Setting the Scene:
2020 & Beyond
Concerns over the moral value of reading materials are not new to the United States, and they often coincide with charged political conversations. Before the Civil War, several states banned books against slavery. The Comstock Act of 1873 criminalized possession of “immoral” texts, and was often used to suppress information about abortion and contraception. Through the twentieth-century, texts that posed an ideological threat to American values—seditious propaganda during the World Wars, communist writings in the McCarthy Era, and anti-Christian books in the 1980s—were removed from shelves for being inappropriate, obscene, and unpatriotic.
2019
2021
2023
2020
A Turning Point
2022
Entering this election year after four years of Donald Trump’s presidency, the U.S. already featured a highly divided citizenry on key issues such as climate change, racial justice, and LGBTQIA+ rights. The events of 2020 prompted people to dig further into their stances, and the trends of these conversations can be seen in the types of books being challenges nationwide.
Race & Justice
After the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor by law enforcement, the Black Lives Matter movement reached new levels of visibility. In response to what some called the country’s “racial reckoning,” some schools and libraries sought to diversify their reading selections, and curriculum and workplace trainings seemed to shift focus to highlight Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). An equally energized counter-movement arose, vehemently defending police and accusing education institutions of imposing Critical Race Theory (CRT) on their children.
Gender & Sexuality
The rights of transgender individuals have been a key conversation among lawmakers. While some states seek to codify protections for gender affirming healthcare and the safety of trans people, others try to restrict such access and security. This debate highlights differing views on gender and sexuality that some parents seek to shield their children from.
COVID & Mandates
COVID-19 disrupted daily life for everyone, but people’s response was largely dictated by the example set by their political leaders. Donald Trump’s downplaying of the severity of the disease and refusal to endorse advice from public health officials turned face masks and vaccines into yet another ideological battleground.
As these national conversations made further permeated the American zeitgeist, some parents rejected that their children should be forced to confront such uncomfortable or upsetting ideas as a part of their education. Compounded with increased supervision as a result of schools being closed, a new parental rights movement surged in number and influence. Groups dedicated to advocating for parental control over school curriculum and reading choices have come to dominate in the realm of book challenges, as a vocal minority has utilized social media and other technology to inundate libraries with challenges.
Parental Rights
Professor Nancy Kranich, former president of the American Library Association and current teaching professor in Rutgers University's School of Communication and Information, explains the role of the pandemic and the parental rights movements in the increased frequency of book bans.