Banned books week has been around since 1982 with the distinct purpose of preserving the freedom to read. For many years, books have been challenged or even banned due to controversial content. Librarians, educators, authors, and publishers regularly attempt to bring awareness to the threat to control the type of material available to read.
In this guide we will address censorship and a recent phenomenon - cancel culture and the impact it can have on the availability of books, media, and content to the public.
"Let's be clear: censorship is cowardice...It masks corruption. It is a school of torture: it teaches, and accustoms one to the use of force against an idea,...But worst still, censorship destroys criticism, which is the essential ingredient of culture."
"You have to read, you have to know, you have to have access to knowledge."
"I'm not going to censor myself to comfort your ignorance."
"Let children read whatever they want and then talk about it with them. If parents and kids can talk together, we won't have as much censorship because we won't have as much fear."
"We change people through conversation, not through censorship."
"So what does the current situation with regard to cancelling/challenging books tell us about what our contemporary societies most fear?...we seem to fear ambiguity and to crave absolute certainty."
"Censorship that comes from the outside assumes about people an inability to make reasoned choices."
"The case against censoring anything is absolute:..nothing that could be censored can be so bad in its effects, in the long run, as censorship itself."
"The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame."
Reasons: challenged, banned, restricted, and hidden to avoid controversy; for LGBTQIA+ content and a transgender character; because schools and libraries should not “put books in a child’s hand that require discussion”; for sexual references; and for conflicting with a religious viewpoint and “traditional family structure”
Reasons: challenged for LGBTQIA+ content, for “its effect on any young people who would read it,” and for concerns that it was sexually explicit and biased
Reasons: Challenged and vandalized for LGBTQIA+ content and political viewpoints, for concerns that it is “designed to pollute the morals of its readers,” and for not including a content warning
Reasons: Challenged, banned, and relocated for LGBTQIA+ content; for discussing gender identity and sex education; and for concerns that the title and illustrations were “inappropriate”
Reasons: Challenged and restricted for featuring a gay marriage and LGBTQIA+ content; for being “a deliberate attempt to indoctrinate young children” with the potential to cause confusion, curiosity, and gender dysphoria; and for conflicting with a religious viewpoint
Reasons: Challenged and relocated for LGBTQIA+ content, for a transgender character, and for confronting a topic that is “sensitive, controversial, and politically charged”
Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity and for “vulgarity and sexual overtones”
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