Credit: iStock
Credit: iStock
Carol Kosivar
December 29, 2022
Do you count on EdSource’s educational coverage? If so, make your donation today to keep us going without paywalls or ads.
This year I decided to give my grandchildren a forbidden book.
yes. genuine ban. There is a certain sweet satisfaction in giving out banned books.
You have many choices:
Should I choose books that are too scary, promote the occult, or contain offensive language? Books that people want banned because they are too violent or contain racial themes Or is it because they recognize the LGBTQ+ community?
More books than ever before have been banned from libraries and schools in 2021-2022. 1,648 unique book titles, according to PEN America’s Index of Textbook Bans. The most frequent targets are LGBTQ+ themed books and books about racism and non-white characters.
Unlike past book bans made by individuals, some of these bans are coordinated at the state law level as political statements. Attempts to “protect” students from the written word became so widespread that they received the name “pedagogical gag order”. They may not specifically say “book ban,” but it has a chilling effect on literary choices and education on sensitive topics.
The surge in book bans reflects the great political division in America and coincides with efforts to change the political make-up of local school boards. is done in The top 10 states are Texas, Pennsylvania, Florida, Oklahoma, Kansas, Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia, Missouri and Georgia.
California is not invincible. For example, in the Bay Area, efforts to ban books have failed in San Ramon Unified School District, Doherty Valley High School, Charlotte Wood Middle School, and Dublin Unified School District.
In Southern California, Burbank Unified removed five books from its mandatory reading list. “To Kill a Mockingbird”, “Huckleberry Finn”, “Mice and Men”, “The Kay”, “Roll of Thunder, Here My Cry”. In Santa Clarita, the William S. Hart Union High School District removed “This Book Is Gay” from its library.
Some efforts to ban books have been well coordinated. According to the PEN report:
Broadly speaking, the movement is intertwined with political movements that have expanded through the Covid-19 pandemic. This includes fights against mandatory masks and virtual schools, and the debate over “critical race theory,” which has spurred the introduction of educational gag orders banning debate in some states. . of the “split” concept in the classroom. Many of these groups use the language in their mission statements about parental rights or religious or conservative views, but they also use materials that touch on race (and sometimes overtly critical racial theories) or LGBTQ+ themes. Some groups explicitly require the exclusion of .
In California, book selection (and censorship) is a matter of local control. Each local committee approves the document. The California Department of Education recommends that school districts have a literature selection policy for both school library collections and literature used in the classroom. The state has a list of recommended literature to help school districts select literature. In any case, the decision is made by the school board, not the state.
The American Library Association offers a toolkit to help libraries and schools create a book selection process.
What I really wanted to pass on to my grandchildren is freedom of speech. The right to read books that others may not like, the importance of age-appropriate history lessons about unpleasant events.
When I went through my banned book shopping list, I found that many of the banned books were books my own children read when they were young.
“Where there are wild things.” It promotes witchcraft and supernatural occurrences. “Charlotte’s Web”— Talking animals, really?
Harry potter? “Wizard of Oz?” Doctor Seus? where’s waldo? “Where is the end of the sidewalk?” “Anne’s diary?”
You’re joking, right.
My grandson and I sat down together and went through the list of banned books and made our selections.
A 7-year-old boy chose “The Call of the Wild,” which was banned in some countries for being too radical. He loves his graphic novels, so ‘The Witches: The Graphic Novel’ is on his list. why is it banned? Some say it is satanic and contradicts religious and moral beliefs.
Rounding out his selection is Refugee, about a Jewish boy fleeing Nazi Germany, a Cuban girl seeking safety from political unrest, and a Syrian boy fleeing violence. Banned for “mature themes”.
The 13-year-old chose To Kill a Mockingbird, a book about racism in America. “The Glory Field” is also on the list, banned for its racial themes. It’s about the history of African-American families.
Banning books from schools and libraries threatens free speech and our commitment to teaching children well. Children need to learn about other cultures. They need to be exposed to ideas and perspectives. They need to learn history uncensored.
This holiday season is your chance to stand against censorship and stand for the free expression of ideas. Whatever you celebrate, there are banned books that can help children learn compassion, respect diversity, and think critically. Read this banned book from the New York Public Library You can use a list.
Let’s start shopping.
•••
Carol Kosivar He is a former president of the California PTA and a frequent contributor to Ed100, a website explaining the California education system.
A version of this commentary first appeared in Ed100.
The opinions expressed in this commentary represent those of the authors. EdSource welcomes comments representing diverse points of view. If you would like to submit a comment, please review our guidelines before contacting us.
Are you counting on EdSource’s daily reports? Donate now to our year-end fundraising campaign by December 31st and stay active with no paywalls or ads.
