Books face bans nationwide. U.S. public schools faced 10,046 book bans during the 2023–2024 school year, and the problem still exists today.

Schools should not ban books because banning them limits access to ideas, knowledge, and different perspectives. Allowing everyone to read freely causes learning and understanding of the world.

Frequently challenged books help people gain a better idea of the world and their place in it. Banning these books would deprive students of essential cultural and historical knowledge, as well as differing points of view. If people don’t know how the world works and the flaws in the world, nobody would work to solve today’s problems.

Reading banned books boosts civic engagement. According to Psychnet, kids who commonly read banned books are more interested in politics and involved in charitable causes. NEA also stated that Civics promotes a positive school climate and reduces dropout rates, and how reading books with difficult or taboo topics can help with this.

Books give insight into life experiences, encourage empathy, and spark emotional development.  A study at Science Direct shows that reading narrative fiction helps readers understand their peers better and raises social abilities. If schools banned books like these, it would lead to a population of adults who don’t have the skills they need to succeed in life and become good citizens.

Many parents’ reasoning for banning books is that they don’t want their children to read books that they deem too explicit. These parents who don’t like specific books can usually have their kids opt out of an assignment without affecting the rights of others. Parents have the right to decide what material their children are exposed to and when, but parents don’t have a right to restrict what books are available to other people.

The unite against Book Bans organization actively works against banning books, and their website gives instructions on how to unite as a community and fight back against book bans.

Banned books broaden our understanding of the world and humans’ place in it, while also boosting civic engagement. Since they are portals to different life experiences and foster empathy and emotional growth, books should not be banned.