Image by Patrick Tomasso.
Many Americans fear that the institutions protecting our democracy are under threat. Democracy originated in the city-states of ancient Greece, where citizens met in open forums to voice their opinions and share ideas. Ever since, the free flow of ideas has been essential to the preservation of democracy, thus it’s now more important than ever to protect our access to all sources of ideas, including books.
Books offer more than entertainment and diversion, they’re portals to new ideas, new worlds, new experiences, new ways of approaching life, new understanding of other people’s realities, and oh so much more. Considering the joys, delights, and benefits of reading, it’s difficult to comprehend why anyone would want to limit our access to books, but that’s what some people want to do.
The First Amendment protects our basic freedoms, including freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press. In 1982, the US Supreme Court ruled that the First Amendment protects books from being banned by government officials; however, that ruling is frequently ignored. Despite the fact that the First Amendment prohibits book banning, the number of actual attempts to ban them is increasing dramatically. In the 2023-2024 school year, PEN America counted more than 10,000 book bans in public schools.
To any reasonably open-minded adult, the whole notion of forcing one’s own beliefs on others is preposterous. Probably every book ever written offends someone, somewhere, but hopefully no one wants to ban all books. No matter how innocent a book might seem, someone is bound to be offended. Winnie the Pooh? That honey-obsessed bear clearly has an eating disorder. And talk about eating disorders, The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a field guide to compulsive overeating. Goodnight Moon? That poor kid’s rodent-infested bedroom is disgusting and unsafe. I wish I were being facetious, but I’m not — people have attacked these classic books for the reasons mentioned.
How about Charlotte’s Web? Surely no one could object to such a sweet, heart-warming story. Wrong. It was once banned from a few children’s libraries because a group of parents objected to the book’s “blasphemous” talking animals. There’s got to be an unoffensive book somewhere. I thought I found one: Sesame Street: Ready, Set, Brush! — a pop-up book featuring familiar Sesame Street characters demonstrating proper brushing techniques. Unoffensive? Not to devout Jainists who believe it’s wrong to brush the teeth because the act can harm the microorganisms living in the mouth. Fortunately, Jainists aren’t into book banning, or it’d be adiós Elmo and his toothbrush.
I could go on ad infinitum, but there’s no need. Books contain ideas, and even though some people are going to be offended, the unrestricted discussion of ideas must continue because that is the bedrock of democracy. Authors, librarians, and book lovers don’t want to silence anyone. We want to hear what you think about our books, and if a book offends you, please speak up. Write a letter to the editor, go to PTO and school board meetings, let us know what you think. Just don’t try to ban our books. Let us decide what books we want to read and what books we want our kids to read, and we’ll extend the same respect to you.
Amazingly, only 11 people were behind 60 percent of attempts to ban books in 2021-2022. Obviously, these folks are committed to their obsession, and nothing anyone can say is likely to dissuade them. Our best defense is to enact legislation that prohibits book banning and protects educators and librarians from censorship-related lawsuits.
I live in Rhode Island, and I am a strong supporter of RI Senate Bill 238, the Freedom to Read Act. If enacted, SB 238 will protect against censorship in public and school libraries, and it will protect librarians. Assuming the bill does pass, Rhode Island will become only the fifth state to protect the basic freedom to read (Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, and New Jersey are the other four). If you care about our democracy and you live in one of the states without a Freedom to Read Act, now is the time to speak up.
