Books Should Be Banned In Schools

Imagine being face-to-face with an angry grizzly bear. The large, ferocious creature growls and stands on her hind feet, towering over you. It is truly horrifying. Now, all you can do is wonder how to get away and what aggravated the beast. Apparently, 70% of all grizzly attacks are merely a mother’s effort to protect her cubs (“What if”). Similarly, humans strive to protect their children. From buying bicycle helmets to monitoring social media, parents are always looking out for their children’s “best interests.” One of the ways parents do this is by banning books in their children’s schools. Concerned individuals ban books for many different reasons, primarily in an attempt to protect their offspring. However, that does not make it right.
A challenge is an effort to remove a book from the shelves of a public institution. The process through which books are challenged is too simple. According to Rebecca Alexander, an author whose book has been banned, someone must simply raise an objection against a text. Next, the committee at the school library will discuss the complaint and decide whether to keep the book. If the committee decides the argument is valid, they will declare the book “banned” and remove it from their institution. After that, none of the students have access to it (Jackson-Beck). People who ban books in public schools do not merely protect their children from offensive ideas; they selfishly deprive others from reading as well (“Banned Books
About 300 books are banned each year. Not to mention that 85% of challenges go unrecorded (Kowalczyk). Banned Book Week is a national celebration of the freedom to read that was launched thirty years ago. It is acknowledged in many of the libraries and schools that oppose book banning. Amidst the celebration, each organization takes time to honor and record books that have been banned. Since it launched, 11,000 books have been banned (“Banned Book Week”). Director of Communication and Public Affairs at the Association of American Authors, Judith Platt, noticed that “Young Adult books are challenged more frequently than any other type of book” (Rosenthal). This is because they contain rebellious, dirty realities. Unpopular or controversial ideas as found in young adult novels are most susceptible to censorship (Parry). Anything from mention to support of profanity, sex, violence, racism, homosexuality, and religion can be foundation for a ban (Parry). In fact, over 1500 books have been banned because of sexual content (Kowalczyk). Specifically in schools, content is frequently banned because it is not “age-appropriate”. The idea behind this is that children should only be exposed to material that reflects their behavior. Often, adults cling to the idea that youth are not yet contaminated by immorality, thus parents believe that only innocent material is appropriate. These people believe that restricting a child’s