The state of Utah is continuously growing its list of prohibited books in public schools; this ban is harmful and counterproductive because it takes away much-needed awareness.
The three most recently banned books are:
- “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky
- “Nineteen Minutes” by Jodi Picoult
- “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” by Gregory Maguire
All of these books have topics of suicide, depression and grief. Taking away emotional literature from students in Utah is problematic because it doesn’t give them an outlet to see their own experiences reflected in another story, and it will create bad stigmas about heavy topics.
What exactly makes a book banned? Some common reasons for book bans include the topics of sexual content, sensitive topics such as mental health, profanity/offensive language, challenging norms and LGBTQ+ content. Books regarding these themes aren’t justified to be banned just because they include things that might be controversial or go against personal beliefs.
Utah is a conservative state, which means it’s less willing to have literature with topics that go against conservative beliefs. Just because a majority of a state agrees with something, doesn’t mean there aren’t any other people who would connect with a topic that is considered worthy enough to ban.
Banning books about triggering topics is wrong, and it’s also wrong to ban books with sexual themes, whether it’s in a romantic way or not. Having these sexual themes can be a positive thing that can be empowering.
If it’s in the context of sexual assault, readers can feel validated in their experience to know they’re not alone.
The current banned book list consists of the series, “A Court of Thorns and Roses,” written by Sarah J. Maas. This series has sexual themes. Removing these books can create abstinence with sexual themes, which is already an issue in Utah. Removing the knowledge of these topics can create a bad stigma, which will eventually become a bigger issue in society, with fewer people having awareness.
Generation Z and Generation Alpha need to know about heavy topics so they at least have an understanding of what life can entail. Books can show them that they aren’t alone with how they’re feeling. These books can even teach them how to deal with certain things when circumstances happen. Without the materials that talk about these topics, future generations won’t know how to cope with life situations.
Many people read books to get involved in the story, and that can be for entertainment purposes or even for emotional reasons. Finding a way to explore emotions after a triggering event can help a reader feel validated. Taking away these books damages the purpose for which they were written. Awareness of issues is important because it makes the problems more widespread. Awareness is the first step of change. Without the awareness these books provide, these issues won’t be helped.
I had a rough high school experience, and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” helped me see that it was a common thing to feel lonely and sad during those years. It feels wrong to know a book that helped me, can’t help another struggling teenager in a bad spot. Awareness can make people feel less alone.
Some of the authors who are included on the banned books list filed a lawsuit, claiming that the state book ban is violating the First Amendment and creating unconstitutional censorship by blocking literature.
Censorship takes away the right to learn different ideas and viewpoints. In a counterclaim, Utah claims there were already systems in place to prevent these types of topics from entering schools.
If these systems were in place to begin with, how are these books being banned from libraries now? The list of banned books is continuing to grow and most likely won’t stop, which will create even more unconstitutional censorship.
