Banned Books Week

Published in Benedictine University Candor Newspaper

Banned Books Week is significant held at libraries, schools and even bookstores all over the United States to fight against the censorship surrounding certain genres and books. This year, held in the week of October 1st, the goal of Banned Books Week is to bring into light the censorship that surrounds the books and the harm it can cause.  

According to the American Libraries website, the censoring of media became prominent in the 1970s after the Watergate scandal which was a major political scandal at the time. Most people felt they could not trust the government anymore, instead they turned their attention to the schools and libraries for control. Parents challenged books for censorship to protect the innocence of the children. On college campuses there were also books and media being challenged due to being offensive for some people.  

“There is no censorship of materials here at the university. In fact, we do the opposite of that,” states Joy Matterson, Benedictine Librarian. While referencing a book written in the 1890s about slavery. “This is also a teaching tool. I want students to know that this is what we thought about slavery 100 years ago. What are we thinking about it now? Why is this important to learn. As students, you should think critically about these things.” 

Currently, the demand to ban or censor books is at a record high. According to Pen America, a non-profit organization that stands for literature and human rights, in the 2022-2023 there were 3,362 challenges against books. The majority of the books being challenged have topics of race and racism, people of color, abuse, and the LGBTQ+ community. These topics are mostly challenged because they are heavy or make people uncomfortable. While it may make people uncomfortable, many believe those subjects must be talked about and brought to attention. People experience these things and when authors write about said topics, it helps people understand the emotions and other people better. 

“In order to prevent censorship, we have to talk about it,” Matterson said. “Often times we talk about ‘silent censorship’ which is when people don’t want to think about a book or talk about it because it makes them or other people uncomfortable. Instead of reading the book and thinking that this (the topic) might have been someone’s experience. They say that when you read fiction, especially, your ability to be empathetic and put yourself into someone else’s shoes is raised so much than when you just read non-fiction because you’re experiencing someone’s perspective,” she continues.   

Books have been a good way for people to learn new things and experience things through pages that they may not get to see in real life. Often, books give people insight into new perspectives and ideas while exposing them to different people and cultures. Often books invoke certain emotions and feelings in the readers in a controlled and slow-paced way, giving the readers a chance to think about why they feel a certain way about a certain topic.  

“Books give people the opportunity to learn multiple different subjects. There are books on so many different genres. Including cooking, fantasy, romance, science, language learning etc.,” said Avery Johanson, a visitor at a local library. “If you censor that, you're taking away the opportunity for extra education. For some, books are an escape. For others, it’s another form of learning. So, while censorship does have some pros, when used in the extreme, it is more harmful than good.”  

Reading can change the structure of one’s mind and make them gain empathy and understand others better. Many people read books because they can relate to the things a character experiences. They see themselves in the pages of books and it helps them figure out their emotions and understand the world better.  

According to Matterson, the state of Illinois has recently passed an anti-book-banning legislation, meaning that banning books in the state has been made illegal as of recently. Matterson hopes to bring a policy to uphold the importance of intellectual and academic freedom.