In America, there have been 23,000 book bans in public schools since 2021. This censoring of information in books is directly against the First Amendment right. There should be age-appropriate books in schools, but to ban thousands of books throughout all of America’s schools seems extreme.
According to PEN America, “This censorship is being mobilized by groups espousing conservative viewpoints — and has spread to nearly every state”.
Banning books just because they have topics that are about the real world or even facts from history seem unethical. Trying to stop the public from reading and having access to books is censorship, some books that have been deemed “innapropirate” for audiences include books like ‘The Bell Jar’ which tells the story of a young women in the 1950’s struggle with mental health and going through electroshock therapy at a mental hospital. It properly depicts what was ones life at that day an age was like so why was it banned?
The bans “predominantly target books about race and racism or books featuring individuals of color and LGBTQ+ people and topics”. (PEN, 2025)
Teachers and others with knowledge of the students, such as district administrators, could decide just for that district if they have certain books they want to ban or not have in their schools.
