- From July 2021 to June 2022, PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans lists 2,532 instances of individual books being banned, affecting 1,648 unique book titles.
- The 1,648 titles are by 1,261 different authors, 290 illustrators, and 18 translators, impacting the literary, scholarly, and creative work of 1,553 people altogether. —Banned in the USA
PEN America’s “Banned in America” summarizes what many of us have seen more and more often in the news: book bans.
They are a weapon used by weak people and weak groups who have so little confidence in their beliefs, they are fearful of what might happen if people are free to read about alternatives. The German government, controlled by the Nazi party, burnt the books in town squares, a more uncouth version of the book bans.
Book bans in government schools and government libraries are, of course, unconstitutional since they run counter to the Bill of Rights. And yet, how easily people flock to this method of stifling the free flow of ideas when a particular book bothers them.
In a September 22 news release, PEN said, “With free expression and the freedom to read being undermined in America’s schools, Congressman Jamie Raskin today introduced a resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives condemning the spread of book bans in schools nationwide, as Senator Brian Schatz leads a companion resolution in the U.S. Senate. PEN America commends the lawmakers’ efforts, which reaffirm Congress’ commitment to upholding free expression in the classroom and beyond.”
While I think this is good, I doubt that most people will even know that it happened, much less change their gutless, book-banning behavior if they did hear about it. I would like to hear more protests from those who abhor the book bans. Let’s put the banners under a microscope and embarrass the hell out of them for being too weak to admit they are weak.
–Malcolm
Malcolm R. Campbell is the author of the Florida Fok Magic Series.
Malcolm's Round Table 
So sad. These weak-minded people are such squeaky hinges that they always seem to get oiled. Wasn’t Roe v Wade deemed ‘unconstitutional’ recently? Now the weak-minded can ban not only books, but also abortions. They’ll be after gay marriage next I suppose.
I’m guessing ‘unconstitutional’ is different from illegal? Otherwise why are the police not routinely involved? Even if there is no illegality I’m puzzled as to why concerned citizens don’t take the bans to the Supreme Court to be overturned.
Coincidentally I was watching an old “Law & Order” on telly last night, which dealt with one of the weak-minded claiming he had no choice but to murder his daughter’s teacher because he was weakening her faith by teaching her evolution, and his god might strike her down at any moment as a result. He claimed a constitutional right to use this as a defence. It was a delightful explanation, investigation and deconstruction of the problem.
Yep.