Have you picked up a book you liked recently? Well, it just might be on the banned books list.
In some Florida public schools, “Slaughterhouse Five” by Kurt Vonnegut and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky are two of the 700 books that have been banned during the 2023-24 school year, according to the banned book list from The Florida Department of Education.
Banning books silences marginalized voices and restricts academic freedom. It also limits college students’ intellectual growth, exposure to diversity and access to political ideas, which are essential for developing critical thinking skills.
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Although Hillsborough County does not have any challenges or bans on books, it is important to understand the broader impact of book bans.
Because books are at risk of being challenged and banned, incoming college students will lack important material or information.
Literature, like journals, policies and manuals, are part of all academics, said Vonzell Agosto, USF professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies.
“If students are being socialized to think less of literature, regardless of the content, then they may be less likely to succeed in higher education, which contributes to building a literate nation-state,” Agosto said.
Sustaining literacy in our country is important because it empowers people to make informed decisions and contribute to their communities.
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Banned or challenged books can appear on AP exams.
When I took AP Literature and AP English Language, I was required to read books like “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood or “Beloved” by Toni Morrison. These titles, with many others, are being challenged or banned depending on location, according to the PEN America Index of School Book Bans.
The College Board, the organization that conducts AP exams and content, opposes book bans. They will remove the AP designation from a course if a school does not follow AP curriculum, which restricts students from receiving AP credit for college courses, according to the College Board.
The material required to challenge books includes content that is “sexually explicit” or “unsuited to any age group,” according to the American Library Association.
For example, books that include LBGTQ+ representation, people of color or politics are largely a part of the banned books list. Banning books censors essential viewpoints on subjects like race, gender, sexuality, politics or history.
“Book bans restrict portrayals of gay lifestyles and relationships and a hidden curriculum,” Agosto said. “The effect of the bans is to diminish or erase students‘ opportunities to know such lifestyles, some of which reflect their own, as part of the fabric of an ever-changing global society.”
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Students should be exposed to different perspectives because it can help develop critical thinking skills by engaging with different viewpoints challenging students to analyze and question other opinions.
Many believe book bans are essential to filter out inappropriate content. However, valuable information is censored along with it such as history and exposure to political or cultural values.
Banning books overlook historical realities and social injustice, such as slavery or the Holocaust.
Those who seek to censor books only consider their content, they ignore the true cultural value literature brings to education.
The next time you pick up a book, remember the purpose in it.
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