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Some argued that parents have the right to choose what their children read, but don’t have the right to decide for other parents. Some said that challenged books provide people with a better understanding of the world they live in and bring to life different ways of living that help develops a person’s empathy and social-emotional development.

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Those in support of banning books made the argument of parents have the right to choose what books their children have access to. And that children shouldn’t be exposed to sex, violence, and other inappropriate topics. They also claim you can still buy these books even if they are removed from schools.

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People come to this debate of banning books with different opinions.

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Librarians say that even those these books might be available in public libraries, some kids are not able to find transportation and aren’t able to buy their own books. School libraries might be the only place a questioning student might feel safe to explore a little deeper.

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Librarians, like Martha Hickson, are getting shunned by colleagues, receiving hate mail through their school email, and getting attacked on social media. Some are even facing criminal charges.

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Unite Against Book Bans has created a report that states how important it is to provide children and youth with a wide variety of developmentally appropriate reading material. These "books reflect their personal life experiences, as well a the experiences, stories, and histories of others in and beyond their communities." They wanted everyone to have the freedom to read whatever and wherever they want.

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Unite Against Book Bans is a campaign fighting against the censorship of books.

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The Freedom to Read Foundation is actively working to prevent books from being banned and also focusing on "low-income children, minority children, children with disabilities, and English learners in order to ensure that they are not disproportionally enrolled in schools that lack effective school libraries."

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Freedom to Read Foundation protects and defends the First Amendment to the Constitution and supports the right of libraries to collect - and individuals to access - information.

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Them states that book bans are just part of a bigger problem of trying to target LGBTQ+ youth. They believe that everyone deserves to be represented in books and other forms of media and this sort of targeting needs to stop. These book bans are leading to more attacks on the LGBTQ+ community which "[includes] the 93 anti-LGBTQ school policy bills.”

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Them is a website with a goal to create a supportive community for people identifying as LGBTQ+.

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Parents Defending Education say that people should be more honest what a book ban means. They say just because they don't want books in schools, doesn't mean you can't find them in a public library, online, or at a bookstore. They just want to prevent developing children to have access to other "inappropriate" books.

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No Left Turn In Education claims it's goal is to allow parents to direct their child’s education but not impose their values on other parents. Many of the books they rated over the past years have been banned, most of which had content on sexually explicit images, violence, and indoctrinating social agendas.

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No Left Turn in Education is an organization that has created a rating system, similar to that of movies, and labels books based on their content.

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Parents Defending Education is a group that is against book bans but believes that sexually explicit books should not be made available to students K-12.

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M4L has a very strong presence in Pennsylvania, so much so that it that it ranks third in the nation for the number of library book bans and continues to face pressure to remove the material with LGBTQ+ content from libraries. Every year, they hold a summit, and often host many far right conservatives to speak. Last year in Florida, they had Ron DeSantis and former Trump administration Education secretary Besty DeVos.

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Mothers for Liberty (M4L) is an organization founded in early 2021 in Florida and now has over 200 county chapters nationwide. The group focuses on opposing LGBTQ+ curriculum and the availability of books. During elections, in order to achieve their agenda, they push forward groups of right-wing candidates.

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Distribution of Book Titles Banned in School Classrooms and Libraries

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Distribution of Book Titles Banned in School Classrooms and Libraries

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This is a pie chart showing the percentage of banned books for a target reader between July 1st, 2021 and June 30th, 2022.

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Number of Book Titles Banned in School Classrooms and Libraries

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Number of Book Titles Banned in School Classrooms and Libraries

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This graph shows the number of books banned by state between July 1st, 2021 and June 30th, 2022. Most books were  those which addressed LGBTQ+ topics and themes, or with key characters identifying as part of the LGBTQ+ community.

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Thomas Morton was the first author in the US to have a book banned in the United States. He was an English settler who established his own community which is now known as Quincy, Massachusetts. His book, New English Canaan, was published in 1637 and he critiqued the Puritan customs that even more progressive settlers disapproved of. With all the critiques it received, the Puritans decided to ban it.

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Book being challenged is an attempt to remove access to a book because a group or individual objects to it, usually parents, teachers, and religious groups.
A banned book is any book successfully removed from public access, like schools and libraries.

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The "American Library Association" has been around since 1982 keeping track of books that have been challenged and banned and are still actively campaigning to prevent books from being banned. They are not against parents controlling their child's access to certain books, but do not agree that outside parties should decide what is available and what isn't.

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The process of banning books dates back to the 15th century, when censorship and control were very important. It started with the Roman Catholic Church. They created a list of books that were considered heretical, erroneous, or immoral. The idea of banning books was and still is, popular in  authoritarian regimes.