Around the country, book bannings are increasing in school libraries. Common themes of banned books include racism, obscenities, and more recently - LGBTQ material. These areas of concern are increasingly growing in society today, with over 10,000 books banned in the 2023-2024 school year. Luckily, here at Paso Robles High School there have been no recorded book bannings.
“Everybody deserves to be able to see themselves in what they read, I feel that's really important because if we're banning just those books, then students are not able to read about other cultures” PRHS librarian Stephanie Lowe said.
The first recorded book ban in the U.S. took place in 1637 in what is now Massachusetts by the Puritan government according to the Harvard Gutman Library. Originally, book bannings were mainly due to religious reasons, but have recently shifted to more sensitive political and cultural matters.
The process of book bannings start with a challenge to the school district by an individual or group. “Often challenges are motivated by a desire to protect children from “inappropriate” sexual content or “offensive language,” according to the American Library association. At Paso High, if a board member chooses to follow through with the challenge the superintendent will form a committee who will all read the book and then come to a final decision, according to Lowe.
“They pinpoint one or two pages and a few sentences that they read at the board meeting. It sounds terrible, but if you look at the book in its entirety, you have to decide whether it's worth keeping in the collection, if there's value to it, and generally speaking, there's value to it.” Lowe explains how this process usually ends with the book staying in the library.
In our district there have never been any book bannings for as long as Lowe has been here. She explains how the process of reading the entire book with the person challenging it usually ends the argument, “But I've been here 24 years, and that's never happened. I had one when I was at Flamson, a parent was concerned about a book, and once I sat down with the parent and the principal and just told them, ‘Well, yeah, you might not want your son or daughter to read this, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't want my son or daughter to read it.’”
At PRHS, the English classes offered cover many books that can be found banned around the country. These books often offer the most important knowledge to students, allowing them to understand the various perspectives that come with the controversy. Three of these: To Kill a Mockingbird, 1984, and Of Mice and Men, are covered here with opinions from Crimson journalists about the validity of their banned book status.
The classic dystopian novel, 1984 by George Orwell, was first tried in 1981 in Jackson County, Florida, 32 years after it was first published in June of 1949. The book was challenged for its “pro-communist” themes and contained “explicit sexual matters.” It was titled 1984 as a message from Orwell to warn us of the dystopian future he foresaw in the U.S.
The novel begins with the protagonist Winston Smith, as he continues on in his ordinary life where he works in the Records Department of the Ministry of Truth. Here, he burns historical documents and rewrites them to match the ideologies of the totalitarian party known as Big Brother. Smith encounters relationships between other characters which leads him to question his dystopian society's view of life. Forming these bonds between other characters develops Smith’s rebellion against the party and leads him to get captured and questioned. The novel ends with Smith being released from constant torture and admitting his love and acceptance for Big Brother. The ending completed the tragic story of this dystopian world as the protagonist ended the novel in the same way the book began, resulting in no character growth and affirming Smith as a victim of his tragic society.
When I first read 1984, I was astonished by the parallels to my current world. The irony of this being one of the most frequently banned books is even mentioned in the book, where certain diction and history is prohibited and even burned. I find gratitude in being able to read and absorb the knowledge of this novel in my AP Language class. This book brought our class many meaningful discussions of censorship, language, propaganda and humanity.
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, released in 1937 is a controversial book in school libraries due to its themes of racism, offensive language, and euthanasia. The novel has racist themes involving a verbal assault of an African American with the use of the “n-word.” From the years 2010-2019 it was the 28th most challenged book in the U.S. for banning according to the American Library association. Along with this it is currently being tried in Iowa in the Spencer Community School District, but the investigation is pending according to Pen America.
It follows two farm workers in California, George and Lennie, who were kicked out of their previous employer's farm due to Lennie’s mental disabilities. They find work on a new farm, but Lennie ends up accidentally killing the farm owner’s wife. In an emotional final scene, George shoots Lennie because he knows what will happen when the news breaks and the town will come to punish him.
While reading this novel I did not feel that it was overly offensive to the point where it should be banned. The points in the novel that display harsh racism are important to the plot of the novel and give an accurate picture of the timeframe.
Our country's history of racism is not something to be proud of, but it is not something that we can ignore to prevent future generations’ ignorance due to the banning of books.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, released in 1960, covers a story of racial prejudice in a small town that comes to light when a compassionate lawyer, Atticus Finch, defends a Black man falsely accused of rape. It received the Pulitzer Prize back in 1961, but held the 7th spot on The American Library Association’s top ten most challenged and banned books in 2020; it has been on the list three times in the past 15 years, and in June of 2024 was banned in an Iowa school district. The racial slurs used, the portrayal of a “white savior” character, and the violence and rape depicted have made this book contested and given its place on this list.