NY Times Final Project Presentation

Hello. I'm Tess Novak and today I'm here to talk

about book banning and its effects on society.

I'd like to start by giving you some background information

on the practice.

And first I'd like to define what a ban is

versus what a challenge is.

A challenge is simply an attempt made by an individual

or group to remove certain materials from the school library,

school curriculum, public library or wherever based on the content

in that novel.

And a ban is the more severe version of a

challenge with those materials actually being removed.

So who initiates these challenges?

Well, a huge misconception about book banning is who initiates

the challenges.

Many assume it's mainly teachers or librarians that initiate these

challenges, but that's really untrue.

As you can see by the graph, a mere 5%

of bands and challenges come from teachers and librarians, mainly

it's parents and community members who initiates the challenges because

they believe they are doing what is best for their

child. However, in doing so, they forced their more traditional

conservative views upon their child.

So now I'd like to get into the arguments against

book banning and why it's harmful To start off.

Book banning is technically illegal.

In 1982, the Supreme Court case on the censoring of

reading materials and in short ruled that schools may not

ban books on the sole basis that someone disagrees with

the content presented in that novel.

And another strong legal argument against book banning is its

violation of the First Amendment.

The First Amendment allows the right to freedom of speech

and expression to all american citizens censorship violates these rights

and therefore his book banning is a form of censorship.

The practice is technically illegal.

So why are books being banned in the first place?

Well, generally books are banned because they contain content or

promote an idea that someone or some group disagrees with.

These can include discussions of gender identity, mental illness, race,

sexuality, or even un american values.

However, books can also be banned for much more trivial

reasons, such as featuring witchcraft.

For instance.

Harry potter has been banned in libraries throughout the country

for exorcism in the depiction of quote unquote evil spirits.

And I thought this infographic nicely outlined some of the

most common reasons books are banned.

The larger the word in the infographic, the more books

have been banned because of that reason.

So now the real issue, the effects book banning has

on society and specifically Children and people of minority populations.

On the whole, banning books reinforces ideas that are more

traditional and can invalidate a modern child's feelings or experiences

restricting a child's access to books and materials with the

so called controversial content, can silence or repress a child

and restrict their worldview banning books, reinforces more conservative ways

of thinking, most of which do not accurately represent today's

youth in society.

And as for minority groups, they are affected disproportionately largely

banned books include discussions of gender, sexuality, race, mental illness,

etcetera, all of which have long been stigmatized.

Seeing diverse representation in novels can be extremely important to

a child's development.

But by restricting this content, students of color, L.

G. B.

T. Q.

I. A students and other members of minority groups may

not get the representation they need to feel valid in

society. What kind of message do actions such as these

send us kids who are struggling to figure out their

identity, Who are we to tell them what to read

and what not.

But banning also has a disproportionate effect on minorities in

the publishing industry.

A large percentage of the books that get banned were

authored or illustrate to pay people in minority groups.

Authors who are just trying to tell their stories and

make their voices heard are having their books restricted in

high numbers.

Books written by authors of minority groups often include discussions

of some of what I listed before as being the

most commonly band subjects.

This further marginalizes minority communities and reinforces more conventional sheltered

values. In turn, this censorship can expect to ideas that

restricting content invalidates the feelings or ideas of the people

reading them.

So why should you read banned books?

Well, reading banned books can open up a child's mind

to entire realms of thought or ideas that they may

not have considered before.

Reading diverse content can expand a child's worldview and help

them define their own values, defining one's values and morals

is a key part of self discovery.

And reading banned books can help kids accomplish this.

Additionally, reading banned literature could help kids soar through the

complex issues of their own lives.

Children who experience hardship in their lives can read about

realistic topics that banned books deal with and empathize with

those characters relating to characters and their experiences.

Can help kids process their own emotions and help them

cope with their situations quickly.

These are the top 10 most band or challenged books

of 29 2020.

These books deal with things like racial justice and transgender

rights. It really should be celebrated, not censored now.

I hope that by exploring the roots of book banning

and it's detrimental effects, you can see the glaring need

for advocacy and action.

Thank you for your time.

NY Times Final Project Presentation

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