Editor’s Note: Rebecca Harper is an associate professor of language and literacy at Augusta University and the director of the Augusta University Writing Project.
Disclaimer – the views contained within this column are solely the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Augusta Press and its staff
As a child, I was fortunate enough to have a mother who instilled a love of literature and reading in me. Every other week, my mom took me, my sister and my grandmother to the library where we spent hours upon hours perusing the shelves for stacks of books to take home.
My mother took home stacks of Dean Koontz and Stephen King novels, my grandmother Harlequin romance novels, me–Nancy Drew mysteries, and my sister–who knows? What I do know is that we were all reading. My parents were divorced, and though I don’t recall Daddy ever taking me to the library, it was not unusual to see him reading “Popular Mechanics” and “Mother Earth Magazine.”
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Once, after watching “The Never-ending Story,” I remember my dad remarking that what the character Bastian said about books changing every time you read them was true. Of course, it was much later in my life and career that I realized what Daddy and the character Bastian were talking about had roots in Rosenblatt’s transactional literary theory, but that is for another column.
When thinking about my life as a reader, it occurred to me that I cannot recall my mom ever censoring what I read, though she refused to let me watch “Dirty Dancing” for years. Reading was something we all did, and there was never a shortage of books in my house. In fact, we even read at the dinner table. I also remember reading one of her romance novels hidden covertly behind the cover of the King James Bible. Lord, forgive me. And I frequently hid novels behind my math textbook and read during geometry class, for which I am not at all ashamed. (I got an A in Mr. Boyd’s Geometry class in case anyone wondered.)
Sadly, in today’s world, for whatever reason, book banning has become all too common, and it is becoming more and more likely that students who have a voracious appetite for reading, much like I did and do, are finding that their very access to certain books has become limited.
As a literacy educator and a parent, book banning is something that I just don’t get, and to be frank, it makes me pretty angry. For whatever reason, book banning and censorship seem to be on the upswing, as almost daily I hear a story about it–and these stories aren’t just from places outside of my community. In fact, many of them are right in my back yard. Most of those who know me know that I have no problem speaking my mind about issues (Thanks, Mom), but there are teachers across the country who are facing challenges from parents and school boards about the books that they keep in their classrooms, and many are afraid to speak up for fear of retaliation.
While I have been listening to what has been a low hum of activity regarding book banning and censorship, the situation has spiraled out of control. Here’s when I knew there was a MAJOR issue. At 6:56 a.m. on a Friday morning, I received a text message from one of my Writing Project teachers asking me if I knew anyone she could donate her classroom library to due to the fact that she had been told that she could lose her teaching license if she had a book in her classroom that was not approved. Seriously. Is this what we want to happen? Teachers giving away their books and removing them from their classrooms because they are afraid of losing their jobs over a book? Limiting the number of books our young people can get their hands on? Help me understand the logic here. For many of our students, their access to books occurs strictly at school as some don’t live in neighborhoods near public libraries and may not have access to books elsewhere. In a world where so many educators are working hard to promote equity and access for all students, removing books from libraries and classrooms is not the answer.
I also wonder. Are people aware of the books that actually get censored each year? For example, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “1984,” “The Lord of the Flies,” “The Great Gatsby” and “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” often make the list of challenged and banned books. You heard me right. Those classic that you love: BANNED. BANNED. BANNED. Yet those classics are not the ones we have been hearing about lately.
Instead, we have been hearing mostly about books that represent diverse perspectives, often written by people of color, include characters who are LGBTQ+ and address sensitive issues. Some of these titles include books like “George,” “Drama,” “All American Boys,” “Speak,” “The Hate You Give,” “Dear Martin,” and “13 Reasons Why.” When asked about why these books are banned and challenged, challengers often say that young people don’t need to know about these sensitive topics as they are too difficult and too mature for them to handle. Are they, really?
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As the director of the Augusta University Writing Project, I have been hosting virtual author visits with writers of books that are often banned from schools. One of my favorite conversations with an author occurred when we were speaking with Shawn Goodman, author of “Kindness for Weakness” which details a young adult’s experience in a juvenile detention facility. I asked Shawn what he would say to parents, administrators and educators who feel like the topics in these books are too much for students, especially when addressing issues such as violence, drug abuse, domestic violence, etc. His answer has stayed with me since I first heard it sitting on my porch listening to his zoom call. He said, “The real question is why are we OK that things like this happen in the world?” Let that sink in for a minute.
Books that address difficult topics often allow people to start conversations and have dialogue that can be transformative. They allow people to see themselves represented in worlds like their own or allow them to peek through into the world of a character that isn’t like them.
So, here is my question about all this book banning: WHY? Why are we banning words? While I fully support parents being able to have a say in what they want their own children to read, restricting access for all students by removing books just isn’t OK. That limits access. As a parent, I have had school administrators attempt, and I emphasize attempt, to censor what my own children read inside and outside of school. If Macy Belle’s school had their way, she would not have been allowed to read “The Hate You Give.” This despite the fact that it was for sale in their own book fair, which I pointed out. (Checkmate; give the girl her book.) Sadly, this was not an isolated instance, but rather the first in a string of censorship attempts to which we pushed back. What this makes me think about is what author Jason Reynolds said during his virtual visit. When books get pulled from school and public libraries, we are limiting access for those who don’t have other means to obtain the book. If Macy Belle’s school had pulled all copies of “The Hate You Give,” she still would have had access to that book at home, but what about the kid who doesn’t? Access is everything, and pulling books from libraries that contain ideas that you don’t like limits access for others who want to read the book.
Issac Asimov once said, “Any book worth banning is a book worth reading,” and I whole heartedly agree. In fact, those would be the books I would seek out first. Why? Because someone told me not to. And while I was fortunate enough to have a momma who never limited what I could read, remember the “Dirty Dancing” movie she told me I couldn’t watch? I saw that two weeks after it released on VHS at my good friend Amanda Wilson’s house. Guess banning books wouldn’t have worked for me anyway. Sorry, Mom.
