Why Ban Books?

 Why, why, why? This question swirls around my head when reading these books. Why have they been banned? For what reasons?

            Our first book, The Color Purple was easier to deduce why. The reason for its banning was for its sexual content and situations of abuse and domestic abuse. For me, Bronx Masquerade was harder to understand why it was banned. Apparently, it was for violence, language, sexual content, and drug use present in the book. And what confused and struck me the most was the recent banning of King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail. Like seriously, why? It was part of a list of seventeen other books deemed sexually explicit. Really, have they ever read the letter?

            Above are the given reasons why, but to me, they fall flat. Completely barring a book from a school or library so that it cannot be read seems extreme. I can completely understand putting age restrictions on books or trigger warnings, but to not allow them to be accessed, I just cannot get behind. I love books and gaining knowledge from them. That’s the thing though, higher ups and those in authoritative positions do not want that knowledge to be accessible. Books are powerful. They can tell you stories and experiences of diverse people. They allow you to empathize with the characters and can show you that you’re not alone and that other people are feeling and experiencing things just like you are. They provide a more holistic understanding and comprehension of the world. So why try and stop this?

            Jason Reynold’s Stamped, although focused on racism, highlights the significance books have by showing how oppressors use them to suit their purposes. He starts by explaining that this is not a history book, well in the sense that it is not like the ones found in classrooms. This statement begs the question: why would they be different? Well, many school textbooks, especially history books, do not tell the accurate or entire history of past events. Further on he writes, “This book, this not history history book, this present book, is meant to take you on a race journey from then to now.” Another reason books are kept from children or young adults is that the subject matter is viewed as something from the past, not relevant now, so it needn’t be taught. But what these people, usually parents, fail to realize is that the past affects the present and just because something is deemed to be from a “long time ago” does not make it irrelevant or nonexistent. Continuing with how books are used by oppressors, Jason Reynolds goes on to write about the first racist. He was a man named Zurara and he wrote a book titled, The Chronicle of the Discovery and Conquest of Guinea. In this book, he lied about King Henry’s conquest and his enslavement of Africans. He described what was occurring as a noble endeavor and a mission from God to help civilize and Christianize the African “savages”. This notorious book was very popular and spread which created a false understanding of the true nature of colonization. After discussing Zurara, Jason Reynolds transitions to America and how John Cotton and Richard Mather ushered in slavery in the newly colonized America. They were Puritans, who also believed in the cursed theory which used the Bible story about Ham being cursed to permit and allow racism and slavery. They built the first-ever university in America, Harvard University. Since they ascribed to Aristotle’s belief in human hierarchy, they allowed nothing but it to be taught at their school. Well, if that is all that could be accepted as truth, every other contradictory teaching or text would essentially have been banned. Therefore, the banning of books and censorship of knowledge is foundational to our nation and academic institutions. But just because our past is present in our future does not mean it needs to stay the same or that it can’t be changed for the better.