Author Samira Ahmed’s latest young-adult novel, “This Book Won’t Burn,” is nothing if not timely. The book, which hit shelves in May, centers on Noor Khan, a high school senior who discovers that the library at her new school is being ravaged by book banners who have been slowly (but legally) swiping books right off the shelves — and most of the books are by writers of color or queer authors.
It’s a page torn right out of her own real-life experience. Three years ago, Ahmed had a conversation with an English teacher about her own frequently banned book, “Internment.”
“She taught in a small, rural, mostly white school district and wanted to bring ‘Internment’ into her lit circles in her high school classroom,” Ahmed told HuffPost. “Two other teachers strongly objected to the book being present in the school because there were no Muslim or South Asian students at their school — this was obviously a ridiculous reason, and one meant to cover their own biases.”
The teacher didn’t know what to do. “The teacher was a single parent, the primary wage earner for her family and was, frankly, scared to lose her job,” Ahmed said. “But she felt bad about it and asked me the question: How can I be brave? What a gut punch of a question for a teacher to ask when all she was trying to do was teach a book. That question — How can I be brave? — inspired ‘This Book Won’t Burn.’”
Like many authors, teachers and parents, Ahmed is grappling with the insidious creep of book bans nationwide.
“My novel was inspired by the incredible work teachers, librarians and kids are doing to push back against bans and to protect their freedom to read,” she said. “The banned book club from my novel was inspired by real banned-book clubs created by kids. The brave actions of the renegade librarian in the school in my novel was also inspired by the courage of real librarians and teachers who have fought for our freedom to read and have been fired.”
Attempts to ban books have risen significantly since 2020, according to the American Library Association, which tracks data on book censorship in the United States. In 2023, the American Library Association reported, there was a 65% increase in challenges to individual books, with 4,240 book titles targeted, and 1,247 demands to censor library materials and resources. Of these, 47% of the books featured characters who were queer or of color — a definitive pattern when it comes to book bans.
“Banning books is about dehumanizing groups of people, of saying some stories don’t belong on shelves because they are too controversial, and this disproportionately impacts the queer and BIPOC communities,” Ahmed said. “What it says to kids from those communities is that your stories don’t count, that you don’t matter, that you don’t deserve to be seen or heard, that you are unworthy. It’s hateful, it’s demeaning and it is so damaging to our youth. As a former teacher, I believe it is important for every child to feel welcome in every classroom and library. Every child should feel at home in those spaces. When you ban books, you hurt kids. It’s that simple.”
But book bans continue to increase at an alarming rate. Through August 2024, according to the American Library Association, there have been 414 attempts to censor library materials, and 1,128 titles have been targeted for censorship.
“I firmly understand the assault on books in this country as an assault on health — psychological health, physical health, intellectual health and imaginative health,” Dr. Sayantani Dasgupta, an author and pediatrician, told HuffPost. “It’s also an attack on the health of our society. If story is the way we human beings move through the world, understanding ourselves and each other, then silencing stories is tantamount to silencing one another’s humanity. Telling a community they don’t have a right to share their story is telling that community they don’t have a right to exist.”
“Books allow young people to explore new ideas, new ways of being in the world. Books allow young people to see themselves and one another,” Dasgupta added. “They allow readers to name and work through difficult emotions in safe ways. They inspire curiosity and important conversations in families and in classrooms. All of these are integral to raising healthy children and creating a healthy society.”
The rise in book bans in the last decade hasn’t gone unnoticed. Many groups — teachers, librarians, parents and students — have banded together to fight book bans.
The National Council of Teachers of English has a library with more than 1,300 teacher-written rationales for choosing and keeping books on shelves. They also host Banned Wagon events nationwide to help teachers gain access to titles that have been banned. The Children’s Book Council tracks banned book titles and offers resources as a co-sponsor of National Banned Books Week in October.
The Freedom to Read Foundation offers funding to teachers and librarians who are working to fight against book bans on the local level. Organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union, the Coalition Against Censorship, PEN America and Authors Against Book Bans have also taken a stance against book bans.
Most book bans start at school board meetings or at the city level — and many happen because of a complaint filed by a single person, one who may not have even read the book.
“As far as fighting bans, I think it’s important for people to understand that this happens at the community level. Showing up at school board and library board meetings is critical — and I think it’s important to do so even before books are challenged or banned,” Ahmed said. “Showing up, saying that ‘In this community, the freedom to read is a value held dear’ is powerful. Voting in every local election is critical — and for young people who can’t yet vote, I encourage them to drag their parents or adults in their lives to the polls for every single local election.”
Find resources online or locally to help you navigate book bans at the local level, and gather friends and community members to help you take a stand.
Another way every citizen can push back? Buying, requesting and reading banned books. Here are 10 banned books for kids and teens to consider.
Picture Books
“When Aidan Became a Brother” by Kyle Lukoff
Lukoff’s lovely picture book is frequently banned because it features a transgender protagonist. “When Aidan was born, everyone thought he was a girl.” But that’s only the start of the story, and when Aidan decides to embrace who he really is, he hopes everyone else will, too.
“Antiracist Baby” by Ibram X Kendi
Anti-racist activist Kendi’s gorgeous 2020 picture book — which shares seven tips for raising anti-racist kids from the very start — was criticized by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) during the Supreme Court confirmation hearing for Ketanji Brown Jackson, which actually spiked the book’s sales that week.
Middle Grade
“Better Nate Than Ever” by Tim Federle
A captivatingly fun 2013 book about a middle school kid who steals away to New York City to audition for Broadway’s “E.T. The Musical,” this middle grade contemporary novel (and the 2022 film version) tackles embracing queer identity, chasing big dreams and the idea of being or wanting too much — and does it all with aplomb.
“Captain Underpants” by Dav Pilkey
Frequently banned for “encouraging disruptive behavior” and “challenging authority,” Pilkey’s early middle-grade series is beloved by fart-obsessed kids nationwide for being addictively fun. But the books also feel like real representation to many kids with ADHD, and it tackle topics like bullying and discrimination.
Young Adult
“Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson
Halse Anderson’s groundbreaking 1999 novel, “Speak,” about a girl who goes mute after a sexual assault and has to learn to find her voice again, is based on her own experiences as a teen and reflects the experiences of thousands of people. Spare and profound, it leaves quite the impression and has been banned countless times because of its honest depiction of the aftermath of rape.
“Internment” by Samira Ahmed
In Ahmed’s “Internment,” the Muslim ban has been enacted and people are interned because of their religious beliefs. With the help of a few friends, both inside and outside, Layla Amin, trapped in the interment camp, fights her way to freedom.
“Monday’s Not Coming” by Tiffany Jackson
Grounded in the real-life stories of the many Black girls who go missing, “Monday’s Not Coming” explores the reasons why — why they’re missing and why no one is bothering to look for them. Jackson’s other YA work, including “Allegedly” and “Grown,” also delve deep into painful truths and are frequently banned because of it.
Graphic Novels
“New Kid” by Jerry Craft
This Coretta Scott King and Newbery Award-winning graphic novel by Jerry Craft follows 12-year-old Jordan Banks as the new kid at a posh private school, where he’s one of the few Black kids in a very white environment. An artist, Jordan learns to navigate his new environment, expanding his artistic horizons and balancing his old neighborhood pals with his new friends. But there’s still racism and cross-cultural issues to deal with.
“Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe
“I don’t want to be a girl. I don’t want to be a boy, either. I just want to be myself.” That sentiment is at the heart of the graphic memoir “Gender Queer,” a coming-of-age story that follows Kobabe’s journey of self-discovery as the author learn to embrace nonbinary identity while grappling with the traumas of gynecological exams, first crushes and obsessing over ice skating and “Lord of the Rings.”
“Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood” by Marjane Satrapi
Satrapi’s stunning memoir chronicles her life growing up in Iran under the confines of the Islamic Revolution as her family witnesses the fall of the shah and the rise of a new regime, one that alters the very fabric of life as she knows it. “Persepolis” has been banned frequently since its publication in 2000, but it has faced even more scrutiny in recent years.
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