Pointing to books such as George M. Johnson's All Boys Aren't Blue, a memoir about a black teen’s experience of rape and incest, she argued: “Providing pornographic materials to children and then turning around and asking us why we want to ban books is insulting.”
I do think I would agree that books like this could be very triggering to some students, and reading pornographic materials do get very stuck in people's minds. These books could definitely be reserved for more mature audiences.
Both novels tackle the issue of racism and were removed after parents complained of “profanity”.
I really think that banning books that address the topics of racism, we are limiting our progress as a society. If we can't learn about the problem, it won't ever be addressed, and true change cannot occur. I was thinking about this in my Spanish class as this week we were reading about bullfighting and the running of the bulls. While it made me feel uncomfortable, I noted the importance of reading about both sides of the issue. If I remained in ignorance, how could I add my voice to changing customs? I may not live in Spain, and may not be able to change much in regards to bullfighting practices, but I can help make a difference in the racism embedded in our society by learning more about the issue through reading books on the subject, especially personal experiences of others.
In November, Virginia’s Spotsylvania County School Board ordered staff to dispose of “sexually explicit” books after a parent “raised concerns about their LGBTQ themes”, the news site reported. During a meeting to discuss the book’s removal, a school board member is said to have argued that “we should throw those books in a fire”.
Without having read the books myself, and not knowing the extent of what they are considering as "sexually explicit," it is interesting to me how many of these challenged or banned books relate to LGBTQ themes. How much of parents' negative opinions of these books comes from the false perpetuation of the idea that by reading these books, their children become corrupted and may "become gay"?
Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the American Library Association’s (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom, told Axios that never before “had this volume of challenges come in such a short time” during her 20 years with the organisation.
I also think it is interesting that it has become more common in the last twenty years. Usually I think of "Footloose" or "Fahrenheit 451" or "The Music Man" when it comes to censorship of books or media.
Books that touch on race and sexual violence are being banned in Republican-held school districts across the US in the latest battle in the country’s “culture war”.
It's interesting how the banning of books is mostly pushed by Republicans to the point that it's being noted in this article.