By Emily GianniÂ
In honor of Banned Books Week that just passed, I am here to talk about the growing fight students have over celebrating the freedom to read. Students are arguing to unban books, as it is important to read books from different races, cultures, ethnicities, genders and experiences. In 2022, there were attempts to restrict access or completely ban 1,651 different books. In recent years, the books that have been banned, or attempted to be restricted, were because they discussed race and the LGBTQ+ community.
The debate is between students saying books should not be banned so you can learn about the injustices that have been done to different people, while some students argue that books should be banned because this is what their parents are saying. It is important to understand history by reading about the injustices that people face. Some parents argue that they should be the first person to introduce certain situations to their child, as they are the parents. However, sometimes these conversations aren’t brought up in an educational manner or brought up at all. By reading about these experiences from other people, the child may understand more about it and recognize what wasn’t right about the situation. Â
Books should not be banned because it is limiting freedom of expression: something America is supposed to have, as it is a right for all American citizens in the first amendment of The Constitution. Reading banned books can give you a different perspective on life because you may have not personally experienced these situations. Books are a way for people to learn about race, gender, and politics. If people become more educated about these different topics, it can help prevent the misinformation and hate for these books. As a rising teacher, I know that any book should be able to be taught no matter what race, gender, sexuality and ethnicity is being discussed in the book. Books are about knowledge, and children should acquire knowledge about all different kinds of subjects.
Some students came up with suggestions for these banned books to be read. Some said to place the banned books in the young adult section so the targeted audience can be a little older. Some students suggested that for the parents to complain, they should have the parents read the books as well because sometimes the argument comes from a place of ignorance. Some students argued that it is the teacher’s call of what should or shouldn’t be read in the classroom because they have a good idea of what the future generation needs to be taught. Â