By Katherine Abayev, Staff Writer
Banned Books Week is an annual awareness campaign supported by the American Library Association, American Society of Journalists and Authors, Amnesty International, and various other organizations. Banned Books week this year is from Sep. 22 to Sep. 28, a perfect time to cover this subject as students are back in school. Banned books are books that have been banned from schools and libraries due to legislators believing they are inappropriate for students to read for a number of reasons.
“Banned Books Week highlights the value of free and open access to information,” read a statement on the official website.
One reason books might be banned is if they challenge the church or if they are deemed to promote Satanic ideals and violence. While this sounds extreme, this was the reasoning used to try and ban the “Harry Potter” series from students. Another reason could be due to explicit sexual content as some of Sarah J. Maas’ “A Court of Thorns and Roses” series is receiving. Additionally, “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee was banned due to the rape scene in the novel, the profanity, and the racial epithets. Other notable novels that have been banned are “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury, “The Catcher in the Rye” by J. D. Salinger, and “Ulysses” by James Joyce.
Senior education and psychology major Yanelia Fernandez discussed her favorite banned books.
“My favorite banned book is On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong. The book is beautifully written and talks a lot about queerness and growing up in an immigrant household,” she shared.
Book banning was a major problem around the 1980s. In 1982, the public decided to take action and speak out against books being banned and created this week to raise awareness about book bans and free speech.
Emily Malakov, a junior nursing student, shared her opinions on books being banned.
“We should be able to vote on books being banned,” she said.
She thought this idea was more fair than books being banned by the loudest opposers. Yet, this approach still begs the question, if it is fair if even one person cannot access the book they would like to read.
Fernandez discussed the ethics of banning books in schools and shared a different opinion.
“I think it is always important to have literature that makes people think and have difficult discussions,” Fernandez shared. A lot of parents and educators are hesitant to talk about topics in banned books. It’s the easier option to ban books about race and sexuality when it doesn’t apply to you to avoid difficult conversations. Banning books represses inclusivity.”
Fernandez further discussed whether there are any scenarios where book banning is justified.
“I am not the book police but it is important to acknowledge that certain pieces of literature need context,” Fernandez said. “There are plenty of offensive books but I think engaging with these books critically can be beneficial especially in the classroom. This can teach students important media literacy skills and ensure they fully understand what they are reading.”
Malakov expanded on her thoughts, touching on the ease of access of the digital age.
“It does not matter if a book is banned or not, everything is still online. Just because you cannot rent it from the library does not mean you can’t order a copy, or get a pdf of it somewhere else,” she said.
Malakov’s thought is of the new generation who has had the influence of technology in their lives. It is possible for students to obtain any book they would like on the internet, no matter what public opinion says.
Thinking back to the time before the internet, it was much easier to ban speech and ideas because they could be taken from every library and stopped from production, but now no speech can die on the internet, and the words and products are everlasting.
However, book banning is still a contemporary issue even in the age of the internet. Banned Books Week serves as a reminder that the right to explore complex ideas and access information freely is essential to society.
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