Across the United States, this past year has brought a staggering increase in book challenges, bans and other attacks on the right to read and academic freedom. BannedBooksWeek Texas BannedBooksWeek2022 SanAntonio censorship schools
Most efforts to curtail access to books involves younger readers at schools and public libraries. There are recurrent themes to such challenges that result in the muting of voices from outside the so-called"mainstream" of American society.
In spring 2022, PEN America published findings from its first ever Index of School Book Bans, a comprehensive count of more than 1,500 instances of individual books banned by some 86 school districts in 26 states, between July 2021 and March 2022, impacting more than two million students. The ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom reported fielding 729 book challenges in 2021 alone, targeting nearly 1,600 titles at schools and universities.
But challenges to books are not the only issue facing students and our schools. There has also been an increase in legislative efforts to curtail curriculum, controlling what can and cannot be taught, in at least 36 states.
For its 40th anniversary, the Banned Books Week Coalition's theme is"Books Unite Us: Censorship Divides Us." Indeed, as we survey today's contentious political climate, we would all do well to pick up, read and share a banned book or two. Doing so, we might discover amazing things about each other — not to mention ourselves. We can learn how to"agree to disagree," while honoring the higher ideals of an open society, free expression and the right to read.
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