St Andrew's Anglican School prides itself on the freedom and opportunity to learn about controversial and difficult topics. It is located in Jackson, Mississippi, USA. But that's not the case in Mississippi or any other school across the country.
The spread of book bans is affecting children's curiosity and right to learn.
In communities around the world, some books are banned from public schools and libraries because their content is deemed insensitive or inappropriate.
For example, public schools in Madison County, Mississippi were demolished. the hate you give Written by Angie Thomas due to its content about racial issues and police brutality.
while the hate you give Because it is a novel, many readers share the same experiences and struggles that Thomas writes about. Banning books that talk about violence is controversial, even though it is very real in today's society.
“If you’re living that life, you should be able to read about it,” said St Andrews student Annabelle Abraham.
Some areas are more restrictive than others.
Book bans are a national problem, but they are especially prevalent in the southern United States. According to one study Of the more than 3,300 books banned across the U.S. in the 2022-23 school year, 40% were in Florida and 19% were in Texas, according to PEN America, an organization that advocates for free speech.
Nearly half of Florida's public school districts had book bans for the school year.
The ban in Florida that year may have been in anticipation of passage of Florida House Bill 1069 in July 2023. This bill restricts books containing content about gender and sexual orientation for elementary school students.
Books banned in Florida by law include: World Book Encyclopedia, 100 Women Who Made History: Amazing Women Who Shaped Our World and Africa (Cultural Map for Youth).
In May 2023, PEN America, along with the family, author, and publisher Penguin Random Housesued Escambia County School District and Office of Education It argued that the book ban violated students' rights under the free speech clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
The school board argued that the ban does not prevent people from personally owning banned books. This type of debate occurs not only in Florida but also in many other states, including Iowa and Texas.
no border crossing
The book ban issue is not just a national problem, but a global problem. Countries as diverse as China, Iran, and Denmark also ban books for various reasons.
According to the Reuters newswire service, there has been a move in China since COVID-19 to remove books deemed “politically incorrect.” This stems from the government's fear of ideas deemed unpatriotic and questioning the ideology of the ruling Communist Party.
Censorship has been strengthened under Chinese President Xi Jinping's regime, and the ban of hundreds of thousands of books is proof of this. Similarly, in Iran, over the past two years, books have been published in obliterated versions or disappeared from bookshelves altogether.
According to the Los Angeles Times, The basic idea of this movement is to prevent Western cultural invasion. This censorship has led writers living inside and outside Iran to try to smuggle banned books across the border to eager readers.
There are many reasons to be afraid of books.
Denmark is experiencing another crisis related to islands. Crowds opposing immigration are burning the Quran, the Islamic scripture. According to court news serviceThe Danish government is currently trying to gather “legal tools” to prevent such riots.
In the United States, Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale It is a controversial book that has been banned in many states due to its content on religion, women's rights, violence, sex, and explicit language.
However, in a classroom setting where novels are analyzed, they may appear to be more than just books unsuitable for consumption. Rather, it teaches lessons on a variety of topics, such as the importance of identity and freedom.
Earlier this year, final year students at St Andrew's High School read this very book in a class taught by English teacher Paul Smith.
“There were all kinds of reasons to teach. [The Handmaid’s Tale] There’s absolutely no reason not to,” Smith said. “It is a fascinating work of literature, although not without its flaws. This book is a great read and more relevant than ever as we witness numerous threats to freedom of expression, bodily autonomy, and women's rights. I think it’s a timely, interesting, great read and manageable text.”
Access to books is important.
Allow your students to dive into books like: The Handmaid's Tale It is important to address many related issues.
St. St. Andrew's librarian, Tonja Johnson, said it was important to enable students to use their critical thinking skills to form their own informed opinions on topics.
“If we present one particular perspective and not another, we are not asking students to think something, but to accept a general truth or a truth we believe to be true. That’s what the publisher of that particular book believes,” Johnson said. “So if we really want to make educated decisions and if we really want students to be able to think carefully about controversial or controversial topics, they need to have all the information. “You have to look at it from different perspectives,” he said.
Banning books can have a negative impact on children’s sense of belonging. According to Mississippi Public BroadcastingMost of the books banned in the state deal with themes of gender, sexual identity, racial inequality, or contain depictions of violence and sexual experiences.
Annabel Abraham and I attend school, St. Andrew's welcomes diversity. The student body includes people who identify as LGBTQ+, speak different languages, and come from different races and cultures.
People see themselves in stories.
In the St Andrews community, it is important to provide students who feel different or excluded with books that help them feel accepted.
“Certain groups are being targeted. [through book bans]And that sends a message, especially to those students, that they don’t belong, their stories don’t matter, and that’s a way to make people feel bad and no one should be made to feel that way,” Johnson said. “Everyone’s story matters, and it’s important to know that we are not all the same.” Recognizing and accepting our differences within the St Andrews community brings us together, and reading books about people's differences is one way to do this.
Some books may not be appropriate for all ages, but introducing difficult concepts to high school students is how they learn and ultimately shape who they are.
“If the [book bans are] But some students will never experience a life-changing book,” Smith said. “I’ve been doing this for 34 years. I have seen many times how well one book can transform a student. “It has eliminated prejudice and completely reshaped the possibilities of the future, the lives of children, and the way we see the world.”
Book bans not only suppress life-changing stories, they also erase stories written by authors for specific audiences. Authors are inspired to write about struggles in the past and can provide younger generations with the knowledge they wish they had.
“As a librarian, I have heard from so many people that access to certain information or certain stories not only changed their lives, but also saved their lives,” Johnson said.