Banning Books An Increasingly Popular Game In America | As of 2021, more than 5,800 titles have been audited

Austrian writer, editor and translator Alexander Bechmann maintains, almost never Banning or burning of books A critical text or politically incorrect opinion organized throughout history has been able to be categorically suppressed from collective memory. If those companies are successful, Today we know little about who Ovid was. It seems crazy to think back to the 16th century Index librorum banCompiled List of Books Forbidden to Christians Holy Office of the Inquisition. It would be equally crazy to remember that at the time it had to be tested by books Censorship Catholic establishment must be approved before printing. If found guilty of crimes against religion, writers could be exiled or burned with their texts. bigotry.

This dynamic seems far-fetched, however Censorship is still on Even if it takes new forms. In recent times, a truly disturbing phenomenon has been discovered in the United States: only In 2023, 3,000 titles were banned in 41 states and 5,894 censorship attempts took place. The wave of conservatism led by Joe Biden has reached classrooms and school libraries in various parts of the country, but also there reaction Students introduced a battery of strategies to reverse this policy through teachers and librarians It primarily targets female teachers, people of color and members of the LGBTIQ+ community.

Texas Historically censoring was the state, but data indicates that in recent times Florida tripled the number of bans And in this way it adds a conservative tendency, which is also crystallized Court decisions Such women's groups would reduce the civil rights won Abortion. The range of writers affected is varied and includes literary references Margaret Atwood, Stephen King, Toni Morrison, Aldous Huxley or Joyce Carol Oates. Recently appearing on lists such as books adapted for film and television game of thrones (George R.R. Martin), Hill (Frank Herbert) Or 2001: A Space Odyssey (Arthur C. Clarke), but such iconic works Happy world (Aldous Huxley), The invisible man (Ralph Ellison) Or Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy).

Last month, upon learning of the action taken in Florida, the editor Carrie Ironically, X wrote: “My 16 books? “I must be doing something right.” For his part, James LaRue, director of the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom, declared: “Stephen King is an author so popular among teenagers that removing his books denies access to academic works.” in Collier County Schools 300 books were banned In addition to King's 16 titles, and And 100 will be controlled Parental permission is required for certain levels or reading.

Gender and Race They are two of the axes riding the wave of censorship in America. They top the list GenderedAutobiography Maya Kobe about their non-binary and gay experience, and blue eyes, of Toni Morrison, Pulitzer Prize and Nobel Prize Winner for Literature. Her text addresses the story of Pecola, an African-American teenager who lives in Ohio at the beginning of World War II and feels that the only solution to all her problems is blue eyes, reflecting the “supremacy” stereotype of whiteness. beauty An African-American and queer writer was also included in the list Dishanna Neal For a story detailing her daughter's transition process. “Every time they try to ban books it's like trying to destroy their lived experiences.” “My rainbow,” said the teacher. In the same way, extension to all school grades The controversial “Don't Say You're Gay” law, It prohibits discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms.

Florida isn't the only state to implement censorship, but it's an interesting case because the initiative is responsive A measure promoted by Governor Ron DeSantis and approved by the Legislature. Act 1069 allows schools Size Materials in the classroom that refer to sex, gender, pronouns, or reproductive health; At the same time, it establishes that school libraries are mandatory The academic community should be consulted About the materials they make available to students. On the other hand, it demands the “suspension of any material alleged to contain obscene content or obscene representations of sexual conduct.”

The diagnosis is dangerous. Ben America, The non-profit foundation, which is responsible for gathering information to raise awareness about protecting freedom of expression through literary expression and human rights, detailed the banning of books in American educational institutions in its latest report. Triple In the past year. The association has warned In “the worst wave of censorship in decades”, more than 5,800 books were banned from 2021. Various state conferences were introduced this year 110 Bills are considered “Education Cake Orders”. And ten, the report says, became laws restricting teaching on race, gender, American history and dissenting identities. America's Audited Classrooms 2023.

But students from public institutions responded by creating the Banned Books Club, a space to facilitate access to censored works. According to Ella Scott, one of the young founders, “There are about 30 members now.” For example, a group of students from Vandegrift High School in Leander (Texas) were able to reach out because of this opposition. The last manA graphic novel by the screenwriter Brian K. Vaughan and cartoonist Pia Guevara It chronicles the effects of a mysterious plague that kills all creatures with a Y chromosome. The work was banned in the state of Texas and, therefore, removed from school libraries. “The past two years have seen an unprecedented assault on free speech in public education.” Sabrina Betta, consultant for the “Freedom to Read” program explained, From PEN America. But Bechman is reassuring A library of lost books“Every regime, however despotic; every censor, however careful; and every academic, however limited, must sooner or later surrender to their imaginations and ideas. Readers.”