Guest Column: Banned Books: When Is Enough, Enough?

The following are comments written by Southgate junior, Kayli Renaud.

I sat in Stockwell Library with the intention of completing the project when I decided to look pick up the book “Perks of Being a Wallflower,” as it seemed relevant at the time. That’s it I didn’t expect to see that it was like that which are placed on the list of prohibited books for many school districts. I couldn’t understand how one of my favorite stories could become something that people consider a weapon in schools.

I was curious to know what other books were labeled as not suitable for everyone schools; I thought it would take a lot of complaints to get the book completely removed from the school district, but I would be very wrong.

Books like “Perks of Being a Wallflower” and “How to Be Anti-Racist” were on these Lists will be removed for their content. When I learned this, I was overwhelmed with research and understanding of where my favorite books were banned.

Schools to Libraries

Book banning has become a popular issue in the United States since later. New York Times article it said that between January and August 2023, “nearly 700 attempts were made to scan library materials” and “more than 1,900 titles were viewed.”

As seen in the headlines, there has been a dramatic increase in banned content in public schools.

However, many are unaware of efforts to ban books from public libraries, too.

American Library Association (ALA) has been directed in recent years at the request of ban certain books from their public areas. Instead of staying in a public school issue, banning books has become a nationwide war, either for or against certain parts of the content.

ALA Director Deborah Caldwell-Stone said New York Times that The restriction of news and censorship was the matter of schools, “even if people wanted read (forbidden books), they could go to the public library. However, this is no longer the case the case of the movement to ban books from public libraries again. He added that this movement “takes away from everyone the power of choosing to read (forbidden books).”

I was told as a child that if my school didn’t have the book I wanted, it would pass they can probably be found at the local library. However, this idea can be thrown out the window for us in the year 2024. Banning books has increased from public classrooms and anger parents to withdraw information from the social service industry. Action must be like that it is taken to stop restricting and removing choice within the public world libraries.

Books are being made Politics

Under the list of banned books in our school systems, most of them are containing racist content and LGBTQ+ content. It is not a coincidence Certain subjects are being removed from school, district and even public curriculalibraries. However, one cannot always understand the true effect of banning books.

According to the book “(We) consider what we know: gateways to learning about writing, creativity, speaking and reading and writing” which focuses on different ways of writing, must have an understanding that “although writing may appear to be a skill or a form of communication. that has nothing to do with race, every act of writing is racialized.”

Center for American ProgressThe Center for Public Policy, published a report in 2022 that 17 states have moved to introduce laws restricting the way teachers discuss American history and current events.

When these choices are made, it is easy to see the influence of racism after the selected books are challenged. By doing research, it turned out to be good it is clear that there is a relationship between countries that ban books at high rates, especially those written about marginalized groups, and the political group they follow.

It’s a disturbing thought to think that blocking content is used to control today’s youth and suppressing certain experiences of other Americans. The authors targeted are mostly people of color and those who write about the real lives of people of color and LGBTQ+ people. It appears that political opinion is the driving force behind the proposals “The most dramatic increase in book bans has occurred in Florida,” known for having a high level of conservation.

Many people, including politicians, are happy with their ability to coerce the public schools and libraries to store and provide information specially selected for children of their place, rather than allowing many different ideas. I hear written words that are inaccurate, wild or inappropriate for young readers, as they are targets of repression and censorship.

The Law of Everything

This to prevent confusion placing the study in real world issues and it can happen “violating the First Amendment, 14th Amendment and Title IX rights of all students and educators, who have a particularly negative impact on people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals.”

Many of the restrictions follow the purposeful silencing and extermination of tribes and queer experiences, which would certainly fall under the basis of discrimination by social status. Politicians should not be allowed to decide what is allowed searched and read by everyday people, however, we don’t live in a world where common sense exists.

In his research on this subject, Jensen Rehn, who had the legal rules of the book block and suggest how these proposals might be considered, recommended to look at these censorships “about the First Amendment’s free speech rather than the parents’ rights bill.” It stands to reason that the First Amendment should be upheld in the cases cited, since the banning of books has evolved to include the public service industry of libraries.

Apparently, according to a 2022 report published by Center for American ProgressMost Americans understand and appreciate our right to free speech, even though the act of banning literature in public, whether in schools or libraries, goes against supporting that right.

Finally, I encourage everyone who comes across my writing to read and understand as much as they can about books, banned or not. It cannot be like that very educated.