Should We Ban Books?

As of today, school authorities have successfully banned over five thousand books from reaching student libraries, with a plan for many more in the future. These banned books are deemed inappropriate and counterproductive for children to be reading. Yet we must question the goodwill of these arguments. Is it appropriate for schools to restrict books of any kind solely because of subject matter? In truth, books must not continue to be oppressed in student libraries.

Whether students are reading academic scripts or classical literature, they can learn something deeper from what lies beyond the surface. Books are educational devices all ages rely on to learn. School councils willing to ban books attempt to justify themselves by claiming that some teach misguided messages. However, looking at what is currently banned in school libraries across the USA, they could not be more unjust. Why are a collective of books on the LGBTQ+ community restricted, yet manifestos like Mein Kampf — books that justify antisemitism — permitted? These examples in their own right can all teach monumentally. It is plainly wrong to have one banned and not the other.

Banning media deemed extreme and too mature has always felt like an arbitrary web that has woven into over-the-top extremity. Instead of completely restricting these books, it is much more beneficial to keep them with additional maturity warnings or audience discretion, for students. To ban books completely removes knowledge and information — not just within their contents, but also the matter that surrounds them — which is destined to be more harmful in the long run. We've seen manuscripts and historical writing destroyed ruthlessly in ancient times, done with the purpose of suppressing them. These actions led to a loss of information that can never be recovered. Is this the world we wish to create? Where learning is pushed aside for — let's face it — intolerant reasons. Obviously, nobody wants that.

Restricting books from libraries indirectly calls for the protest of their manufacture. Put simply: when a book is banned, it takes a hit to its exposure, and therefore profit declines. Authors — dedicated writers — work tirelessly to create books and share their knowledge. School libraries often act as the main beacon for a book's monetary gain. Mainly, LGBTQ+ writers, or authors not afraid to push further, face the most harm because of these bans.

Some books will always be unsuitable for certain readers, yet to completely shun them from school libraries — and, in addition, students — ignores why schools permit books in the first place.