the dystopian dangers of banning books

Across the USA right now, there has been a dramatic increase in calls for the banning of countless books, ranging from children's books to dystopian novels, and even autobiographies.

One survey by PEN America discovered that upwards of 10,000 books were banned in schools across the States this academic year alone - an astounding statistic which raises many questions.

Which books have been banned?

The short answer? Too many to be listed. But a few notable (and some ironic) examples include:

• The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood
• 1984, George Orwell
• To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee
• Lord of the Flies, William Golding
• Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov
• The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
• The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison

Some of these titles explore themes related to femininity, sexuality and women's bodily autonomy - namely The Handmaid's Tale, a novel which is widely banned across several States. Abortion is, and seemingly always has been, to some degree, a contentious topic in America.

Due to America's serious issue with racism throughout history, and the present day, books written by black authors, and those centering black characters, have also been disproportionally affected by these bans.

Dystopian novels, like Brave New World and 1984, also constitute a large portion of the 10,000 titles. Most of them detail fictional societies where governmental control is heavily enforced and censorship is used to hide information and truth from a population. Often, books like these have parallels with reality, and comment on the state of the world and its governance allegorically. Censoring books about government censorship. How very ironic, and how very dystopian.

It's worth noting that, while these bans will take titles off of shelves in public libraries and schools, people can still purchase them from bookshops and online stores alike.

Why are they being banned?

Americans are calling for these bans in libraries and schools because of the worry that the books' subject matter are sensitive, and shouldn’t be consumed by kids. And perhaps this is understandable, particularly when considering that books like Lolita (which details an abusive relationship from the eyes of the predator) are amongst those in the lists.

However, under the guise of protecting children from potentially harmful language, themes and ideas, the banning of books may really be about the eradication of the perspective of the ‘other’. Of any voice which may contradict or challenge the white, Christian, American narrative.

The majority of these books are being targeted simply for describing ways of living that go against this narrative. Books containing LGBTQ+ themes and female-centred storylines, and books written by black authors, and authors of other marginalised groups, therefore make up the majority of the 10,000 titles. To illustrate, Florida and Iowa are two Republican states which have collectively called for over 8,000 of these books to be banned.

Of course, there's nothing innately wrong or dystopian about wanting to shelter children of a certain age from certain subject matters - actually, I'd say that it's a natural inclination, and, to a degree, a responsibility as adults. But when considering the current state of the USA, the widespread ideological conflicts and the ongoing culture wars there, it seems that the intention behind these bans may be political instead.

Also, especially in a time like ours, where pretty much anything you could want to know or look into is just a few clicks away, it seems that book banning is a futile endeavour in protecting children from harm. No matter how many books are off of the shelves, if somebody really wants to read these books or investigate these subjects, they can.

Instead of ignoring and shutting down conversations about sometimes triggering topics like sexual abuse, racism and sexism, couldn’t the way forward be encouraging open discussion about them?

Trying to understand different perspectives, to embrace the freedom of information and expression this new age brings, instead of trying to restrain and censor certain voices? Dissolving the deep shame we as a society drown these subjects within?

"The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame" - Oscar Wilde