Book Bans Hurt Education

This is not the first time I’ve commented on book banning in this country and my frustration with this insanity. Trying to change history or pretending that current events are not occurring by banning books is not going to succeed now, just as it didn’t succeed during the many attempts in the past.

To this end, I read another article in The Economist about censorship in America. The article noted that book bans are surging in American schools, with roughly 10,000 reported in 2023–24, a fourfold increase over two years. Many targeted titles feature sexual content, teenage trauma, racism, or LGBTQ+ themes, ranging from Sarah J. Maas’s fantastical romances to classics by Maya Angelou (I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, if you can believe it) and Alice Walker. Some bans are ironic, such as restricting The Handmaid’s Tale, a novel about women forbidden to read. States like Florida and Iowa have particularly strict rules, sometimes relying on AI tools like ChatGPT to flag “inappropriate” content. Librarians and educators face harassment from organized groups, deterring them from stocking controversial books.

The article included this interesting chart: 

chart: The Economist

Banning books does not achieve anything and only fuels uninformed debates. 

How can the people of the United States, or any country, receive an adequate education and increase their intellect if we don’t allow the freedom to learn about different aspects of a subject or cultural issue?

Books provide the means to learn and understand different views and perspectives. Forcing our children to learn only half of an issue, the half that reinforces our own biases, is not helpful. They need to learn and understand the whole picture, and books provide that.

My son was assigned Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir as the first book for this semester. I did a little research and found that the book explores the following themes: survival and sacrifice, ingenuity and problem-solving, friendship and cooperation, isolation and resilience, ethics and responsibility, and exploration and curiosity. I decided to read it with him, so I purchased a copy and am in the process of catching up. He’s about 100 pages ahead of me. My hope is to understand what he is reading and perhaps engage him in a conversation about one of these themes.

Instead of trying to ban books, why not read them and then sit down with your children to have an informed discussion about these difficult subjects?

It’s better for them to learn from their parents that there are always two sides to an issue, and that it’s valuable to understand both sides so they can decide for themselves which side they agree with.

To do that, they need to read all kinds of books, not just a curated list supporting a single point of view.

Less banning, more reading—please.

88 thoughts on “Book Bans Hurt Education”

  6. The information about truth and past history is never totally abolished. It’s out there for those who seek, and the more the topics are restricted, the more enticing they are to discover. Thank you for this important post, Edward.

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  8. I don’t want to take away the opportunity to read a particular book from children. Parents can decide what is appropriate for their own families. I look forward to discussing the book you and your son have read. I’ve read it too. Eagle and I have similar taste in books and I enjoy our discussions.

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    1. Thank you, Rebecca. I’m not usually a fiction book kind of guy, but this one is surprisingly good. There’s going to be a movie based on it, I believe next March, so we’re already talking about going to see it.

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      1. All three of us have read the book and like it very much. Look forward to talking about it. Weir is excellent because he actually consults experts like astronauts to get the science details right. Looking forward to the movie!

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  11. You’re preaching to the choir here, Edward and I couldn’t agree more. I love your idea of reading them with your son. What a great idea!! I read a lot to Sienna and JuJu and swear I’ll keeping this up as they grow and make up for all I missed growing un. As for the books Robbie is talking about…. I’d love a list we should buy before they are banned if you can get your hands on a list of us! Thanks for sharing! 💓

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    1. Thank you, Cindy. In PEN America’s report (https://pen.org/report/beyond-the-shelves/), I found a list of the most banned books in the U.S. Here are some of them:

      Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
      Looking for Alaska by John Green
      The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
      Sold by Patricia McCormick
      Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
      Crank by Ellen Hopkins
      Identical by Ellen Hopkins
      The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
      The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
      Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
      Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
      A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
      Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
      A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
      A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
      The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
      The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
      The Color Purple by Alice Walker
      A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas

      I’m sure there are more, but these are among the top ones.

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  12. I have always held the same view as you, Edward. With my sons, if they could read it I let them read it (I didn’t have the same view for movies). Greg was a precocious reader and has read many books that have been banned and are probably on lists in US schools. I own hundred of previously banned books. If I her a book may be banned I buy it. I have most of the original Noddy books as well as all the Dr Seuss books.

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    1. Thank you, Robbie. I’m about to buy a few banned books to see what the deal is with them. I got a preview of Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings when I read Bittersweet by Susan Cain, and it sounded like a very powerful story. I’m not sure why her book is being banned, but I’m going to find out. Movies are tricky for sure—we were able to navigate them without any issues, but I’m sure there are parents who struggle with deciding which ones to allow their kids to watch. The movie ratings make it a bit easier.

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        1. I’m sure that’s the case. I didn’t read The Handmaid’s Tale, but I saw the show, and it was good, a little painful to watch, but good. It shows the human capacity for evil, and some of the things that happened in the show are actually happening in many parts of the world.

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  14. Thank you for the article, Edward. I love that you’re reading with your son. As a former HS teacher, concerned citizen, and mom who did the same, I applaud your interest. Being informed and building a stronger bond with him are priceless pursuits. I’d rather not name it, but I was surprised by a text my daughter was assigned to read as a 9th grader. The novel contains a graphic disturbing sexual scene that I thought would be better suited for older students. Great book, wrong age. Children and young adults can learn valuable lessons about the world, human nature, themselves, etc. but selections should weigh student readiness and the teacher’s ability to maturely discuss topics of this nature. Of course, I am opposed to book banning and find the situation disturbing.

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    1. You’re welcome, and thank you for your comment. Sometimes I wonder how books are assigned, I’m sure is not standard across the board. In our school, they are reviewed, and I’m sure there’s a book discussion and selection process. How were books approved when you were a teacher? Your comment reminded me of the Twilight scene where Bella jumped off a cliff because she wanted to see Edward. Bella was a high school student, so when I saw that part of the movie, I thought, this would be a great conversation to have with a teenager. I’m sure millions of teens either read or watched the Twilight series. Parents’ involvement is key to catching those instances where someone didn’t do a good job matching a book to an appropriate age group.

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      1. Absolutely, yes. Parent involvement is key with everything. A blessing when it happens. 🙏🏻 In my experience the book selection process involved a few layers of approval. Meaning, there were approved texts via the district per grade level, then the English department (at school sites) would discuss options and select books. This scenario only describes situations where it was time to order new class sets. Often the shelves are already stocked, often with older books, and teachers choose from what is available. It is possible to request new books to be added to the curriculum. I’ve been that process – filling out and submitting a form to the district office and hoping for the best!

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        1. Makes sense, after all, books are expensive, and the district needs to make the best selection while staying within budget. Deciding how long the school will keep a particular book and when to change based on the current environment must also be difficult. Balancing the classics with adding contemporary authors is always a challenge. Thank you for sharing your experience, Michele.

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  15. May I add a thought to the already rich comments added? I posit ‘book banning’ is even easier to do these days as cloud-based libraries/websites/ebook/etc databases can be eliminated with the push of a ‘delete all’ button (the internet equivalent of ‘burning’). Erasure. Simple as that. After decades of physical product being digitized & becoming the primary means of accessing info/books/news/etc effectively eliminating other sources of that same content…all the more easy to ‘burn’ any sort of content more completely. To which I then posit – a huge pat on the back for redundancy! I love physical product – and as such possess many ‘banned books’ in my personal book piles!!! As do others, I’m sure…such is the strength of the human spirit to survive in a myriad of ways. Plus long live those who have memorized specific banned books over the years!

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    1. Laura, thank you very much for your comment. I just replied to a similar one earlier. We were talking about eBooks, but cloud-based libraries are definitely easier to delete, as you said. E-readers are a bit more difficult since updates need to be pushed, but the cloud doesn’t have that limitation. I’m a fan of hardcopies because of the way I read books. I tried eBooks and didn’t like the experience, so all my books are hardcovers in my personal library. Your comment about memorizing a specific book reminded me of the movie “The Book of Eli,” where the protagonist memorized the entire Bible. Since no copies were left, they reproduced one from what he dictated from memory.

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  16. Your post got me thinking about ebooks, Edward, and if book bans applied to them as well. Not only do the bans apply to ebooks, but I was surprised to learn that an ebook that’s been purchased and downloaded can be altered or even removed! I find all of this most disturbing on so many levels.

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    1. Great point, Terry. It’s technically possible, and you highlighted both the altering (edition updates) and removal aspects. I don’t think publishers or companies producing e-readers will go that far unless a law forces them to. One of the reasons I read hardcovers is because of publishers’ ability to update digital books. The only example I’m aware of is within Christian circles: one of the Bible versions, the New International Version (NIV), went through a complete revision in 2011. The standard NIV 1984 was completely pulled from digital devices and replaced with the 2011 edition, which was significantly different. It’s extremely difficult to find the 1984 version online, and those who still have it digitally only do because they had a PDF copy saved. I have a paper copy of the 1984 edition, so it didn’t affect me, but a lot of people are still upset about that change. So yes, I think it’s possible, but it would take government enforcement to make it happen. Thank you for the excellent comment.

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          1. I’ve been using a Kindle e-reader for books for many years. It’s especially good for travel because I can take my entire library with me and it takes up no valuable space. I also have the NRSV Bible on my kindle. Newspapers – hard copies only here, as well.

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            1. You’re right, an e-reader is better for travel. I’m a slow reader, so a nonfiction book takes me about a month to finish. The NRSV (1989) is the version I’m currently using, and I like it very much.

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  18. Limiting information, in this case books, is also a form of programming individuals. And programmed people are easier to manage. It didn’t work before, and it won’t work this time, especially now that everything is available digitally. You pointed out well the benefits of reading and having access to all possible information. A broader mind can think critically, discern wisely, and decide better. Thank you, Edward, for calling attention to this important aspect. Indeed, much needed! With appreciation, sending you light and blessings 🙏✨

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  19. My brother, you just paid for the only actual upfront cost I have in establishing this exact, specific kind of business: my fictitious business name filing $44 at the County.

    We don’t forget.

    My device charge stays in the basement while I’m down to the one tiny solar panel I can pack around, and with the heat outdoors draining what charge I get ~ and I’m using that charge to the hilt, working through three apps plus online banking now full of malfunctions thanks to whatever that was that just happened at payment systems with the unassociated device, email AND account number.

    If you ask me, they targeters tried to short circuit my only hope for lifting myself out of this ~ and that’s how they’re about to get busted. A WHOLE bunch of them.

    It’s less and less of my concern now, isn’t that nice? I wasn’t born to wage war.

    Anyway, no juice for pleasure reading, either device or personal, but hopefully that will change after launch and as much of a frenzy of advertisement as I can manage, and then I’ll be BACK. If I am, you’ve played such an important part in it, multi-level, financial, emotional, spiritual… Gratitude, dude. 🙏✨

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  21. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Books that make us uncomfortable are meant to be read and discussed, not banned. You’re doing your son such a service by reading his assigned book with him and being open to discussing it with him.

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  22. So well said, Edward. This increasing prevalence of book banning in the U.S. is appalling. The young people – everyone, really – are losing out on a complete education. They’re losing out on exposure to quality literature, to difference perspectives, and to a better understanding of the rest of the world and of humanity. Places with long lists of banned books are producing graduates with very limited views of the world around them. This is all about control, and it is to the advantage of the few at the expense of the many.

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    1. Thank you, Jane. You’re spot on. It’s all about control and seeing how much they can get away with. A case in point about those with limited views for lack of education is the person who didn’t know that English is the official language of Liberia. Maybe they’ve banned U.S. history books in his house.

      Remember this: 🫲🏼🫱🏼 “such good English, where you went to school?” 🤦🏻‍♂️

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  24. “Instead of trying to ban books, why not read them and then sit down with your children to have an informed discussion about these difficult subjects?” Yes, yes, shout this from the highest soap box you can find Edward. Ha, ha, but of course most people barely read now, forget about having a civil back-and-forth discourse with their kids. Forget about it. Ha, ha, well said Edward. If some of these concerned parents, etc. were really concerned, they would get involved instead of directing from the rear.

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    1. Thank you, Brian. It’s just funny sometimes. I bet the same people who are trying to ban books because they’re inappropriate are also taking their kids to concerts of our top pop artists, attending political rallies, saying hateful things in their homes, etc. But at the end of the day, like you said, it’s about getting involved and having hard discussions with the kids.

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  25. Hi, Ed. Provocative, as always. This is a critical point. At the rate things are changing, our freedoms will have disappeared like the blink of an eye. I don’t agree with every book genre on the list. However, to discover our bias and to have empathy for another individual, knowledge helps us to help others. There is a wicked current trying to erase history. It cannot be done.

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    1. Thank you, Sandra. I really like what you said about discovering our biases. So true, knowledge definitely helps us work through them. It’s impossible to erase history, so in my opinion, they are wasting their time.

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  26. I couldn’t agree more. The other day I heard a quote from Timothy Keller, “When you listen to one thinker, you become a clone…two thinkers, you become confused … ten thinkers, you begin developing your own voice … two or three hundred thinkers, you’ll become wise and develop your voice.” The people who want to ban books simply want everyone to be clones. What are they afraid of?

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    1. What a great quote from Tim Keller, a well-known and respected pastor. Of course, he’s right, and I like your question. Most of them are afraid of something. I’m not sure what that is, though, but I would like to know. Thank you, Joni.

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  27. Not all parents are like you, Edward! Some parents just don’t care, so I commend you. As a parent myself, I agree with banning books with graphic sexual content for kids under age 18. After all, we have obscenity and pornography laws in place for a reason. And young children are not ready to absorb some things. They don’t need to be exposed to certain things until they are old enough to understand them. It’s about protecting children, not satisfying the political whims of adults.

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    1. Thank you, Dawn, for your comment. I’m definitely doing something with my son that I never experienced myself. I agree with you, but here is my perspective. Because of my military career, I had the opportunity to experience the school systems in Belgium, Virginia, New York, Iowa, and now Illinois. Not to mention my 16 years of studying in the Puerto Rican education system, including college, and I have never seen anything like what you described. Maybe it’s out there and I just haven’t seen it yet.

      But I’ll tell you what: I’m 52, and when I was growing up, I saw a lot of graphic material in friends’ houses and many other places. Banning books isn’t going to solve the problem, nor is blocking content on the internet. People are always going to find a way around restrictions, just as millions have done for thousands of years. At this rate, they might as well ban the Bible, since there are some very graphic stories in there.

      When my son was 13, we took a weekend to go through Passport2Purity and had some very open conversations about sex. That conversation has continued over the years, and he knows everything he needs to know about the subject. We’ve never had a problem with him in that area.

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      1. I’m 62, and I, too, saw my first Playboy magazine at one of my best friends’ houses. It didn’t turn me into a sex fiend, and even though I had a girlfriend at the time, I was never disrespectful or anything. (In fact, many years later, she chided me for being so gentlemanly at that age…one of the reasons she dumped me for another boy two years later was that she wanted more intimacy than I was prepared to give her.)

        We Americans have an immature obsession with sex. We simultaneously crave it and suppress it. And that, my friend, is not healthy.

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    2. “If you made toothpaste illegal, people would be knocking over drugstores to get it.” – Daniel Okrent, Prohibition, a Film by Ken Burns

      As a writer and journalist, I am all for making sure kids don’t see, oh, I don’t know…Penthouse and stuff like that is not available in school libraries. And I’m sure that no high school librarian has erotica in the fiction section, either. But folks like Moms for Liberty and other right-wing groups target other books, like To Kill a Mockingbird, The Kite Runner, The Catcher in the Rye, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and other books because they want to suppress any views that run counter to their political and philosophical views.

      If an individual parent doesn’t want his or her kid to read, oh, I don’t know, The Diary of Anne Frank (one of the most “banned” books), that’s between the parent and the kid. But that’s as far as it should go. I don’t want Moms for Liberty to tell other parents’ kids what they can’t read. As a writer and advocate of free speech, this is a hill I’ll die on.

      Also…teens under the age of 18 will find a way to read or see adult material if they put their minds to it. We Americans have a most schizophrenic attitude about that topic…on the one hand, we latch on to Puritan ideals that are truly oppressive, yet we live in a highly sexualized culture.

      Europe handles this topic more maturely, I think.

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      1. Excellent points, Alex, and you’re absolutely right about teens. They’ll find a way. Parents might as well keep their kids isolated at home, because they’re going to get access through AI, VR headsets, video games, etc. If it’s connected to electricity and the internet, it will definitely be used to pass along graphic materials.

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  28. Spot-on, Edward. I don’t know if you used this quote in your previous essays on books, but it was prophetic of what happened in the Third Reich genocide of the Jews and Gypsies: ” Where they burn books, they soon will burn people, too.” The prescient words we’re those of the German writer Heinrich Heine, who died in 1856.

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    1. I’ve read the quote before, but I’ve never used it in one of my posts. Thank you for bringing it up. It’s a powerful and scary idea, but it has definitely been proven correct too many times. I know a lot of people are aware of what the Third Reich did, but there are many instances after WWII where the same thing happened and people are not fully aware. I know of a few places where that is happening now, and much of it is connected to religion, which ties back to your last blog post.

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      1. Well said, Edward. It raises many questions as to who we are as a human beings and the conditions required to move us in the direction of genocide or looking away from it rather than attempting to prevent it.

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  29. I agree 100% Edward. Banning books is ridiculous. Personally, I wanted my kids to get exposure to as many ideas as possible. Reading about something doesn’t make them want to do—or be—it. It simply opens their minds to the differences that exist in our world. Sadly, many people are threatened by anything that doesn’t fit within the parameters of their own little world.

    I love the approach you’re taking with your son. I read many of the books my daughters read when they were teenagers.

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    1. Thank you, Michelle. Yes, I think that’s exactly right, people feel threatened by anything that doesn’t fit into their little world, and I might add that they don’t have the capacity to deal with reality.

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