The practice of book banning has a long and complicated history. Dating as far back as the 1600s, it seems that for as long as literature has been around, so too has book banning.
In the year 2022 alone, there had been 1,296 attempts to ban books in libraries around the country. This was a 38 percent spike compared to the previous year which had been “record breaking,” as reported by the American Library Association. Since 2022, that number has continued to climb. The amount of attempted book bannings in 2025 now sits at 10,046, and we aren’t even halfway through the year yet.
Book bannings are more than just the removal of unwanted subject material within a school building and it raises an important question; what does it mean to have intellectual freedom and the right to access information?
The dictionary directly describes the word ‘censorship’ as “the prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security.” Often when arguments support the practice of book bannings, it is typically because the subject material is viewed as graphic or violent, sexually explicit, promotional toward the disrespect of parents and/or authority figures, and contains usage of profane language. However, it’s important to understand that these arguments often lack factual merit as they are usually derived from opinion.
In September of 1990, the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression announced that the First Amendment of the Constitution was “in perilous condition across the nation” with book bannings being its most aggressive and widespread threat. This continues to be true today, as more and more pieces of literature are being censored across America.
As said in an article written by Elyla Huertas, Senior Staff Attorney at ACLU New Jersey, “being able to learn about, and engage with new ideas, especially those we may disagree with, is foundational to any healthy democracy.” We cannot ever hope to understand one another if we never oppose each other in our opinions and beliefs.
Books like The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradburry, and 1984 by George Orwell warn us about the stark and horrifying reality of our world while also teaching us that we are not alone in our desire to make a change. Stories like To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger teach about racial tolerance and learning to understand and sympathize with the struggles of strangers. All of these books have been under the threat of bannings for more than 20 years, and they all contain lessons that should not be censored simply because they are hard-won.
It is important to get involved and keep these stories from being taken out of school libraries and bookstores. Education is a person’s greatest weapon and should never be taken for granted.