Writing Lessons & Advice: Banned Books
Have you ever thought about the phrase, “The pen is mightier than the sword”? It implies that the written word can be more effective than violence when trying to invoke social or political change.
Most writers write to be read, sharing an array of unique experience, perspectives, and ideas in their literary expression. A modern, democratic society thrives on an unhindered exchange of these. In the spirit of the pen-and-sword adage, the expressions of some certainly find divisive power. However, reactions often seek to limit the communication itself more than address the topic or issue at-hand. The reactions spurn intellectual freedom: “the freedom to hold, receive and disseminate ideas without restriction...the bedrock for freedoms of expression, speech, and the press and relates to freedoms of information and the right to privacy.”
These are things that the American Library Association (ALA) wishes to promote with campaigns like Banned Books Week. Their aims are to “celebrate the freedom to read; spotlight current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship.”
Basics: Who, When, Where, Why, and How of Censorship Conflicts
A distinction should be noted that a challenge in this context is only an attempt to remove or restrict materials, where a ban is a full-fledged removal. The reports about challenges are received by the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom for the sake of informational and promotional purposes.
The conflicts start with individuals wanting to protect others, usually children, from ideas and information that are seen as unsuitable for them. Subsequently, material commonly targeted is seen to have offensive language or sexual content unsuitable for certain audiences. Additionally, material may get confronted for certain social or political themes, like race, ethnicity, ancestry, spirituality/religion/morality, misogyny, or sentiments of pro-or anti-government or nationality sentiments.
By extension, public and school libraries are the most common settings where bans or challenges start, according to 2022 data from the ALA. The U.S. government has gotten involved with challenges or bannings in small ways, but the conflicts tend to reside on more local scales. (West Virginia had a very-publicised contraversy in the 1970’s.)
Ultimately, libraries are governed by their own bill of rights, and a portion states that: “Librarians and governing bodies should maintain that parents—and only parents—have the right and the responsibility to restrict the access of their children—and only their children—to library resources.” Also, censorship ultimately violates the First Amendment. Just a look at the history of challenges against literary classics alone finds merely several complaints taken, or titles revoked from use in education or circulation but reinstated on some conditional basis, like as optional reading or requesting permission prior to study. It is also worth noting that efforts to ban or challenge books actually tend to increase sales as the confrontation garners media attention.
Implications
These conflicts against books start with good intentions. Concerned parents, educators, board members, or community influencers are ideally trying to do a job and duty to promote healthy values for the next generation to follow. Albeit, their efforts have been known to escalate into crusade-like endeavors or villainize the art, artist, or supporters. Several things may need to be kept in mind when confronting radical, liberal, or sensitive material.
Sometimes the easiest way to deal is to just not engage with the product, like how one changes the channel when a disliked show or song comes on. If it’s not your cup of tea, it doesn’t need to be drunk or ordered. The whole shop doesn’t need to come down.
However, instead of blindly jumping on a bandwagon, reading/studying the targeted literature to form your own opinion can be quite reasonable--if not revolutionary--to do. Keep an objective, open-ended approach. Maybe remember literature studying exercises from your own education. Intense language and matters may be included for the purposes of depicting realistic experiences or issues. Perhaps the writer highlights drama or troubles from their own life or witnessed them affecting others. Conversely, the literature may reflect an older or different society with different views. Decide for yourself whether the forest is being seen for the trees. Is the deeper point of the contested literature being missed over lines of smut and bad words?
Obviously some experiences or issues may still exist on the other side of shielding or sheltering readers from the book in question. This is what I meant by the reactions seeking to limit literature rather than addressing the deeper matters conveyed. It’s one thing if a reading audience isn’t mentally, emotionally, developmentally, and/or academically ready for such content. However, those who are could be better equipped for “real-world matters” with proper presentation or discussion about it.
To drive things home, of course younger readers should be reading what’s appropriate for them. Parents have every right and responsibility to be involved in what’s suitable and within their children’s access. Sometimes the best teachers of personal values are none other than who one comes from or who cares for them. Yet the parents’ influence applies only to their own. Healthy parent-child discourse should be the main response and reaction to material outside of any familial standards. Anything more is unnecessary, unfruitful, and pushes legal boundaries. The pen has the might of the sword, but like the sword, it must be approached correctly for intended effect.
Hope you have more understanding behind banned books and Banned Books Week! Get involved this week or anytime by connecting to the ALA for more information and campaigns.
Are you reading a banned book? Participating one of ALA’s intellectual freedom campaigns? Does your local library have any special displays or decor for the week? Is there a topic you want me to cover in the future? Let me know by reaching out to me in the we chat feature or socials!
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