Book Bans Throughout History and Into Today
What books are targeted most?
Between 2022 and 2023, the United States has seen a significant rise in attempts to ban books within public libraries and schools. Though the idea of banning books might sound extreme,
PEN America has noted that attempts to ban and censor have been increasing over the last couple of semesters. It's continued despite surveys that find a
strong majority of parents oppose book bans and have a high level of confidence in libraries. PEN America also noted how these bans have increased alongside legislative pushes at the state level to restrict teaching topics like race, American history, gender, and LGBTQ+ issues.
Let's take a look at some of the books that are most under fire today and ones targeted throughout history.
Many lists consider Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe and All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson to be the most targeted books of the decade so far. Gender Queer is a graphic novel published in 2019 that traces the author's life from childhood to adulthood and explores gender identity and sexuality. All Boys Aren't Blue is a 2020 memoir that recounts the author's upbringing as a queer, Black man in New Jersey and Virginia. Both books have been targeted for their open discussion of topics like gender and gender dysphoria, sexuality, consent, race, and the fact they are marketed to older teens and young adults.
In previous years, the topics of targeted books were sometimes quite different. In the early 2000s, the Harry Potter series was scrutinized for what people considered anti-family themes, witchcraft, and satanism. Today, the series no longer seems to be a target of censorship.
Other books that have been targeted include Maya Angelou's memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, with claims that it is "anti-white" and for descriptions of rape; Catch-22 by Joseph Heller for language considered offensive and indecent; Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson for disrespect toward authority figures and improper use of the Lord's name; and Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. by Judy Blume for discussing puberty and body development in young girls.
Though book bans are a topic of discussion in the United States, it's hardly the only country to have dealt with the issue.
Book burning was prevalent in Nazi Germany, where books considered to be "un-German" were targeted. On May 10, 1933, some 25 thousand books were burned at once. Authors whose works were targeted included Karl Marx and Ernest Hemingway.
Back in 1931, Alice in Wonderland was banned in China's Hunan province for depicting talking animals; claims said that equating humans and animals could become disastrous.
Since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Parliament has moved to ban the import of all books produced in Russia, Belarus, and from occupied territories of Ukraine in an effort to stifle out anti-Ukraine sentiment and what Ukraine sees as Russian propaganda.
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