Book Banning

Who Gets to Decide which Books We Read?

Fahrenheit 451 (1966 Movie) - As a kid I saw this movie on TV and it was pretty disturbing at the time, especially as I grew up in a house filled with bookcases in every room overflowing with books. As a family, my parents, siblings, and I were always reading something. Going to the library, whether the school library or the public library, was a favorite activity. The idea that in the future books might be burned by the government was a scary concept. In this future world, Firemen had a very different mission from the ones we know today. They started fires instead of putting them out.

Fahrenheit 451 (2018 Movie) - I haven’t seen this remake of the movie. The 2018 version aired on HBO. Reading the link above, it differs significantly from the earlier movie, though it better reflects the time and technology available in 2018 vs. 1966. Both versions of the film are based on the Ray Bradbury novel and focus on the same disturbing change in society.

Fahrenheit 451 Book - The novel was written by Ray Bradbury in 1953 and I’m always amazed at how prescient his stories were about society. Even now more than ever. The second photo above is the cover of the 60th anniversary edition. I had to look at it several times before I realized it was a book of matches.

Book banning isn’t new but it’s been ramping up over the last couple of years. I’ve read countless articles on book banning challenges, especially at the elementary school level. There’s also been a number of state laws passed on what is and isn’t appropriate for children to read. The majority of these laws were passed in conservative states. The new mandates have put a huge burden on schools, especially on teachers and school librarians. Just doing their job of finding age appropriate and enriching books has expanded into a culture war on what children should be exposed to. Worse yet, these same teachers and librarians potentially face legal trouble including jail time if they don’t act according to the new laws. In some states the regulations are so vague that any questionable book is banned.

Instead of focusing on finding great literature for children to read, school officials have to spend their time doing “purity tests” on every title. Even more horrifying are the social media attacks on school boards, school principals, teachers, and school librarians. It’s truly sad how books are chosen to be banned. Often it’s because they offended some group’s sensibilities and they inflicted their worldview on others.

As a parent I respect other parent’s right to limit what their child reads. What I find offensive is for another parent to decide what every other child can read. More and more, especially in very conservative areas, classic books are getting banned. The notion that children will be harmed by reading certain books is puzzling, especially anything with a hint of sexual content. Given that Internet pornography or any LGBTQ topic is readily available with a simple Google search, if a child is interested in something they will find it. As a parent I’ve always believed that it’s better to talk to my kids about difficult or controversial subjects and share my values vs. banning them from reading anything on the topic. Fortunately, my daughters are adults and they can read anything they want.

With the results from the latest elections showing a more conservative shift in the US and other countries, I see more book bans on the horizon. As a writer I find this deeply troubling.

Should any books be banned?

Who should decide what books should be banned?

Does banning a book really remove them from society or just make them more interesting because they are taboo?

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