4 "Problematic" Books We Should Talk About

If you are an avid reader, you’ve probably heard about book banning in America. The original purpose of banning books was to prevent potentially dangerous ideologies in schools and libraries–basically serving as literary censorship, mainly for children until they are of age. The original intention for literary censorship can be compared with the Motion Picture Association (MPA) film ratings you see (rated G, rated R) before you watch a film. Of course, people want to have a general idea of what they may be watching with their children without giving away the premise as well as have guidance over what content is being presented. However, in the case of book banning, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

With the rise of technology, the general population has access to any information they want to know–whether it is true or not. It seems the effort to ban books has become heavily politicized to not only prevent this sense of “false information” in text but also because media such as literature really can have a huge impact on someone’s way of thinking. That being said we have seen an unprecedented amount of challenges to remove books from libraries and curriculums in more recent years. In 2021, 1,597 individual titles were either challenged or removed. The majority of these books are either sexuality-focused or race-focused. A lot of these books that have been challenged are seen as “pornographic” or “obscene” and more commonly end up being LGBQT+ books. It really begs the question of what criteria these challengers consider to be “obscene”. Why do people only see the emotional and physical descriptions of a queer protaganist as entirely sexual rather than trying to understand that those descriptions are necessary to describe the situation and point of view? Additionally, some of those descriptions are necessary for people, particularly teenagers, who may be going through the same turmoil and feel alone in their thoughts.

Books stand as a form of empathy and also a source of education. Censorship allows us to ignore the need to understand and educate ourselves while sending our country back in time. Here are four books that are frequently challenged and/or removed due to their content that you should absolutely read.

Lawn Boy Jonathan Evison

A story about a Mexican-American who goes through the stages of understanding their sexual identity while working in landscaping for a few years after high school. This book touches on topics about social class, cultural discrimination, coming of age, and young love–but is challenged by its details of a romance between two men. The author Jonathan Evison has even received death threats because of this book. In one case someone reported the book to the police because it was on the shelves of the high school and describes some sexual interactions between two boys as a part of the protagonist’s journey to self-discovery.

The Hate U Give

Angie Thomas

Angie Thomas wrote a book that took the world by storm. It accounts for the aftermath of the close friend of an unarmed young black boy who was shot by the police. As the only black girl in her neighborhood to go to a private school, she deals with it from a different perspective, seeing the internalized racism from her friends and seeing her personal world be torn apart even further than it already was. This book was personally important to me in a way I cannot even explain. As a black woman who also went to a private school when I was younger, I could relate to the protagonist in every way. The way she looked over some of the micro-aggressive things her friends said, the way she tried not to seem “too black” around her peers, to the way she tried to balance being the person she felt she was supposed to be and the person she was meant to be. Even the tragedy of experiencing someone so close to her perish and the ways that she built up her true self helped me to feel personally connected. I felt that I wasn't alone, and there was no reason to feel shame about all the similar things I went through. Banned for profanity and for the belief that it held anti-police sentiments, this book was banned on two separate occasions.

Gender Queer

Maia Kobabe

A memoir formatted as a graphic novel, Gender Queer is dedicated to showing what it means for the author Kobabe to be non-binary and asexual. Kobabe details situations in their life that have been seen as pornographic, pedophilic, and obscene. Without giving too many details about the book, those who have chosen to read it and decided that queer love was too obscene for teenage audiences, and disregard the fact that the existence of the book itself not only serves as an affirmation to those in the Queer community who experience similar thoughts and feelings. They also overly sexualize the thoughts and curiosities of growing into the very normal feelings that teenagers face–no matter what their sexuality or gender.

The Bluest Eye

Toni Morrison

Critically acclaimed and loved by many for decades, this book has been banned for its themes of violence including sexual violence, racism, and incest. However, this groundbreaking book was one of the first of its kind in the 1970s and depicts these issues through the eyes of a child living in a world where having blue eyes and blonde hair is the epitome of beauty. It describes how the abuse she has suffered shows a direct correlation to feeling “well maybe if I looked better” or “maybe if I behaved a certain way” things could get better. It's a thoughtful piece on the border of prose, that reading can help those who are also in the hands of domestically abusive caretakers. They can know that they are not alone and that what they are experiencing is not their fault.

Overall, even if these books weren’t banned they would still be highly recommended. They encourage abstract thinking and give a platform for conversation not just in schools but between families. Books are not only for entertainment but to mark human history and show expression. With the right tools and approach, all books can serve as a lesson.

Article edited by Lindsey Huddleston and Lola Lujan.