Pen America, an organization dedicated to raising awareness towards the protection of free expression, documented 23,000 book bans in public schools nationwide since 2021. In the 2024 – 2025 school year, Pen America noted 6,870 instances of book banning.
Due to the rise in book banning, the week of October 5th through 11th has been deemed banned book week and serves to bring attention to the increase in book banning. This week encourages readers to read books that have been challenged or banned in libraries or schools. Banned book week challenges the idea of censorship in public spaces, advocating that the liberty to pursue literature is a universal right.
The censorship of books in public spaces denies the basic right to freedom of expression, especially for those whose only access to books and the information they contain is their public library. If a library bans a book, there are people in the community who will never have the opportunity to read that book. Book banning in public spaces removes a basic individual right: the right to choose.
“Almost seven in ten Americans (69%) say that public libraries are important to them and their family,” reported Pew Research Center.
Censorship not only denies community members and students books to read, but it also denies the ability to read a specific group of books. Books that include themes of LGBTQ+ and race are most often banned. This often means that these topics lack representation for those who might identify with these groups.The lack of representation can lead to people affected by these topics to feel marginalized or left out in the media they are consuming.
“41 percent of banned books include LGBTQ+ themes. Forty percent feature protagonists or secondary characters of color and 21 percent address issues of race or racism,” said American University, Washington, D.C.
The consumption of any reading material, including those of marginalized groups, can encourage different viewpoints and promote critical thinking. The material in banned books, especially, can challenge readers to explore uncomfortable themes and expose themselves to new ideas and perspectives.  Reading banned books can encourage empathy and a broader world view. While politically extreme books may not always be best suited for younger children, books with these themes have the ability to educate high school students on different ideologies. Shielding older students from extreme political views does not prevent those views from existing but only serves to prevent students from critically examining them.
“[Book bans] Most commonly occurs when books support or examine extreme political parties/philosophies such as: fascism, communism, anarchism, etc,” said Butler University.
I can understand restricting content for certain age groups, but as a high school student and an avid reader myself, I do not understand outright banning books. Books teach important and lasting life lessons, and they can be bridges to creating a more tolerant, more inclusive world. Therefore, I encourage high school readers to go read a banned book this week and explore the lessons it can teach you. Books belong to everyone.