Book Banning One

Promotional material for Banned Books Week 2025 by the American Library Association

What is Book Banning?

Book banning- in its simplest terms- is the process of removing access to a book from certain book-providing places, most commonly school and public libraries.

Book banning typically occurs in three stages. The first stage being when a certain topic is censored. Throughout history, commonly censored themes have been issues of race, sex, gender and sexual identity, and violence. Sexual content is the most likely reason a book is to be banned, due to the topic being heavily censored in public and school libraries.

The second stage of book banning is when a book is challenged. Concerned community members- often parents, administrators, or organizations- petition their local library or their children's library to have a title removed, often being because it contains commonly censored material. Very rarely is a challenge carried out by librarians or educators.

The final stage is the result of a successful book challenge campaign: a book ban. A title can be banned by authority figures over the library, commonly seen as school administrators but governments have been involved to orchestrate state-wide bans of books.

A Brief History

The first records of book banning occurred in B.C. China, with an emperor destroying anti-dynasty propaganda. However in America, the first major instance of book banning occurred with Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1852. This book was widely banned in southern states for being anti-slavery during a time in which America's tensions over racial disparity were coming to a boil that would eventually result in the Civil War.

Another famous instance of book banning in America came from the Comstock laws. A pious man named Anthony Comstock proposed in 1873 that a law be put in place that would disallow pornographic material to be sent by mail. This ranged from anything by Oscar Wilde to anatomy textbooks. These laws were finally lifted by a judge in the 1920s when Ulysses was challenged for pornographic content.

One of the most famous and more recent examples of book banning were the book burnings that occurred during World War 2. The most prominent one took place on May 10th in 1933, but burning books written by Jewish authors and containing censored material was common practice in Germany throughout that period.

Book banning has always been a practice in censorship, and certain themes have always been restricted in access. Book banning today looks a lot more politicized, and while there is less physical burning, there are many more people outraged at what is banned versus isn't. Liberals tend to lean more in favor of not banning books while conservatives offer the counterpoint of not wanting to expose children to possibly harmful content. America's struggle to walk this thin line has made headlines, upsetting both sides of the issue for years.

Reasons For and Against Banning

Book bans have been increasing over the years

This showcases the 10 most challenged books of 2024

The Positions

• Present at least two positions on the problem. If more than one position is not represented in the reading list that I provided, seek out more information.

Solutions

• Suggest possible solutions to the problem.