The Banning of Books

Victor Cho
English 10H Period 2
Mrs. Browne
Due 4/5/13

Banned books are part of our everyday lives; they should be appreciated just like life and
people should embrace prohibited publications. They are life-changing, full of useful
information, and interesting to peruse. My research will teach others about the importance of
banned books. Students will find incentive to read them, arguing that the content is not all that
bad. School administrators will argue that it will ruin our minds by giving us inappropriate ideas.
I knew that administrators banned books for bad content, which can lead to good or bad
things. One of my friends told me that prohibition of books is a power that the school
administrators may use. There are several reasons for banning publications; such as bad
content or violence and many more, read from a daily newspaper. In my educational facility, I
observed that banning books does not affect nonreaders, but really impacts the readers.
I selected this topic because it catches my attention, since I like to read many books. I hardly
know much about the topic of book banning, therefore, I chose to do a more in-depth research
about it. I would also like to know the true reasoning behind the prohibition of a publication.
Lastly, I would like to learn about several titles that have already been banned, and if it was a
good decision to exclude it from school curriculum. I hope to learn about the effects of banning

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books, are they effective in keeping a students mind clean? I could learn that banned books
are enjoyable and should be read, and so should others.
I visited several databases to use sources that had information about book banning. Using my
schools databases, such as SIRS, ProQuest Platinum, and Opposing Viewpoints in Context, I
have found very reliable sources containing useful, specific information about book exclusion.
Some difficulties or limitations included only utilizing recent documents that have been
published within ten years or so. I have come across many sources that have been aged about
twenty years or older, so it was not viable.
Books are banned for being too vulgar or religious in schools. "Books are challenged
because they contain..." (Gale, online). School administrators are banning books because they
may contain sexual or violent content that may be bad for students. "If enough people protest
the book may not be removed." (New York Times, online). However, books that are banned can
be challenged and therefore not excluded. "Sometimes a parent will quietly remove the
book..." (Book banning, online). Some students are unaware that people hide bad books from
them. "For centuries, books have been banned, suppressed and censored because of political,
religious, sexual and social reasons." (IX, 100 Banned Books). People do not want to spoil their
young minds.70 percent of librarians say they won't buy certain because..." (Gale, online).
Librarians reject books since they are afraid of how the parents will react. "Everyone knows
some librarians bypass good books.... The reasons range from..." (New York Times, online).
Again, sexual or violent, and even religious content will be bypassed by some people.

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Banned books give young readers a new perspective on life when they are struggling. Books
can be a good distraction from the internet, since there are reported cases of pornography. Some
parents urge their children to read books instead of using the internet or watch TV. (Mae, Linda,
online). Banning books for explicit content can also be a good thing, since students will not be
exposed to information that only adults should know. (Gale, online). She saw herself in those
pages, and suddenly knew she didnt want to be there. That book turned her around. Today shes
been sober two years, is graduating high school and has embarked on a modeling career. (Gale,
online). Even reading banned books can help struggling teens, because this teenager could
connect to this book and it made her life better. (Gale, online). Books dealing with edgy, dark
subject matter such as addiction, abuse, suicide, and teen prostitution can offer young adult
readers a broader perspective on the world. (Gale, online).
Students feel limited to reading some publications approved by administrators while
having no access to the ideas of banned books. This is one of many cases dealing with
(Sherrow, online) This issue deals with students expressing the needs of schools for books that
were banned. It is the inalienable right of all people to nourish the seeds of thought (Fuller,
online). The school administrators are unaware that excluding these books from young readers
violates their rights. Not only are their rights limited, but so it their learning experience. Teens
need books like those become comfortable thinking for themselves. (Sherrow, online). Lastly,
young readers would have better self-esteem if they could read any book.
Everyone should be able to read any publication of their choosing. The school
administrators should not be able to ban books because it violates our rights and prevents us from

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having a broader perspective of the real world. We feel limited when several books are banned
for content reasons. This also limits our mind from perceiving other ideas. Lastly, it is good to
read banned books since they help us embrace morbid topics. These morbid topics like death,
will not be pushed into the subconscious, making us live in fear.

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Works Cited

"Book Banning Has Legal Limits." GALE. Opposing Viewpoints. Book Banning, n.d. Web. 28
Feb. 2013.
"Books Are Being Banned in the United States." Review, by Debra Lau. Whelan. Censorship
2010: n. pag. ProQuest Platinum. Web. 1 Mar. 2013.
"Censorship Cannot Be Allowed in America." Book Banning 2012: n. pag. Gale Opposing
Viewpoints in Context. Web. 1 Mar. 2013.
Fuller, Charles F. Letter. New York Times [New York]: n. pag. ProQuest Platinum. Web. 28 Feb.
2013.
Gallo, Don. "Teens Need Bold Books." Book Banning 2012: n. pag. Gale Opposing Viewpoints
in Context. Web. 5 Mar. 2013.
Karolides, Nicholas J. 100 Banned Books. Comp. Margaret Bald and Dawn B. Sova. Ed. Ken
Wachsberger. 11 Penn Plaza: C.B, 1999. Print. - - -. 120 Banned Books. Comp. Margaret
Bald and Dawn B. Sova. 132 West 31st Str: C.B, 2005. Print. Mae, Linda, illus.
Censorship. San Diego: G.H, 2002. Print. Opposing Viewpoints Series.
Scales, Pat. "Book Challenges Bring Attentionand More Readersto Many Great Books."
Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Gale, n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2013.
Sherrow, Victoria. Censorship in Schools. Springfield: E.P, 1996. Print. Tobin, Jonathan S.
"Weblog post." Scotching Jewish Books. GALE, n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.