Sydney Martinez, Campus Carrier opinions editor
Book banning is not just an educational issue — it is an attack on free thought and the fundamental rights granted by the First Amendment. While censorship has existed for centuries, the recent surge in book bans is a blatant attempt to suppress diverse voices and uncomfortable truths. Since the start of the 2020s, challenges to books have skyrocketed, with PEN America, a nonprofit that champions the freedom to write, documenting over 10,000 book bans from July 2021 to December 2023. As of February 2025, that number has exceeded a whopping 16,000 books banned in public schools. What are these books guilty of? Representing LGBTQ+ individuals, discussing race and gender, or telling stories that challenge conservative narratives.
The books under fire are not dangerous — they are necessary. Some of the most frequently banned books include “Nineteen Minutes” by Jodi Picoult, “Looking for Alaska” by John Green and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky. These books — favorites among teenagers and young adults — explore identity, trauma and the harsh realities young people face. Yet, they are being stripped from shelves because they make some adults uncomfortable. The most ironic case? 1984 by George Orwell — a novel that literally warns against government censorship and the dangers of suppressing free thought. Banning this book is like proving Orwell right in real time.
Book banning is set up to look like it is for the protection of children — it is about controlling the books and propaganda they read. It is a direct violation of the first amendment, silencing authors and stripping students of the right to access diverse perspectives. Schools across the United States are censoring books under the guise of removing “explicit content,” but let’s be honest: this is about erasing discussions on race, gender and historical injustices.
These bans are largely fueled by conservative driven fearmongering. PEN America reports that an executive order has allowed the Department of Defense to remove books from its schools that promote so-called “un-American” ideas, such as diversity, equity and inclusion. Pentagon-run schools have even banned Freckleface Strawberry by Julianne Moore — a children’s book about self-acceptance. The author herself expressed outrage, saying, “I am truly saddened and never thought I would see this in a country where freedom of speech and expression is a constitutional right.”
The selective nature of these bans exposes their hypocrisy. While books that discuss racism, LGBTQ+ identities or historical injustices are being pulled from shelves, many of the same politicians and activists supporting these bans continue to allow violent or sexually explicit literature when it aligns with their values. For instance, books like “Brave New World” or “It’s Kind of a Funny Story,” which explore drug use and dystopian sexual norms, are rarely challenged. The inconsistency reveals that book bans are not about shielding students from disturbing content but about controlling the narratives they are allowed to engage with.
And let’s not pretend that banning books protects kids from explicit content. Children as young as five have unrestricted access to the internet, where they can find far more graphic material within seconds. If the real concern were exposure to inappropriate content, efforts would be directed at digital media — not at award-winning literature.
The true crisis is not that students are reading books with “controversial” themes — it is that many are not reading at all. Literacy rates in America are declining and book bans only make the situation worse. A well-read society is a well-informed society and that is exactly what book banners fear. Knowledge is power and taking books away from students is a desperate attempt to keep them ignorant of real-world issues.
The right to read should be an individual choice. If a book makes someone uncomfortable, they have the right to put it down — but they do not have the right to take away a book from everyone else. Book bans are not about protecting children; they are about controlling narratives, whitewashing history and silencing voices that challenge conservative ideologies.
America is built on the free exchange of ideas, even the uncomfortable ones. If we start banning books simply because they challenge personal beliefs, we risk raising a generation that lacks the critical thinking skills needed to engage with the world. Let’s not allow fear, ignorance and political agendas to dictate what stories get told. Instead of banning books, we should be fighting to keep literature accessible, diverse and thought-provoking. The future of an educated society depends on it.