Throughout the United States, book banning is dramatically altering the complexion of the literary and social landscape. In a recent March publication, the American Library Association (ALA) reported a surge in book censorship attempts in 2023. Compared to the prior year, public schools and libraries encountered over 1600 more title challenges, amounting to 4240 total contested works. The Office for Intellectual Freedom, the ALA’s department tasked with intellectual freedom education, disclosed data showing prevalent restrictive efforts against both institutions. While public schools observed an 11% jump in books being disputed, public libraries experienced a staggering 92% increase. Additionally, statistics showed that 34% of states saw over 100 unique titles challenged. While public schools have experienced a multitude of attempts to ban books, public libraries have lately been a larger target from pro-book banning groups. A guide by the Boston Public Library outlines titles that have either been challenged or outright banned in New England; prominent works include Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. Melissa Andrews, Chief of Collection Management of the Boston Public Library, described to Sampan about book challenges that the BPL has received in recent times.
“In the last five years, we have had five patrons write to us sharing their concerns about titles in the collection. The reasons given include (very broadly): language and subject matter that are not appropriate for children, the political background of the author, and harmful and biased content. All requests for reconsideration are carefully and thoroughly considered. We look at a variety of factors when considering these requests including why we purchased the title, patron usage, and where the copy is held in the library. The BPL follows the principles expressed in the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights and Freedom to Read and Freedom to View statements and opposes attempts to censor material in our collections. Our goal is to offer a diversity of ideas and opinions including those which may be unorthodox or controversial, recognizing that while the Library would like to have something for everybody, not every book will be for every reader. No titles have been removed from the library collection through a request for reconsideration.”
Parents are the primary group leading this effort. Some parents explain that their efforts are geared towards shielding their children from unsuitable and controversial content including vulgar language and explicit material portrayed in certain compositions. Parent interventions have increased at school board and town hall meetings, along with direct requests to administrations to remove specific pieces. Parents have complained that a growing number of books are detrimental to cognitive development and have organized groups dedicated to eliminating scores of works in educational domains with a figure of 1247 challenges throughout the past year. Moms for Liberty, one of the well known groups, has chapters in Middlesex and Plymouth Counties.
In contrast to the book banning beliefs purported by these parents, about child development and learning, Gilda Morelli, Department Chair of Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology at Boston College, explained to Sampan how critically important it is for children to learn and develop freely and in a self-directed way.
“Schools are places that play essential roles in children’s social, emotional, and intellectual development. This setting is where children learn who they are in relation to and with others and, thus, how to think, feel, and act towards others. They are also spaces where children make sense of and understand their positionality in social contexts, as well as factors that contribute to this in the past and present. Book banning silences the voices of others, mostly minorities, and makes them invisible, erasing their experienced lives and circumstances related to their lives. It privileges particular narratives, especially those constructed by majority groups. When you censor the voices of people, it may be easy for the non-censored to dehumanize the censored and treat them with less respect.”
Book Banning has limited titles to older children, required parental permission, or completely has removed books altogether. Research shows that the bulk of these efforts are initiated in conservative-leaning states like Texas and Florida with 1470 and 2672 books challenged respectively this past year. According to the ALA, nearly half of the suggested texts for removal involve LGBTQ+ or BIPOC themes. Despite its socially liberal reputation , Massachusetts has experienced its fair share of book banning efforts as well. In 2023, the state saw 37 attempts to censor titles, placing it 8th in the U.S. and 1st in the New England region; 63 unique titles were contested.
In a recent statement, Director of the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom Deborah Caldwell-Stone expounded how these disputes emerge from a handful of groups and individuals that impulsively demand book removal. Most complaints stem from wealthier suburban areas with a predominantly Caucasian demographic, as reported by The Sun Chronicle. One episode transpired in Great Barrington where law enforcement entered a middle school classroom after an anonymous complaint about the “obscene” book, Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe. It was targeted the most in Massachusetts in 2022. This incident triggered a student walkout at the nearby Monument Mountain Regional High School to protest the search. Following a request at Martin Elementary School in North Attleboro to remove “Woke: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice ” by Mahogany L. Browne, Elizabeth Acevedo, and Olivia Gatwood, a piece encouraging children to activism, the book was swiftly taken off the shelves. A January 2024 study by The Boston Globe found that All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson was the most challenged title, with calls to remove the book in six districts. It is important to note that regardless of the frequency of challenges, a nominal fraction of these attempts resulted in successful restrictions, in part due to a lengthy review process; North Attleboro became just the fifth MA school district to discard a book from its collection. With ten districts implementing literary restrictions, this trend inevitably has grown.
Book banning has entered into the political conversation. The targeting of copious titles concerning LGBTQ+ and BIPOC topics has incited opposition from these communities. This past year, Mass State Senator Julian Cyr and State Representative John Moran of the 9th Suffolk District filed legislation to prevent book banning in Massachusetts. At a January hearing before the Joint Committee on Education, Cyr claimed that books represent an optimal path to attaining a greater perspective on our humanity and said, “We cannot allow small-minded bans or politically opportunistic censorship to interfere with the right to read.” In essence, their proposed bill would prevent book removal due to “personal or political views”. Through these bills (H 4229 / S 2528) termed “relative to free expression,” the officials advocate for a structure where librarians and educators bear rights in determining what titles are appropriate. This system would provide librarians and educators the ability to select appropriate titles for educational purposes based on their expertise. As reported by NBC, “To prevent the removal of materials based on personal or political beliefs in municipal libraries, the bill would require libraries to incorporate the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights into their selection policies.” This proposition has been supported by organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Massachusetts School Library Association. Representative Moran explained the bill’s purpose to Sampan:
“In Massachusetts, we are not immune from book ban efforts. In 2022, Massachusetts had the fourth highest number of attempts to remove books from shelves in the entire country. Massachusetts is meant to be a safe haven, a welcoming state for every person with diverse backgrounds and life experiences. Instead, we face targeted book ban efforts, especially books related to race, gender, and sexual orientation or identity. The bill that Senator Julian Cyr and I have put forth is designed to ensure professionally trained librarians and educators are able to adequately do their job without being retaliated against. According to the Joint Task Force for Intellectual Freedom, nearly 25% of school and public librarians reported being harassed on social media, 22% reported being harassed via email, 18% reported being harassed in-person for issues related to book challenges and program challenges. These librarians and educators have the adequate training to ensure that all of the books children have access to are age-appropriate materials and have educational purposes. Why should those who take care of our children in our communities be subject to these actions for simply doing their job?
As an LGBTQ+ legislator, this topic very much resonates with my upbringing and is one of the biggest reasons I decided to partner with Senator Cyr on this bill. I grew up in a rural town north of Scranton, Pennsylvania, where to my knowledge I was the only queer kid, and we had one person of color in my elementary school. While I was fortunate to have amazing parents who were inspired by the Jesuit ethos of service to the community, my only exposure to gay culture, due to the lack of a library in my town, was the occasional light references in the movies or TV shows of the time. Needless to say, I did not feel seen. Luckily, as time went on, I came to get a better understanding of my feelings, and moved to attend accepting colleges with accepting communities. With some bumps along the way, I have been incredibly fortunate in my life’s journey. But what we are now facing today is a crisis: youth mental health, homelessness, and targeted hate toward LGBTQ+ youth and children of color.
It is even more important to these future generations that they have access to books to explore who they are and to not feel alone. It is also important that their peers have access to books so they can be understanding and supportive individuals. By banning books that tackle these critical issues, it takes away educational material from the entire population of children in that town or school.”
Similar to parent-formed groups promoting book banning, a myriad of organizations and libraries have established initiatives to protect access to information. In 2022, the ALA introduced “Unite Against Book Bans” during National Library Week, aiming to inspire readers to join the cause against censorship. At the Boston Public Library, Andrews announced, “With our statewide eCard, any resident of Massachusetts can access our collection, including our digital collections which would give patrons and residents access to materials which may not be available in a local or school library. Nationally we have joined the Books Unbanned initiative started by Brooklyn Public Library to make items being banned in other parts of the country available to youth ages 13-26.” Individuals can utilize these resources at https://www.bpl.org/books-unbanned/.
State Representative Moran shared his commitment to fight book banning:
“We are working every day to ensure that the topic of book banning is seen as a critical issue, even in Massachusetts. I have spoken about this legislation many times in front of colleagues, and those impacted by book bans such as parents, educators, and librarians have testified in front of the Education Committee and continue to spread the word about this legislation. California signed a law last year that prevents school boards from banning or censoring textbooks that tackle racial or LGBTQ+ issues. Illinois signed a similar law at the beginning of this year. The fight has even made it to the national level, with our congressional counterpart, Congresswoman Pressley leading the legislation aimed at combating book bans in schools. I think the efforts behind this issue both on the state and federal level speaks to the importance of this bill.”
In all, the notion of book banning remains a divisive issue as parents covet the authority to shape their children’s learning while other individuals, primarily academic figures, accentuate the importance of proper discussion about books pertaining to LGBTQ+ and BIPOC themes in an adequate manner. Professor Morelli asserts, “Banning books raises questions such as ‘who gets to regulate what all children learn,’ and ‘what role should parents play compared to other stakeholders.’ Should we ban all book-banning? Probably not. However, the decision should be made with many voices represented.”
