Should We Be Banning Books?

October 5-11, 2025 is Banned Books Week, the one week in a year to bring attention to our right to choose what we want to read and to make the public aware of the kinds of books and the reasons why they have been banned in some schools and libraries around the country.  Presently, our country is in turmoil, so the issue of banning books has perhaps taken a back seat to other more “important” issues that are dividing our country. But I believe that the issue of banned books is not something we can just ignore. 

I have shared my concerns that students are no longer viewing reading as an enjoyable activity (Why Aren't Kids Reading for Pleasure?) It doesn't help that the book bans or censorship could impact the kinds of books that are available especially for marginalized students. I also know our world today is very different from when I grew up with technology available, 24/7,  and many more options in life than we had back then. Our schools could be the place where a love for books and reading could be nurtured, especially in elementary schools. And banning or censoring books is not the answer.

Kids need to see themselves in the books they read. When I started out as a teacher, there were very few books with multicultural characters who may have been dealing with problems that our young people could relate to. But by the time I retired, there were lots of choices -  diverse characters, themes that helped students to navigate challenges in their lives, and  plots that encouraged sensitive discussions and helped students to be more empathetic and thoughtful of other people's challenges. As stated in this article, Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors, "When children cannot find themselves reflected in the books they read, or when the images they see are distorted, negative, or laughable, they learn a powerful lesson about how they are devalued in the society of which they are a part. Our classrooms need to be places where all the children from all the cultures that make up the salad bowl of American society can find their mirrors." 

The sad thing is that many of those books are the ones being challenged or banned today. Watch this video with George Takei, Honorary Chair of Banned Books Week. He is an actor and an author who speaks from experience about being banned and having his stories silenced. 

I remember some of the books that I shared with my sons and my students, wonderful books such as Charlotte's Web, Bridge to Terabithia, Baseball Saved Us, The Giving Tree, Where the Wild Things Are, Ramona, the Pest, The Lorax, Crow Boy, Strega Nona and others. We had meaningful discussions about these books, about the main characters, what made them memorable, the problems they had to overcome, and how they made us feel.  All of these books have one thing in common. All are or have been banned in the past. And there are many, many more titles - too many - of picture books as well as novels, poetry books, graphic novels, and others that have been banned for various reasons. 

I was disappointed yesterday when I read this article in Civil Beat: Hawai`i State Library Bans Displays for Banned Books Week. Hawai`i is a state with a diverse population and where aloha and tolerance for others is expected and practiced daily. Why would our libraries choose not to publicize the one week in the year which calls attention to books which have been banned or censored? I decided to visit the public library to borrow some books. I looked around to see if there was any mention of Banned Books Week; there were a few small signs that said "Freedom to Read" and one bulletin board with 4 small stickers with titles of books library patrons were reading.  I thought I'd look for and read some of the newer picture books on the most current list of banned books. Unfortunately, none of them were on the shelves. There could be reasonable explanations. Perhaps they were checked out or perhaps they were never part of the library's collection or perhaps they were shelved in the wrong place. I don’t know the reason, but I was disappointed. I wanted to see for myself why those books were banned.

These are the covers of some of the books that have been banned in schools and/or libraries. I looked on the shelves at our local public library for some of those books but didn’t find any of them.

In these challenging times in our country, we need to advocate for our students and educators. Banning books because we don’t agree with what is written does not help our children to think critically, to engage in sometimes-difficult discussions, to ask questions and to share their ideas. Our children deserve better.

Let’s stop banning books!

** Here is a link to a comprehensive article that explains the state of book banning: “The Normalization of Book Banning”