Books do not need to be banned; they should be regulated for school use. Stories should be shared to any student; not just to have them learn other points of views, but to also teach them real life stories that actually happened. There are many books listed by the PEN America that are banned from schools; the most common explanation made for these books to be banned is that they are more explicit. The reason for why the books are this way is that most of these books are rated young adult. Some of these stories, such as “A Court of Mist and Fury” by Sarah J. Maas are a part of these banned books, and it is right that this book should not be in the hands of a 12-year-old, but it doesn’t need to be banned.
There are ways around this, such as teaching students the common sense to check the maturity rating of a book. Some of these same books are non-fiction novels, such as George M. Johnson’s book “All Boys Aren’t Blue.” Stories like that should be shared to students not just to have them learn other points of views, but to also teach them real life stories that actually happened. Students should also be able to find connections to books like that.
In an Indiana University-Bloomington article about how banned books could be good for the well-being of the American youth, they talked about how throughout multiple court cases surrounding the matter of banned books, people have been biased to the genre and content inside of that book. “the increasingly relaxed view of courts towards religious influence in public schools indicates that if a modern case were to reach the Supreme Court, religious challenges may be accepted, which would leave LGBTQ+ students who seek to see themselves represented in literature without an avenue to do so.” said Indiana University Bloomington in an article about how reading the books that are banned could be good for the well-being of America’s youth.
Since most of the banned books are rated as young adult or mature, libraries at these schools are able to alleviate the problem through getting books that are age-appropriate for the students they teach. Young-adult books are not written for the eyes of young kids, who may or may not understand the meaning the author was trying to bring across. So for example, if it is an elementary school, have “Green Eggs and Ham” by Dr. Seuss rather than “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding. If it is a middle school, they should have books like “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton rather than a book like “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood. High schools are a different story, in that books like “Fahrenheit 451” is a banned book, but is still taught at schools like MHS.
The PEN American organization, part of the PEN International network which supports the freedom to create and experience literature, on their website, it said “What students can read in schools provides the foundation for their lives… But since 2021 a movement to ban books has put students’ freedom to read in jeopardy, advancing extreme conservative viewpoints about what is appropriate and allowable in schools.”
Schools in the state of Kansas are luckily not affected by this widespread book ban, but many other states like Texas, Iowa and Florida have from 400 to 5,000 book bans. Authors and writers should be able to express their stories and creations freely to the publius without a looming threat of being labeled a “banned book.” Readers should also be able to read what they want to read without worry. Books that are majorly inappropriate for younger audiences shouldn’t be in schools, so the schools should just not buy them. The students at those schools should also just have the common sense to look at the maturity rating of a book and make sure it is one they will enjoy, and not be traumatized by.
The National Book Foundation recently named R. Joseph Rodriguez, high school English-Language Arts teacher from Austin, Texas, a fellow. On the National Education Association website, Rodriguez said he thinks suppressing access to books kills students’ joy of experiencing them.
‘I hate when students are called ‘struggling readers.’ We need to see them as students who need a revival! I want a revival!,” Rodriguez said in the NEA article, which went on to say “For Rodriguez, the key is providing students with access to good books — and the freedom to pick for themselves.”
All schools should follow his advice; to give young students the freedom to pick and choose books within their age-range.
