence, to feeling that elementary aged students shouldn't be learning about families with same-sex parents.
For an example, here is the list of the top 10 most challenged books from 2021 (2022's will be released sometime next year). How many have you read? I'm sad to say I've only read one, but it may also be the most well-known at the moment, given the videos about it that went viral last year.
Come back tomorrow for another blog topic, and visit my social media for Meme Monday!
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