The annual celebration of banned books returns this autumn and, in the current climate of book banning, the week holds more significance than ever before.
Banned Books Week (October 1 to 7) was inaugurated in 1982 in response to an increasing number of “challenges” (attempts to ban) books in schools, libraries, and bookshops. However, the troubling trend of book banning has seen a recent resurgence.
For instance, in the US, the state of Texas has compiled a list of over 800 books to be banned and, in Florida, teachers are facing felony charges if they dare to keep anything other than government-approved books on their shelves. But this issue is not confined to distant places: it’s happening close to home, too.
Just last year, a gay author was prohibited from giving a talk at a school, and a religious rights organisation gathered thousands of signatures petitioning Waterstones to remove books they disliked.
I know teaching colleagues who have been instructed to remove entirely age-appropriate books from their classroom libraries. Even in Scotland, there are elements of the political fringe advocating for book bans, making this very much our issue, too.
The act of banning books is taken straight from the fascist playbook of the 1930s. It is often said that fascists fear freedom, and book banning is, indeed, an attempt to obliterate ideas and stifle intellectual freedom – the freedom to question and the freedom to think.
A closer look at some of the most banned books worldwide is both enlightening and disconcerting, particularly when considering some of the reasons given for banning them.
One of the most challenged books globally is Anne Frank’s diary. Sometimes the excuse offered is that the book is disturbing but, frequently, the real reason for banning this powerful Holocaust testimony is because Anne candidly describes her experiences of puberty and having crushes on girls.
Speaking of Holocaust testimonials, the graphic novel Maus by Art Spiegelman, which portrays his father’s experiences in concentration camps, was also banned in a Tennessee school district. In Maus, Jewish people are depicted as mice, Polish people as pigs, and Nazis as cats. The Tennessee ban was reportedly due to “bad language” and a “naked mouse” (yes, really).
But it’s not just texts about Holocaust experiences that face banning; authors from minority groups are disproportionately targeted. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is commonly banned for reasons including concerns that it might “promote” Islam. Melissa by Alex Gino frequently makes the lists of most banned books because it tells the story of a young person discovering their transgender identity.
Books with feminist themes also face disproportionate bans, from The Handmaid’s Tale to The Moon Within – an inclusive, empowering, and period-positive book for adolescents.
Banned Books Week stands as a source of hope and resistance
Of course, there will always be literary content that is not age-appropriate for young readers, but librarians and teachers are experts in guiding children towards books that are suitable for their age group. For many LGBT+ young people, books featuring characters like themselves are literal lifelines, especially if they are growing up in environments where their true selves are not accepted. Through books, marginalised young people feel less alone, which makes it all the more troubling that minority writers are the most heavily targeted by book bans.
Nevertheless, Banned Books Week stands as a source of hope and resistance. When news broke about Maus being banned, the book quickly sold out online and in bookshops. Suddenly, there was a renewed interest in this important Holocaust testimony.
Teenagers in America have begun setting up their own banned book clubs. Young people are engaging in the radical and rebellious act of reading. If banning books is an act of political censorship, then reading banned books becomes an act of resistance. So, read banned books, share your thoughts about them on social media, donate them to charity shops and little free libraries when you’re finished.
As Stephen King famously said: “Haul your a** to the nearest bookstore or library ASAP and find out what they don’t want you to read”. Be radical. Be a rebel. Read banned books!
Gemma Clark is a teacher, campaigner and local radio presenter