Exploring the Significance of Caring About Book Bans
By Paris Sanchez
Banning books, a practice that has been ongoing for centuries, dates back to 1637 as the first book that happened in the United States, in Massachusetts. As time progresses, the act of banning books continues, impeding access to diverse perspectives, cultures, and societal issues. The act of banning books not only limits the literacy that is available to individuals whose education relies on books for learning, but the lack of diverse representation and perspectives within these banned books creates a void in these individuals’ education. Moreover, a striking 41 percent of banned books involve characters of color which excessively reduces the availability of diverse narratives. In essence, the act of banning books restricts diverse perspectives, limits education, and diminishes the bliss that is brought about through reading. Conserving the freedom to have access to diverse literature is vital to enhancing our knowledge and encouraging the understanding of people from different backgrounds. The act of banning books is like locking doors that transport an individual to worlds that may not be reachable.
In third-world countries, due to the lack of access to digital resources, books play a pivotal role in students' education. In these third-world countries, students lack the opportunities individuals have in countries like the U.S. as soon as they are born which means that book bans further damage those opportunities due to their limited access to exposure to diverse narratives, knowledge, and perspectives. Which as a result can further intensify the challenges that they already face in these regions. Banning books is an act that damages the education of these students who primarily rely and count on books to give them an education that would otherwise not be possible without books. Restricting access to the number of books available to these individuals that will teach them about the corners of the world that remain unknown and unreachable to them will continue to further harm their education if we remain like statues. Not only do they lose critical knowledge but also several different perspectives others have as well as a diverse selection of literature that gives them access to a multitude of cultures around the world. These book bans narrow the range of learning and actively limit the exposure that is needed to the varied experiences, which are essential for a good education.
Another issue that comes from banning books is the fact that a wide range of books, 41 percent, that have been banned contained characters that were people of color. A memory that remains engraved in my mind is the time when I was on a Zoom call, for the Pen America Freedom to Read Institute, where a student activist spoke about how book bans had an effect on their life due to the lack of diversity in the books she was reading and I couldn't have related more to them. I recall them saying that when they would read books, most of the time they would be met by characters that didn't resemble them. Book after book, they were faced with the same circumstances, with few to no characters that resembled them, and they slowly stopped reading as often. Bounding the number of books with diversity in them causes an immense amount of damage to the number of people who could be reading but due to the lack of diversity, which is kept locked away as if it were something destructive, don’t. Not having characters who are similar to the reader can cause them to feel out of place and not want to read as often. For many people, reading is a form of escapism, and some may be in an environment that lacks diversity as well as different cultures and perspectives. Having access to books that contain diversity and inclusivity can inspire more people to read. Additionally, having access to books that contain these elements is not only beneficial to those who crave to escape into a world that contains their culture but also for everyone else so that they can gain knowledge on different cultures and different perspectives from people who come from different backgrounds which can lead to breaking stereotypes that have been implemented in their minds without being fully educated which promotes a more inclusive and understanding mentality.
Over the years, organizations that strive to fight against book bans have emerged. Some examples of these organizations include PEN America’s Acts and The Golden State Readers. PEN America, which was founded in 1922, strives to protect the free expression that every human should have a right to. Their stance stands right in between literature and the First Amendment, trying to keep the string connecting these two from fully breaking. Their mission is to unify all writers and their readers to defend the liberties that make creative expression possible. The Golden State Readers is an organization that was created to unite Students all over California to defend their freedom to read as well as advocating for diverse literature. These organizations are the voices we need to make sure everyone hears the importance of caring about book bans.
In conclusion, banning books restricts access to diverse perspectives and cultures which immensely impacts the education of those reliant on books as their primary source of learning, particularly in third-world countries where resources are limited. The lack of diverse narratives can cause individuals to feel excluded and reduce the number of readers. Beyond representation, it's about granting everyone the right to explore diverse experiences through the pages of a book and fosters an environment where literature reflects a ball of yarn full of strings from all over the world. Protecting the freedom to access all kinds of literature is critical for enhancing knowledge and the understanding of all backgrounds. Moreover, people should have the opportunity to dive and escape into any piece of literature they wish. No mind should be denied the opportunity to explore the endless worlds that literature has the ability to transport us to.
