Ban the Ban on Books

Editor’s Note: In honor of Banned Books Week (Oct. 4-10, 2026), with the theme “Let Books Be. Protect the Freedom to Read.”

“The problem in our country isn’t with books being banned, but with people no longer reading. You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them” (Bradbury). The push to ban certain books does just this, it stops people from reading. Banning books takes away freedoms from those reading and writing them, impedes students from learning, and blocks the significance of those
books. Banning books does more harm than good.

When books are banned, they are taken out of school curriculums and public libraries. It becomes significantly more difficult to have access to these stories, especially for people in low-income communities. Books are usually banned because someone deemed the content as inappropriate, language as offensive, or the ideas in the book are challenging (Wren). When we begin censoring what we read, everything else follows. Books are supposed to open our minds to new ideas, even those that
might upset us. Reading content that is new, teaches us to have an open mind, guiding us to have a better understanding of others and their situations. Topics that make people uncomfortable are subject to being banned. People today are constantly being fed information from a variety of sources; most people do not look further into what they have heard. So instead of trying to learn more, our information sources stop there, and we automatically believe what we have heard.

The authors who depend on the revenue they make from writing suffer when their works are not available to the public. Authors write stories so they can be told, because they believe that their story has a powerful meaning that people need to hear. They might feel frustrated and unheard when their books get banned. Their book gets banned because it has upset one person or made them uncomfortable, and they decide to speak up about it. The uncomfortable subjects that many people do not like to discuss are vitally important to be talked about. It is how we spread awareness about issues.

When books are banned, students’ opportunity to learn about inspiring ideas, people, cultures, and actions are suppressed. Parents and community members are right to want to protect their kids, but they are trying to protect them from something that is not dangerous. Books should not be banned, they are not dangerous, they do not harm. Libraries are a place where you should have access to read any book you want, but people push for books to be banned there and in schools. Books inspire us to learn
about new things and try new things. Our hearts and minds are open to different concepts than what we have been used to when we pick up a book that conflicts with our previous beliefs and feelings.

Learning is stunted when students cannot learn about topics that interest them, especially ones with which they are unfamiliar. We should give students the chance to read books that challenge them. They can learn empathy, compassion, and new concepts when they read. Reading about different people, ideas, and perspectives offers students a new view of the world. They become more prepared for what the world is like instead of the protected view from their parents.

Many books that are banned are about significant cultural moments. The Civil Rights Movement, the Dust Bowl, the Roaring Twenties, and the Cold War are all eras that have had books written during or about and are banned because of the content between the pages. There was significant political turmoil happening in each of those eras and that scares people. Students need to learn about these times in history to be informed and not ignorant.

In banning books, we restrict the freedoms of both readers and authors, hinder
students' educational growth, and diminish the importance of these literary works.
Books challenge our thoughts, expand our perspectives, and help develop our empathy
for others. When these works are censored, opportunities to educate and inspire are
taken away. Instead of fearing the uncomfortable things books might reveal, we can
learn to accept new ideas. To keep the freedom to think, learn and question safe we
need not ban books and allow people to read what they please.

About the Author:

Katie Mauer is a junior at Mount Marty University and is studying English
and Secondary Education. She is a Seton Scholar and is a part of
campus ministry.

Works Cited

Bradbury, Ray. Interview by John Doe. The Seattle Times, 1993,
www.seattletimes.com/example-url.

Wren, Juniper. “Why Are Books Getting Banned-and Why Is It Harmful?” Young Writers
Project, 22 Apr. 2025, https://youngwritersproject.org/explore/writing/why-are-
books-getting-banned-and-why-it-harmful