The Pros And Cons Of Banned Books

In 1976, five high school students brought the local school board to court to challenge the school board’s right to remove books from their school library. The students argued that their First Amendment rights were violated when the school infringed on the students’ “right to read”. (Campbell “BOOK BANNING IN AMERICA”). Book banning is a highly debatable topic among many people. While some people believe that book banning is the best way to protect children from inappropriate content, others believe that banning literature takes away the child’s right to read.

A banned book is known as a book that has been challenged and declared, “prohibited” for the public, or a group. (“About Banned & Challenged Books”). Book banning has been an issue since the printing press was invented. One of the first well known prohibited books was The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, which was first banned in 1850 for having inappropriate underlying themes in the story. (“Banned Books That Shaped America”). To challenge book banning, Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 to celebrate the freedom to read, by having banned books available in bookstores and public libraries. (“Banned Books Week”). Books are frequently challenged by parents and schools, but can be challenged by anyone who thinks that a certain book could be harmful to a child. Book banning has many advantages and disadvantages that cause it to be a very arguable matter.

There are many reasons behind book banning and what it stands for, that make a case for book censorship. One main advantage of book banning is that it is protecting children from inappropriate content. A book is usually banned because it contains material that is deemed unfit for minors. Most parents and schools do n...

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Overall, the advantages of book banning do not outweigh the disadvantages. However, there should be approved reading levels so that challenged books are not banned for everyone. One reason that books should not be censored, is because taking away the books takes away learning. When schools or school boards ban certain books, they are taking away a minor’s chance to learn grammar and vocabulary, among other things, from the writing and story. Secondly, there is no freedom to read when books are banned. A book being censored causes children to be unable to read what they choose. Libraries are allowed to choose what books they have available; therefore students should be able to decide what they want to read. Giving minors the freedom to read in turn lets them learn to grow and accept different types of literature, regardless of its background.