Book censorship is defined as ‘the removal, suppression, or restricted circulation of literary, artistic, or educational material–of images, ideas, and information–on the grounds that these are morally or otherwise objectionable in the light of standards applied by the censor’ (American Library Association, 2019). What had launched literary censorship into any spotlight of the law was the Comstock Act signed by Congress in 1873.
The Comstock Act was a set of federal statutes aimed at suppressing the trade-in or circulation of obscene literature and immoral articles. Individuals who violate the Act run the risk of enduring 5 years of imprisonment with hard labor and up to $2,000 in fines. Then, $2,000 was a rather measurable amount. For comparison, that same $2,000 in 1873 would be equivalent to almost $39,000 in 2019. With the Comstock Act in 1873, both public county schools and libraries moved in banning or challenging certain titles from being read due to its obscene themes. From 2000-2009, 1,577 titles have been challenged due to sexually explicit material and 1,291 titles challenged for explicit language (American Library Association, 2019).
A prime example of an author utilizing coarse language then being challenged for it would be Mark Twain. His novel “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” faced criticism almost immediately from its publish in 1876. The criticism faced was largely in part due to the coarse language and racial stereotypes. Twain’s novel “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, published in 1884, was also challenged for similar reasons regarding coarse language, racial stereotypes, and the use of the N-word. When discussing matters such as foul language and sexual or violent content, it is important to remember a child’s innocence and mentality when considering if a certain title should be placed in a school library or allowed in school for “personal reading.”
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Banning/challenging certain titles is vital in retaining a child’s innocence as certain topics should be introduced to the individual through a parent or guardian as opposed to a novel read at school. Though there is a rather strong argument to rebuttal that statement. Public libraries should be held to different standards for the sole fact that libraries attract a very diverse demographic whereas school libraries are young children only. The act of banning/challenging certain titles in public schools is a matter with great support behind it.
Behind every title banned or challenge, there is definitive reasoning behind it. A majority of the time, the title’s theme or content does not sit morally well amongst a population if it can be deemed as inappropriate and potentially influential on the youth. According to the American Library Association’s top ten challenged titles in 2017, six of the titles were challenged for sexual themes, three were challenged for violence, and one challenged for discussing suicide. Any individual, a parent or not, should be able to determine that this type of content is not suitable for a young, pliable mind.
This becomes especially important if certain topics are never addressed in a household environment by a parent or guardian. If a young child gathers their understanding of a certain topic through the lens of a fictional novel, it will result in a very negative and limited perception. The most challenged book in 2017 was “13 Reasons Why” written by Jay Asher. This title was deemed too sensitive and challenge-able due to its discussion of suicide and target audience of young adults. Following a series of suicides (unsure if related to the novel or not) in Colorado, the curriculum director of Mesa Country School District decided to pull the book off its shelves without due process.
A committee reviewed and overturned the decision after it was said that the novel is nearly not as graphic as the Netflix television show was. But this was not the only attempt of a school attempting to withdraw this title from its library selection. An elementary school in Florida took the book off its library shelves and even banned it for “personal reading” as it contained content such as suicide, drug use, and violence, all of which are concepts that are far too mature for the young minds. In Anderson County, Kentucky, the book was pulled from its library shelves due to its content.
Public libraries attract a diverse audience. Libraries are aware of this hence each portion of a library being designated to a specific genre. For example, every public library holds a “Young Adult” section, a “Children” section, and a “Mature 18+” section. Regarding titles that hold sexual themes but are characterized as “Young Adult”, they should be held to no limitation regarding if it should be withdrawn off of shelves. Protecting a child’s innocence is vital but society cannot kneel to a parent’s wants. Parents have full control over what their child reads or sees but they do not reserve that same right to restrict books made available for other kids. “Even books or materials that many find “objectionable” may have educational value, and the decision about what to use in the classroom should be based on professional judgments and standards, not individual preferences” (National Coalition against Censorship, 2019).
While there is extensive research to support banning or challenging titles in school libraries, there is also a very powerful argument to allowing challenged titles to be allowed in schools. Robie H. Harris, an author who faced frequent criticism for children books relating to sexual health, stated “I think these books look at the topics, the concerns, the worry, the fascination that kids have today…It’s the world in which they’re living”. This is particularly important regarding her books because it may teach items that some parents will not at home. A poll in 2011 was conducted by Planned Parenthood that asked if parents had spoken with their child regarding sexual health in relationships, 92% responded stating that they have.
That remaining 8% of the children are left to learn from third party sources such as falsified fiction novels, friends, or even pornography. All of those would result in the child having a very false and fake view on sexual instances in relationships. Books that touch base on sexual health and the acts of growing up such as “Let’s Talk About Sex”, “Who We Are!”, and “It’s Perfectly Normal” provide an insight for the child who will not learn these topics properly anywhere else. Though understanding the severity of suicide and domestic violence should be taught through a parent or guardian, there is again the similar argument regarding sexual health that if challenged informative books are not able teach them, then who will?
Titles that are made available to ages 12-18 that hold sexual or violent themes should continue to be challenged/banned. Though there is research to support that novels are informative and can teach a child certain things a parent might not, not every novel written is informative. “Fifty Shades of Grey” is a prime example of a novel that holds absolutely no educational value and should be challenged in school libraries. Also, research by Planned Parenthood showcases that a majority of parents already teach their children about sex at a reasonable age which would render the informative books useless. A school library or classroom setting is not one fit for a student to be reading about sexual content or about violent things such as domestic violence or suicide.
