According to Pen America, in the 2022-2023 school year 1557 unique titles were banned in schools across the US.
Understanding the concept of a “ ban” is hard. At the end of the day “ ban “is just a word to us.
So, in this article, I am not going to say that we are banning books, because how many of us have been banned from doing something and just took it as a joke, a dare, or something that at the end of the day, does not hold that much weight in the grand scheme of life. No, I am going to use the term erased. Because if you are reading this, chances are you have not been erased yet. Terminated, removed from history, forcefully turned in so many pieces not even the best dialectologist could put you back together.
I read half of the eleven most erased books in the report by Pen America, three of them when I was in middle school.
I would not be here if I did not have access to those books.
As someone who used to be bullied, has always struggled in social settings and with their body image, I remember the feeling of relief I felt when I first read that things would be okay. When I learned in the comfort of my room, to put a name on what I was feeling, to read about how other people my age were trying to navigate life, love, mistakes, and triumphs. Those books helped, forced, and pushed me to not feel alone, to ask for help and to know my worth. Preventing other children from doing so, is an attack on our youth; especially directed at LGBTQIA+ folks, BIPOC, women and folks suffering from mental health.
So, what can we do to stop erasing books from history?
READ & REVIEW: Support authors affected by the erasing of their books, read their stories, and review them on Goodreads and Amazon. Share them on your social media and spread the word. You can find online lists of books most targeted.
SPREAD THE WORD ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Use #bannedbooks on your social media, be vocal about the issue. Every help counts and every voice is essential to amplify our battle cry.
STAY INFORMED: Information is key; the American Library Association offers a free newsletter on banned and challenged books, visit the United Against Book Bans website, write to the Authors Guild and ask them for more information on how to support affected authors, visit EveryLibrary website if you want to know how your vote affects libraries and literacy.
