Book burning is a form of censorship that is intended to suppress ideas that are dangerous or harmful. Despite the ridiculousness of attempting to burn an idea, the net result of book burnings and bans is that it tends to publicize the objectionable material. The irony of book banning is that it targets ideas and access to materials that aren’t required reading. Yet the mobs that carry out this literary terrorism often do so at the behest of groups whose philosophy revolves around tomes of compelled reading or indoctrinated groupthink based on selective interpretation of “sacred texts.”

Books have been banned for various reasons, including their content, author, or perceived political or social views.

• One of the earliest examples of book banning in the pre-United States occurred in 1650 when the Puritan government of Massachusetts Bay Colony burned a book called “The Meritorious Price of Our Redemption” because it criticized the Puritan church.
• In the early 1800s, several book burnings of abolitionist literature existed. During the Civil War, there were book burnings of pro-Confederate literature.
• In the late 1800s and early 1900s, there was a wave of book-banning works by authors such as Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, and James Joyce. These books were often banned for being too sexually explicit or offensive.
• During the McCarthy era of the 1950s, there was banning of books by authors who were accused of being communists or communist sympathizers.
• In recent years, there has been a resurgence of book banning, particularly in schools. Books have been banned for their content, which is often related to race, sexuality, and gender identity.

The American Library Association (ALA) tracks book challenges and censorship. According to the ALA, there were 546 challenges to library books in 2001. In 2021, there were just 2,562 challenges. That represents almost a fivefold increase in 20 years. The most challenged books dealt with LGBTQ+ issues, race, and religion. Here are just a few in the last 20 years:

• In 2009, a group of students at a Christian high school in Tennessee burned copies of the Harry Potter books. The students said they were burning the books because they were “demonic” and “promoted witchcraft.” https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2022/02/06/pastor-holds-bonfire-burning-books-harry-potter-and-twilight-orig-as.cnn
• In 2010, a group of parents in Florida burned copies of the book “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini. The parents said they were burning the book because it was “anti-Islamic.”
• In 2012, a group of students at a Christian college in Texas burned copies of the book “The God of Small Things” by Arundhati Roy. The students said they were burning the book because it was “blasphemous.”
• In 2014, a group of white supremacists in California burned copies of the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. The white supremacists said they were burning the book because it was “anti-white.” https://www.newsweek.com/kill-mockingbird-other-books-banned-california-schools-over-racism-concerns-1547241
• In 2017, a group of students at a Christian high school in Mississippi burned copies of the book “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie. The students said they were burning the book because it was “vulgar” and “offensive.”

Attacks on Libraries

According to the American Library Association (ALA), there have been over 15,000 challenges to library books in the United States in the last 20 years. Of these challenges, 5,000 have resulted in the book being banned or restricted.

Table 1 – Titles Challenged in US Public Libraries

Year	Number of Challenges	Primary Reason for Challenge
2000-2001	546	Sexual content
2002-2003	547	Offensive language
2004-2005	639	Religious viewpoint
2006-2007	756	Sexual content
2008-2009	729	Offensive language
2010-2011	850	Sexual content
2012-2013	949	Offensive language
2014-2015	1,150	Sexual content
2016-2017	1,597	Offensive language
2018-2019	1,799	Sexual content
2020-2021	2,562	Divisive political viewpoints
2022	3,092	Divisive political viewpoints
Total	15,216

As you can see, the number of challenges to books in US public libraries has increased in recent years. The primary reason for past challenges has been sexual content, followed by offensive language. Recently, however, the increase in challenges is due to divisive political viewpoints.

Note:

• These numbers only represent challenges reported to the American Library Association. Likely, many more challenges went unreported.
• The most challenged books dealt with LGBTQ+ issues, race, and religion. Other frequently challenged books dealt with sexual content, drug use, and violence.

The genres or subject matters of the books that have been pulled from American public libraries in the last 20 years are:

• LGBTQ+: Books that deal with LGBTQ+ issues are often challenged because they are seen as promoting homosexuality or transgenderism. Some of the most challenged books in this category include “Call Me by Your Name” by Andre Aciman, “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie, and “George” by Alex Gino.
• Race: Books that deal with race are often challenged because they are seen as promoting anti-white racism or because they contain negative stereotypes about certain racial groups. Some of the most challenged books in this category include “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas, and “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates.
• Religion: Books that deal with religion are often challenged because they are seen as promoting atheism or agnosticism or because they contain negative stereotypes about certain religions. Some of the most challenged books in this category include “The God Delusion” by Richard Dawkins, “The Bible: A Biography” by Karen Armstrong, and “The End of Faith” by Sam Harris.
• Sexual content: Books that contain sexual content are often challenged because they are seen as being inappropriate for children or because they are seen as promoting promiscuity. Some of the most challenged books in this category include “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger, “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” by D.H. Lawrence, and “Ulysses” by James Joyce.
• Drug use: Books that deal with drug use are often challenged because they are seen as promoting drug use or because they are seen as being inappropriate for children. Some of the most challenged books in this category include “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton, “Less Than Zero” by Bret Easton Ellis, and “Trainspotting” by Irvine Welsh.
• Violence: Books that contain violence are often challenged because they are seen as being too graphic or because they are seen as promoting violence. Some of the most challenged books in this category include “The Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins, and “Battle Royale” by Koushun Takami.

Not all challenges to library books are successful. The books are often kept on the shelves or restricted to specific age groups. However, the number of challenges to library books is concerning and suggestive of a growing trend towards censorship.

The Supreme Court has (for the moment) been supportive of protecting library access to “offensive” materials. In the case of Island Trees School District v. Pico (1982), the Supreme Court ruled that schools and libraries cannot remove books from their shelves simply because they are offensive to some people. The case involved a group of students who challenged the removal of several books from their school library. The school board removed the books because they were “anti-American, anti-Christian, and anti-family.” The Supreme Court ruled that the school board had violated the students’ First Amendment rights by removing the books.

The Court held that schools and libraries must provide a diversity of viewpoints to their students and patrons. They cannot remove books simply because they are offensive to some people. The Court also held that the school board’s decision to remove the books was motivated by a desire to suppress ideas rather than a legitimate pedagogical concern.

The rulings in Miller v. California and Island Trees School District v. Pico clearly state that the First Amendment protects even offensive materials. Schools and libraries cannot censor materials simply because they are offensive to some people. They must have a legitimate pedagogical reason for removing materials from their shelves.

Sources:

• http://books.google.com/books?id=1NMfDXZw7JgC
• http://books.google.com/books?id=M9D23bQuBtwC
• https://quizlet.com/361839420/henderson-posi-2320-exam-1-flash-cards/

The Internet has also made it more difficult to censor information, as it is now possible (in most countries) to access information worldwide without government interference (with notable exceptions in China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, and Cuba).

Despite the First Amendment, censorship is still a problem. By and large, the courts have been generally supportive of this right. However, some groups still want to censor information and continue pushing for stricter censorship laws. Be aware of these efforts and fight for the right to free speech.

One amusing aspect of book bans is that they tend to have the opposite effect of their intended impact. They often become more available rather than less, a phenomenon called the Streisand effect.