Over recent years, the situation of American politics has taken centre stage, with the volatile, ever-changing events drawing attention from a variety of countries. Current events, such as the US-Israeli strikes of Iran, are taking over the world and it is important that we continue to educate ourselves on these events. However, the broader topic of American politics and opinions can and does heavily influence literature, with book bans in the US reaching an all time high with 6,870 in the year 2024-25. This figure prompts questions over the right to censor and control accessibility towards literature, who can make these sorts of decisions and if political opinions may influence these bans.
Before mentioning the types of books being banned, a brief overview of the process of banning books in the US is needed, and all this information and more can be found on the PEN America site. A book ban is defined as any action taken against a book based on its content as a result of parent, community, administrative or government action. Book bans lead to a restricted access to certain pieces of literature, and in extreme cases a removed availability for all. There are various types of bans that can be inflicted on literature: school bans ensure the novel is off-limits for students and banned from curricula, library bans remove the books as instructed by administrators or school boards but they may still be found in the curriculum, classroom bans stem from administrators or school boards and may not be removed from the library, and finally pending investigation bans ensure investigations determine the level of restriction. In the US, 40% of all books banned are due to themes of violence or abuse, 30% are due to themes of grief and death, and another 30% are due to discussions of race and racism. These statistics illustrate just how many books are banned that include serious, emotionally intense, yet important themes and topics. So what are some books that have been banned from 2021 to 2025?
Jodi Picoult’s Nineteen Minutes was the second book on the list, receiving 142 bans from 2021-25. Jodi Picoult is an award-winning author, and this novel earned the title of No.1 New York Times bestseller. The plot follows the aftermath of a school shooting in a small town in New Hampshire, where a bullied teenager kills 10 people in just 19 minutes. Surprisingly, the book has not been banned due to its depiction of the violence of school shootings, but rather for sexual language mentioned in the book (specifically the word ‘erection’ on page 313).
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison appeared in 8th place on the list with 116 bans in the time frame. Morrison is a Nobel Prize-winning author, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and the book received a Parade best book of all time. It was Toni Morrison’s first novel, telling the story of black, 11-year-old Pecola as she wishes for blue eyes to look like the American children in Ohio. It has been banned due to its exploration of racism, child molestation and incest.
Finally, at number 12, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale received 106 bans due to the discussion of human sexuality, feminism and extremism. The protagonist of the novel, Offred, lives in a dystopian world where the female population struggles with infertility. To combat this, the fertile women must forcibly produce children for the ‘Commanders’ who are the ruling class, living in their houses with no access to literature and gaining security only if they produce children. Many people have commented on the irony that a book depicting the loss of female agency and the restriction of literature has now been banned in the US.
These are just a few examples of the types of books banned in various places in the US, with more information on the top 52 books banned available here. As mentioned before, these bans can be advocated for by various figures; however, the political climate of the world today promotes various opinions that will affect the production and censorship of literature. Despite the books mentioned featuring heavy topics that may cause distress to readers, this is usually advertised when buying a book or when it is chosen to study in a classroom. The idea of banning literature which is published and meant to be read and discussed by an audience does create an eery feeling similar to those depicted in some of these novels. It then promotes conversations around the role of censorship, if it is correct to ban communities from reading a successful and award-winning novel due to sensitive themes schools, administrators, communities or government officials disagree with, and if these figures even have a right to altering curricula and library sources to restrict or ban access to literary works. Lucky, all hope is not lost. Movements such as Read Banned Books, try to combat the censorship of the literary world through a variety of initiatives and campaigns and have gained more popularity as bans have increased.
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