Baleful Book Banning

Imagine walking into a public library and pulling book after book after book off the shelf just to find empty pages. There is nothing in the book for you. There is nothing that reflects your life experience, interests or worldview. There is nothing but blank pages. For many, this isn’t an imagined dystopian library,  this is what looking for books as a member of a marginalized group can feel like. Common censorship that is occurring is especially threatening books geared toward members of the  LGBTQIA+ community and people of color. However, the issue of challenging and banning books affects us all. Diversity in books is being able to read about people who do not look or live like you. Without diversity, we are threatened by stagnation within communities and as a country as a whole.

Recently, I sent out a questionnaire to a select variety of contacts with a wide range of perspectives on the topic. 

A bit about the participants:

Caitlin- She/her. White 30-something lesbian woman. Proud member of LGBTQIA+ and persons with SPMI. 

G- She/her. 20-something queer latina pursuing a Master's of Information and is a future librarian.

Geralyn- She/her. 30-something woman who is exploring where she lands on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. She grew up in a fundamentalist setting. She studied English and holds an MA in composition and rhetoric. 

Karen - She/Her. 60-something retired librarian experiencing gendered ageism. 

M - He/Him. 30-something cis white man who does not consider himself part of a marginalized group but is an ally.

Patrick- He/him. 60-something year old retired DJ, Navy diver, dive instructor, search and rescue dive instructor, manager of dive equipment sales, and corrections training officer.

Skylar- Dude/They. 20-something white AFAB Transmasc nonbinary bi/omnisexual person who practices ethical non-monogamy. 

Steph- She/her. Married, mother of two, 30-something queer woman who presents as heterosexual. She studies botany. 

All of the participants have an array of reading habits and varying knowledge about challenged and banned books in the United States. Each has a very different lifestyle and a range of experiences, however their stances on banned books are similar in that they all view book banning negatively:

Caitlin: "Book banning is one method of the evil patriarchy to keep people uniformed, suppressed, and unseen. It's gross. I think this is obvious."

G: "I worry that book bans will harm young people who are being told that their own stories are not appropriate."

Geralyn: "I can’t speak to specific book challenges, as admittedly I’m not too familiar with specific bans. However, it seems on the whole that conservative folks are banning anything that contains subject matter that doesn’t align with their worldview. That’s dangerous. Books are a way to learn about people who are different than you, and to learn about the world more broadly. Reading makes you more empathetic. If we understand each other, it’s harder to support politics and laws that limit human rights. Book bans tend to be related to K-12, and adolescence is exactly the time to be reading widely–diverse authors and perspectives–as those years (and books) shape us into the people we become. Growing up in a religious fundamentalist setting, I’ve had to do a lot of unlearning as an adult, but I’m grateful for the window that books gave me into the world during adolescence."

Karen: "My biggest concern is that the rising intolerance for a wide variety of reading opportunities only signifies the larger intolerance for those who are seen as different. Society is becoming more diverse. In order for citizens to understand others, we must understand their viewpoint and life experiences. To limit any citizen’s voice is limiting our own understanding which only harms our democratic system and community. Reading about different ideas or experiences only fosters our own growth. (...)I once had a father approach me at the reference desk absolutely irate that he had found our copy of The Anarchist Cookbook in his teenage son’s room. Why did we even have “such trash” in our library? How could we let his son check it out? By procedure, I directed him to talk with the County Librarian who informed him that parental limits were available, but were the responsibility of the parent. My thought was that in relation to this particular book, anyone can read about how to make a bomb, but it doesn’t mean that person is going to build and detonate one."

M: " My main concerns about book banning is that the loudest voices on the matter don't even read! It's all ridiculous. Of course on a larger scale, I worry about the slippery slope effects that inevitably affect the generations to come. Marginalized groups even further silenced. Or just simple books like The Giver that spark and provoke thought, maybe for the first time, about massive subjects such as death and after-life are necessary for the human spirit and could one day just be a story only told by lips in whispers... "

Patrick: "I am not aware of any issues within my community, although there may be some parental challenges in the school district or public library. Nationwide, I am very concerned with the growing right wing, conservative movement looking to put restrictions on others freedom of choice in reading along with every other area of life. Restricting access to information smacks of fascism. Their freedom of religion stops where any one else’s freedom to read begins. "

Skylar: "I have always felt that banned or challenged books are more enticing not only because it is forbidden but because about half of forbidden things are based mostly on fear rather than logic or reason. Challenging the banned or forbidden is key in growth. Refusing to challenge something is how abuse of power can thrive. I have always been one to challenge things and ask why. If you can’t defend the why well, then I wasn’t likely to listen to you."

Steph: " I am very concerned with everything in Florida happening right now. Any situation where knowledge is stifled is wrong. Our children should have the freedom to learn the whole truth. I am quite concerned with North Carolina. We have an excellent Democratic Governor right now that has been vetoing ridiculous bills from the very conservative state congress. Though, a democrat recently switched to republican and now they have the power to vote past a veto. I am very nervous what sort of laws are going to be pushed through. Our local school boards are now very conservative as well. It feels like a strategic plan to set up rigid restrictions. "

Challenged and banned books recommendations: 

Caitlin: "The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. Beautiful prose with layers of topics/themes and a POV that should be consumed, pondered, discussed."

Geralyn: "I am a die-hard Margaret Atwood fan, and I’d definitely recommend The Handmaid’s Tale. Atwood writes a lot of what she terms “speculative fiction,” which takes technology, politics, and culture to its extremes, based on current events. Especially with everything going on with reproductive rights in the U.S., and the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the political climate captured in The Handmaid’s Tale feels less and less far fetched. It’s a dystopian work, and at times emotionally difficult to read, but it’s also about women subverting authority, and triumph in the face of oppression. Also, the appendix is a tongue-in-cheek historical account of the fictional occurrences in Gilead, and very much captures the rhetoric we often find in history written by men."

Karen: "His Dark Materials series by Phillip Pullman. The series is a sweeping fantasy series which includes imperfect characters, much symbolism, epic personal quests, and the eternal struggle of good versus evil. This series has a history of landing on banned books lists due to Pullman’s ability to turn the view of good and evil on its head. The point of reading a book with which we may or may not agree is to see a different perspective. "

M: " I'd say you can't go wrong with any of them. Spin a wheel - throw a dart. Just start somewhere. Almost every banned book I have read is an amazing book. At the very least, I don't regret ever reading one. I also grew up in a conservative/Christian household. So we had our own list of 'banned books'. For many books, I had to read them in secret and couldn't tell anyone what they were about. You know, mostly things that had 'magic' in them or 'demons'."

Patrick: "Mein Kampf. It is particularly important in this day and age with the global rise of fascism and racial supremacists. The controlled fury and madness are surprisingly well written. Reading this will give any reader some insight into the madness and horror behind current world political right wing craze."

Skylar: "I highly recommend to read as many banned books as you can – especially the ones by people of color and queer authors. There is a reason they are trying to ban the books – to silence us. Don’t let them."

They want to leave you with these thoughts:

Geralyn:  "It’s important, especially for kids, to see themselves reflected in literature. More than that, they need to see folks who are different from themselves represented as well. It’s easy to hold hateful beliefs your parents and/or community taught you if you have not experienced or learned about the kinds of people they taught you to hate. Conservative Christians are often disgusted by trans folks, but do they know any? It’s much harder to hold onto hateful beliefs about someone if you get to know them." 

G: "A lot of people in library school are worried about these book bans. Some have even pivoted away from working in public libraries because of the level of animosity towards the profession. Public libraries need support! "

Karen: "Support democracy — read a banned or challenged book!"

M: "I have seen a slow, crawling, transition from white-washed American media to a semblance of actual diversity and I really hope we just keep going in this direction and not the direction of "fictionalized" worlds in the like of Bradbury or Orwell."

Patrick: "Freedom of information and reading is a fundamental right. "

Skylar: "I think it would be important to mention that when representation is included, it is often inaccurate. Such as the bisexual character ‘picking a side’ or the ethically non monogamous person not being ethical. One of the best examples is kink being portrayed without consent – which is NOT kink – because one of the main components of kink is fully informed consent. We need to have inclusive diversity by listening to the people within those groups rather than allowing people outside those groups to paint the picture."

Steph: "We all deserve representation, and we all deserve knowledge. We should be able to fully learn. Books should never be banned, especially in a public library. "

I want to leave you with this fact: every participant said they feel safe in their public library. 
This is one of the few places that is currently open to anyone and EVERYONE. However, if book bans continue to worsen in the public library setting, finding a selection of books that appeal to a variety of people, particularly those in marginalized groups, the public libraries may not continue to feel like safe and inclusive places. 

We all grow up with queer people in our lives, whether they are open about it or not. We all interact with people with different sexualities, identities, races and life experiences than our own.  Why should only some people be represented in our public libraries? Who is excluded? Who is pushing for the exclusion?

Book banning is censorship. Book banning can further isolate marginalized groups, such as members of the the LGBTQIA+ community and POC. Book banning prevents inclusiveness. There are instances of books being challenged that are about stories that have not had the chance to be told in the past, due to deep rooted cultural stigmas, but one writer's book can help heal the readers who have similar life experiences that may be considered as non mainstream. These books also have the capacity to help others grow compassion and empathy, for those who may not share a similar life story but are introduced to narratives other than their own.

We need inclusion.

We need diversity.

We need to exercise our right to intellectual freedom.

Join the Campaign to Unite Against Book Bans!