Although a recent prolific increase in the number of books being banned in the United States has made the conversation mainstream, book banning, censoring, and altering is nothing new. The reasons behind it have changed over history, ranging from the authors being Jewish, to the inclusion of LGBT characters and sexual content. The impact, however, has remained the same – the silencing of already marginalised voices.
A reflection of control
The decision to ban certain books is a reflection of both the control that those in power have over literature and discourse, as well as the subject matter that they view as a threat to this control. This can be a reflection of moral panics, a fear of change, or the desire to “protect” readers from taboo content. Most recently, several books which feature LGBT storylines or characters have been banned in schools in Florida by the Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who purports to be protecting children from content that parents claim is “obscene” or “confusing”.
Representation loss
Books are the best medium for getting inside the head of a character to whom you may not initially relate – one who doesn’t look or speak or live like you – and having the opportunity to emphasise and understand them. By banning, censoring, or altering them, this opportunity for representation and/or empathy is lost. By taking away people’s ability to speak for themselves through literature, a vacuum is created for them to be spoken over and misrepresented.
Books that have been banned most frequently include the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling, for featuring witchcraft, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou for explicit portrayals of violence and racism, and Melissa by Alex Gino, for featuring a gender nonconforming child character. Books are rarely banned nationwide, instead, libraries and school districts may prohibit them, bookstores may refuse to sell them, or in the case of Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler, the copyright owner (the state government of Bavaria in Germany) may refuse to reprint it, resulting in a de facto ban.
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Here at Sussex
Closer to home, Miss Julie by August Strindberg, was removed from a literature module reading list at the University of Sussex because of its references to suicide. In a Freedom of Information request from The Times, the university said that this was because of complaints by students. Although this book was not outright banned, the suppression, censorship, or alteration of books can have a similar impact because of interference with the communication between the writer and the reader.
When books are banned because the themes discussed in them are too “disturbing”, “uncomfortable”, or “obscene”, the taboo shifts from the subject matter itself to the act of talking about it. Some things are inherently disturbing to talk about and to salinize them of this discomfort is to do them a disservice. When the University of Essex removed The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead for being too violent in its depictions of slavery, they removed an important part of the curriculum – the truth.
Resist the censorship
However, this does not mean that the banning of books has been accepted passively. Many people have resisted over history by challenging the bans legally, displaying banned books prominently in libraries and bookstores, or through underground distribution, such as in Soviet Russia.
Additionally, Banned Books Week (September 22-28th, 2024) began in 1982 to highlight the increasing number of books being challenged in the US. It has since spread around the world, and this year will conclude with Let Freedom Read Day. On this day, readers are encouraged to take at least one action to resist the censorship of books, such as calling a decision maker, buying or borrowing a banned book, or volunteering at a library.