A recent slew of book bans across the country in response to “making white children uncomfortable” and discussing insensitive topics such as racism, and sexuality has raised concern among First Amendment advocates.

Often the books the being banned are those by Black, Indigenous, and authors of color for their discussions of racism and global colonization, writings which can include explicit topics of mass death, torture, genocide, police violence, and racism.

Jewish authors have also recently been the subject of book banning for mentions of the horrors of the Holocaust (Shoah) as well as LGBTQIA2S+ authors whose books are often banned under the guise of sexually or generally explicit topics.

Books that are often banned include graphic depictions of violence, suicide, sexuality, and politically sensitive messages such as Critical Race Theory (CRT). Banned and challenged books are often the target of these types of censorship for their messages that challenge the norms or morals of society.

Historically, banning books or censoring texts is often seen when authoritarian regimes crack down on certain messages it does not want to spread. Pre-World War II Germany saw mass book burnings and bans that looked to remove any mentions of Jewish people in a positive light, among other topics. Banning and censoring texts is often portrayed as a restriction of First Amendment rights.

More recently in the U.S., the graphic novel "Maus" by author Art Siegelman depicts the horrors of the Holocaust in a cartoonish fashion, with Jewish people depicted as mice and the Nazis as cats. A Tennessee school board recently voted unanimously to ban the book from the 8th-grade curriculum, creating a lot of backlash on social media.

The American Library Association (ALA), among other organizations, publishes an annual list of the most banned or challenged books in the U.S. In 2020, the top 10 most banned or challenged books included:

  1. “George” by Alex Gino, for mentions of LGBTIQIA2S+ content, “ conflicting with a religious viewpoint, and not reflecting ‘the values of our community.’”
  2. “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You” by Ibrahim X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds. Kendi is a professor and popular anti-racism speaker. This text of his was banned for his public statements and because those who banned or challenged the texts claimed, “ the book contains ‘selective storytelling incidents’ and does not encompass racism against all people.”
  3. “All American Boys” by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, which was banned or challenged across the U.S. for “profanity, drug use, and alcoholism” and for the book’s anti-police stance and mentions of divisive topics.
  4. “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson, was banned or challenged because of mentions of rape and the book’s profanity, and it was thought to contain an anti-male stance.
  5. “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie, was banned or challenged for profanity, sexual references, and because of recent allegations of sexual misconduct against Alexie.
  6. “Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story About Racial Injustice” by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard, and illustrated by Jennifer Zivoin. The book was challenged often for its “divisive language” and anti-police views.
  7. “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee is a classic text that has for a long time been the face of criticism, including bans and challenges due to its use of “racial slurs and their negative effect on students,” featuring a character as a “white savior,” and the book’s “perception of the Black experience.”
  8. “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck is another classic that is often the subject of bans and challenges for its inclusion of racial slurs and stereotypes that may be offensive to students.
  9. “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, an author who is often affected by bans and challenges to her work for “sexually explicit” content and depictions of “child sexual abuse.”
  10. “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas, which went on to inspire a more recent film of the same name, was challenged for profanity and its anti-police message.

In 2016 when author John Green’s book was named the most challenged book of 2015, the ALA stated that “challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others. As such, they are a threat to freedom of speech and choice.”

Conservative groups and parents often cite concerns about explicit or violent topics that children read. More liberal groups, the authors in question, and some teachers say children must learn about the horrors of the past or they may be doomed to repeat history.

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