- What do these three books have in common?
Any guesses?
They are three of the most commonly challenged
and banned books in the United States.
A study by the American Library Association
found that more than 1,500 books were challenged or banned
by schools, libraries, and universities in 2021.
Most were written by or about LGBTQIA or Black individuals.
For comparison, the association noted just 273 challenges
or bans in 2020.
Even children's books are coming under attack.
- They include a book called "Antiracist Baby"
by Ibram Kendi.
Do you agree with this book that is being taught
with kids that babies are racist?
- It was a symbolic moment
of just how much people like Senator Cruz
is trying to distract from the real issue.
Or even to demonize materials and books that are actually
good for children, helpful for children,
allow children to be able to operate
in this highly unequal and multiracial world.
- Book banning in the United States is nothing new.
For decades, there have been cries to remove certain books
off shelves and out of the classroom.
Many book-banning efforts historically focused
on depictions of slavery, segregation,
and racism.
One of the most famously banned books,
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee,
was published in 1960.
- Honors Harper Lee for her outstanding contribution
to the great literary tradition of America.
- It topped the list of most-challenged books for years,
despite earning a Pulitzer Prize,
being adapted into an Oscar-winning film,
and being generally regarded
as one of the most important novels in a generation.
- In our courts, all men are created equal.
- Nowadays, the book is a mainstay in curriculums
across the country,
but the practice of book banning is finding new life,
and growing to include both classic novels and newer works.
- We're in a moment of intense contestation
over issues of diversity, inclusion.
- Let's say you take these books out of a library.
What are you gonna do with them?
You gonna put them in the street, light them on fire?
Where are they going?
- Representative Sexton?
- I don't have a clue, but I would burn them.
- What we're seeing is politicians
tapping into people's frustration,
their anxiety about these changes,
and pointing to book bans as a kind of rallying cry to say,
you know, here's a way that we can push back
these tides that we don't agree with.
- Parents and politicians commonly cite things
like profanity, political indoctrination,
and sexually and racially explicit language
as reasons for wanting a book to be banned.
- You all are going to hear
what our children are hearing in books.
And don't stop me.
- Public school teachers and librarians
are at the forefront of this battle.
- The reason certain stories -- you think Shakespeare --
like, lasts through the centuries
is because there are themes that are just timeless --
love, friendship, betrayal, war, death.
And, so, all of these themes are concurrent through the new books
now that have seemed to kind of garner the censorship
and the ire of certain people.
They're thematically still the same at the heart of them.
It's just the characters in that story engaging
in that theme of love, discovery, self-identification,
whatever it might be, look different.
- The dangers of censoring books
with diverse characters are twofold.
These books allow children to see people
who look like them represented in novels,
helping them feel less alone.
They also provide an opportunity for readers
to learn about those who aren't like them,
people who come from diverse backgrounds.
- And then, the kind of window aspect is for other people
and students to be able to see outside themselves,
which I think, you know, kind of builds those bridges,
creates more empathy when you can walk a mile
in someone else's shoes
and understand something from their perspective.
That's something that you just can't verbalize in a lesson.
Like, you have to walk through a story in a book
to get both of those things.
- The reason why I stood against my school district's book ban
was because I didn't want future African-American kids
to go through some of the things I went through, growing up.
Books that highlight our differences and teach others
how to address diversity are crucial.
These books shouldn't be up for debate.
- Books are one of the tools
that allow us to be lifelong learners.
Of all the things we could be banning,
these folks are banning books.
But it also demonstrates just the power of books.
Books aren't dangerous.
At least, they're not dangerous to those of us
who want to create an equitable and just society.