Banned books

For as long as there have been books, there have been authorities wishing to censor their contents in order to protect a narrative, shield readers from uncomfortable knowledge, or maintain what they see as standards of decency in society. It seems clear from the number of websites offering lists of 'banned books' that such attempts are frequently unsuccessful and in fact often serve to gain more publicity for the book in question. Looking at what has been banned at different times and in different places can perhaps shed some light on the motivation of the governments or organisations which have tried to remove these books from circulation, and can reveal some perhaps surprising opinions.

Decency

Some books of course are famous - one might even say notorious - in no small part directly because of their reputation as banned. D H Lawrence's novel Lady Chatterley's Lover published in 1928, was considered to be obscene due to its explicit sexual content and was finally released in 1960; Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov was banned in the UK from its publication in 1955 until 1959 because of its explicit content and the ethical questions raised by the story.

Forever by Judy Blume was a hugely popular book during my high school years, as it 'daringly' portrayed a couple in their teens falling in love and gasp having sex! The discussion of the girl using the contraceptive pill was apparently too much for many adult sensibilities, so school libraries across the USA were not allowed to stock this one. It's a real shame, as one of the reasons Judy Bloom's books were so popular was the way she wrote characters that ordinary teens could relate to; normalising this level of responsibility could have been seen as a very positive step, rather than a reason to try and suppress it.

Authority

Despite being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1958, the Soviet authorities were so incensed by the implied criticism of their regime in Dr Zhivago that Boris Pasternak returned the award mere days after initially accepting it. Thirty years later, in 1988, the novel was finally published in the Soviet Union, and his son travelled to Oslo to accept the award on his behalf.

I remember as a teen seeing a huge outcry after the publication of Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses, and the response to the Ayatollah's fatwa against the author. The book is claimed to be anti-Muslim, and for this reason remains forbidden in many muslim countries.

Race

Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn has been a controversial book since its original publication in 1885, when some librarians objected to the dialect it uses. Although it is a hugely popular classic about slavery and freedom, it has been removed from school curricula in some parts of the USA either for its language (over 200 uses of the n-word), or because of its language and portrayal of slavery and the mistreatment of slaves. Understandably, many students are uncomfortable with the frequent use of racist slurs, and the portrayal of deeply racist attitudes and behaviours, and discussion of these topics can create a very difficult classroom atmosphere.

Although Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is about a white lawyer defending a black man who has been falsely accused of raping a white woman, complaints about its 'racist language' keep it high on the list of books banned by American school boards. Racial prejudice and the importance of doing the right thing even in difficult circumstances are ironically the main themes of the book.

LGBT+

In more recent years, there has been an increase in protests about books with LGBT themes; in 2023-24 a quarter of the books banned from school libraries had LGBT characters or themes. Outcry about books for primary-school aged children which have families with same-sex parents has . Award-winning book And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson is the true story of the pair of male penguins who built a nest together, adopted an abandoned egg and raised a chick in New York's Central Park Zoo. It has been branded 'anti-family' and 'unsuited to the age group', even though it's about building a family together...

All Boys aren't Blue is a set of memoir-essays by George M Johnson, describing his experience growing up as a queer Black man, and addresses issues of abuse and consent, as well as identity. This has led to its status in the top 10 of most frequently banned books in the USA.

And the UK is not immune - surveys have shown that school librarians are increasingly being asked to take LGBT books off the shelves. This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson is a non-fiction book which focuses on gender identity and non-heterosexual relationships, aiming to be a source of valuable information to young people who are coming out as queer. Reviewers have described it as 'irreverent' and 'informative', highlighting its valuable role in meeting the need for queer youth, but it is exactly this informative approach which means that it has been removed from some school libraries in the UK, as well as widely across the USA.

So why does it matter if books are banned by school districts and libraries? I think, quite simply, because these are the most accessible sources of books for many young people. There is no cost to join and use them, and the range of reading material available is (or at least should be) far wider than is available in most homes. Reading books which address difficult themes gives the reader an opportunity to think about these for themselves, and to consider a range of viewpoints. And while this is generally what is being prevented by such bans, that makes the availability of 'alternative' books so much more crucial. For students growing up in predominantly white communities, books which address issues of racial prejudice and racism can help to demonstrate other perspectives and cast light on issues of oppression, minority experience, and discrimination. Or a student concerned that their gender identity or sexuality are 'different' can discover that they are not unique and alone, and may be able to find support and hope in what can be a very isolating experience. Or a student growing up in a family with same-sex parents can see that other people are like them, too. Normalising different experiences, and offering young people the opportunity to explore different ways of thinking is crucial to their developing empathy and understanding, and in finding their own identity.