“Bad guys aren’t real, right?” At six years old I had really hoped that the answer to this question would be “No, of course not!”, followed by something like“Let’s go get lunch at Carl’s Jr.” Having finished watching The Incredibles I was certain that the supervillains haunting the Parr family weren’t real, but I needed to be sure. My mom then carefully explained to me that no, there are no supervillains like Syndrome prowling the skies, but not everyone in the world has good intentions. There are people we need to be careful around and things we need to do to stay safe.
Though I found this answer to be concerning, I was glad it was for now still mostly hypothetical. Even though I knew there might be “bad guys” out there I was now also beginning to be equipped with my own potential to recognize and avoid them. A Pixar movie had given me the space to talk to my parents about a complex topic and be more prepared to face the world as it truly is. This power that stories have is critical, and current efforts to restrict and ban storytelling have very real and dangerous consequences.
Books specifically, and attempts to ban them, continue to be a contentious political topic in Utah and across the nation. In 2023 alone book banning attempts in public libraries increased by 92% relative to the previous year [1]. Many of those pushing for book bans claim they are doing so because they want to protect their children from sensitive content. That is a fair concern, but trying to ban the books outright is a counterproductive means of trying to achieve that goal. There is a chilling effect that censoring stories has which prevents healthy conversations about complicated topics and robs kids of important opportunities to understand the world and themselves in a healthy light.
Whether it is intentional or not, when people attempt to ban a book it sends a very loud message. It communicates that the content in this book is shameful, dangerous, and should not be read or spoken about. Consider this in the context of the fact that 47% of the books targeted for censorship in 2023 alone were targeted because they featured characters that were people of color and/or members of the LGBTQ community [3]. The effects that this has on students who are members of these communities can be detrimental to their health and capacity for success[4][5]. Not only that, banning books due to concerns of sensitive content can also excessively shelter children and youth from being able to safely process complicated topics in an environment that could otherwise allow for important discussions to take place [6][7].
In many ways the amazing thing about stories is the fact that, unlike many of the challenges we face in real life, we can step away from them. When a book is unsettling we can put in a bookmark and take a break or talk to someone else to get their opinion. This is why complex subject matter is so important for children. All of them will have to experience the tragedies and victories that inevitably mark the path of their own hero’s journey. Stories help them process many of these crossroads before they get there by creating an environment at home and at school where questions of identity and safety are not cloaked by the destructive power of shame. Shielding children to an unhealthy degree from the complexities of life does not prepare them for the challenges that will inevitably come. It disarms them of the very tools that they need to build a healthy and happy life.
There is certainly space to have conversations about what reading material is appropriate for what age group, the key word being conversations. Rather than attempting to prevent specific books from being accessible, our goal should be to create an environment where parents and kids alike can have open conversations about the books they should read and why. This is a much more effective way to protect kids from stories they aren’t ready to process, especially considering the fact that no matter how motivated the parent, they will never be able to rid library shelves of every book they deem objectionable. Instead, promoting a healthy dialogue without shame can empower kids to talk about the things they read and feel comfortable telling an adult and even walking away from a book when they do come across inappropriate content.
When we free ourselves from viewing the world and the stories that surround us as just being books that should be banned or not it also enables us to see the world more clearly as it is. The impact of this is profound as seeing the world allows us to carve out our own space in it and make it even better in the process. American playwright Lynn Nottage tells us to “replace judgment with curiosity[8]. Or if you prefer, as shared by Ted Lasso, “be curious, not judgemental” [9]. The drive to understand the world around us as complex and ambiguous truly is liberating, and sometimes the best place to start exploring is within the safety of a book.
