Pennsylvania ranks third in states with most banned books
news@greenecountymessenger.com
Pennsylvania ranks third in the nation behind Texas and Florida in number of book titles banned in state school districts, according to a report recently published by the free speech organization PEN America.
鈥淏ook bans are an old thing. The momentum that is driving this is new,鈥� said Jonathan Friedman, director of free expression and education at PEN America and lead author of the report 鈥淏anned in the USA: The Growing Movement to Censor Books in Schools.鈥�
Book bans are defined by PEN America as action taken against a title by parents, community groups or administration based on the book鈥檚 content. PEN America also considers a district鈥檚 decision to pull a book based on direct or threatened action from lawmakers a 鈥渂an.鈥�
鈥淚n Pennridge (School District in Bucks County), they moved 鈥� 鈥楬eather Has Two Mommies鈥� 鈥� to the guidance offices and counseling offices. We count that also as a book ban, because rather than the book being accessible to students in the library, it is being banished to the guidance centers,鈥� Friedman said.
Between July 2021 and June 2022, 2,532 books were banned by 138 districts in 32 states, including 11 Pennsylvania school districts, according to the report. A total of 1,648 individual titles were pulled from districts, impacting the work of 1,553 authors, illustrators and translators.
A majority of the books banned in Pennsylvania were in Central York School District in York County.
鈥淚n Pennsylvania, we have seen a few districts get really deep into this issue. One of the places that started a lot of this energy was Central York,鈥� said Friedman. 鈥淭he list of books that needed to be banned (was) essentially a list to encourage inclusivity and diversity. 鈥� They included a Sesame Street special on racism, and whole book series. (One book) about a black protagonist.鈥�
Last week, Jefferson-Morgan High School students spent time educating their peers on titles that have throughout history been labeled problematic.
鈥淥ur student council has put a couple bulletin boards up around the school just to bring awareness to Banned Books Week,鈥� said Michael Hildreth, district assistant principal. 鈥淚f history tells us anything, if we go back to Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn, sometimes when we start censoring what our students see, we鈥檙e really hindering their education. Our teachers do a really good job of explaining those concepts in those books in a way our community feels really empowers our kids.鈥�
The majority of banned books listed in PEN America鈥檚 report center on the Black and LGBTQ+ experience, including the popular 鈥淲ho Was?鈥� series by Pam Pollack and Caldecott Honor book 鈥淎 Big Mooncake for Little Star.鈥�
鈥淕ender Queer: A Memoir鈥� by Maia Kobabe leads the charge, with 41 districts nationwide banning the title. Books adapted to the screen, including the novel series-turned-Netflix hit 鈥淭hirteen Reasons Why,鈥� have found themselves ousted from schools across the country. Trinity High School graduate Anastasia Higginbotham鈥檚 White Raven Book Award-winning 鈥淣ot My Idea: A Book About Whiteness鈥� stands alongside other acclaimed banned books, including Nobel Prize-winner Toni Morrison鈥檚 鈥淭he Bluest Eye鈥� and George M. Johnson鈥檚 鈥淎ll Boys Aren鈥檛 Blue.鈥�
Last year, 鈥淣ot My Idea鈥� was used as an example on the Texas Senate floor as legislatures discussed House Bill 3979, regarding social studies curriculum.
鈥淭hey were using my book to shut other people out. That鈥檚 exactly the opposite of what I was trying to do,鈥� said Higginbotham, whose book is an invitation to white children and adults to join in the legacy of fighting for social justice.
The publicity, while national, was not the boost in book sales many outsiders think, said the author.
鈥淭here is such a thing as bad publicity. Sales are down. People do steer clear of it. People are afraid of losing their funding, losing their jobs. Librarians, teachers, they do shy away from it. They鈥檙e afraid of drawing the attention of Proud Boys, of Moms For Liberty,鈥� Higginbotham said. 鈥淧eople will say specifically that my book 鈥楴ot My Idea鈥� makes white kids feel bad about being white. My response to that is, are you also concerned about Black and Brown kids feeling bad about being black and brown? It鈥檚 not irony, it鈥檚 tragedy. It鈥檚 overt racism 鈥� and hatred of LGBTQ people and Muslims and Jews and it鈥檚 so overt.鈥�
Higginbotham, who writes for kids on death, sex and other serious topics, said removing books 鈥� particularly those that explore Black, Brown and minority experiences 鈥� sends a devastating message to the nation鈥檚 youth.
鈥淚t鈥檚 detrimental because they鈥檙e not just looking to read a book; they鈥檙e looking to see themselves in the pages of the books. They want to see themselves, they want to see their families, they want to see their struggles, they want to see their joys. When we ban them from the books, we ban them from themselves,鈥� said Higginbotham. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also letting them know that we don鈥檛 trust them. If we just snatch things out of their hands before they even have a chance to reach for it, or be curious about it, we are letting them know, I don鈥檛 trust you. You don鈥檛 have good judgement. You have to be protected from what the world is.鈥�
As a mother, Higginbotham understands the desire to shield children from the dangers of this world. She said she has compassion for those parents and organizations advocating to ban books.
鈥淭here are things out there that I don鈥檛 want my kids to internalize. There are things that I want to protect them from 鈥� mortal danger 鈥� but not ideas, not identities, not people鈥檚 experiences,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 ban those things from my kids鈥� lives. I let them know 鈥� what bothers me about the thing, and then I trust them to sort through it.鈥�