Book banning is something that has become normalized in America, with states such as Florida and Texas who have banned over 2,000 books across all schools. Book
banning becoming normal in society should not exist in modern times. As America advocates for more equality and freedoms, I believe that it is wrong that books and stories can be silenced for unjustified reasons. This has led many students to stand up against their school boards due to the content that has been suppressed.

Books are banned for many different reasons, but the main reasons that books are banned are explicit content or otherwise un-sought practices. This leads people to be able to justify their banning of books for texts that they deem as religiously wrong as many books that involve queer people are targeted in more conservative states. Although we live in a state with only around 33 banned books, other countries in the US should not be able to ban over 2000. Things that are seen as religiously varied can also be banned just because of their opposed opinion. Also, parents and other educators can challenge books causing schools to put restrictions on them. According to the ALA (American Library Association),“A challenge to a title may result in access to it being retained, restricted, or withdrawn entirely. Restrictions on access may include relocating the book to a section of the library intended for an older age group than the book is intended for, labeling it with a prejudicial content warning or rating, taking it out of the online catalog so it has to be requested from a staff member, removing it from open and freely browsable stacks, or requiring parental permission to check it out.” This has put more power of schools to privatize information from students. To me this is a violation and suppression of information that has a right to be shared, but

I do understand the argument for monitoring books that are purely too explicit for students. This had been prominent on social media lately as students had started to bring books that have been banned at their school to graduation that silence a certain group of people. Annabelle Jenkins, a student from Idaho High School had “shook hands with administrators on the stage, Jenkins [then] paused in front of West Ada School District Superintendent Derek Bub and pulled out “The Handmaid’s Tale” from the sleeve of her graduation gown.” This had sparked a huge argument out in the media about the justification of this. The topic of the book and the reason was a valid reason for protesting. As it is our first amendment to freedom of speech and technically never forced anyone to read or do anything with the book, she had just tried to hand it to him to cause commotion in the media and gain more noticeability.

All around book banning silences the voices of many students, as many feel there are topics that should not be restricted because of the school board or parents’ best
interest. Overall, its ethics are flawed except when a book is explicit and a topic that is wrong. This is why I believe that book banning should be more monitored or downright banned itself.