by Sadie Sarrat, age 15
The written word is a quintessential part of human existence. Since the creation of the Gutenberg Press in 1436, books have acted as mirrors of the world’s people. Books tell stories, share ideas, and most importantly, document all sides of history, not just the histories written by the victors. Furthermore, books provide a voice to those marginalized in society to allow them to share their perspectives and experiences. Students need access to these books to learn and discover, but also to ensure that history does not repeat itself.
For myself, as a student, I found it difficult early on to find books that interested me, and *gasp!* I did not like to read. My middle school English teacher worked tirelessly to find me different titles and genres to try. She didn’t give up, and together we discovered that Historical Fiction hooked me with its impactful retellings of the past.
Through this newfound interest in reading, I found myself especially drawn to a book my class read in the 8th grade: The Diary of Anne Frank. I remember feeling sad, yet inspired by Anne’s experience in the Secret Annex, specifically her ability to shine her inextinguishable light even in the darkest of times. Chapter after chapter, I felt a personal obligation to read her story and how she still managed to smile and keep her head up in times of uncertainty, even death. It made my daily worries seem petty, and I gained valuable perspective about what it means to be a light even when it’s pitch black.
Unfortunately, students across the United States will never get to experience Anne Frank’s story like I did due to book bans. They will never walk her first steps behind the bookshelf, see her first crush, and face the fear that implodes within her every time the family hears a noise from below. Knowing that she watched actual books being burned right before her eyes strikes a fear in me for how the situation in America could escalate.
A similar type of censorship occurs in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 where readers are forewarned of a society where the written word was burned to hide stories and information from citizens to keep them uneducated. In the “Land of the Free,” I would have never thought that dystopian-like censorship from a novel would come to life. It seems unnatural that educators and librarians would have to fight for the students’ right to read! However, in modern-day America, this dystopia isn’t fiction anymore.
In 2023, 4,240 unique book titles were challenged. This growing amount of titles has “increased by 92 percent” in the last few years (American Library Association). Those challenging youth literature, predominantly parents, are banding together and targeting librarians and educators who they think are promoting this so-called explicit material. One particular group, the Moms for Liberty organization, boycotts the “discussion of gender” in the classroom as well as critical race theory (Royal et al.). Sandra Cisneros’ House on Mango Street, a powerful story following young Esperanza’s struggle to fit in, was challenged, along with numerous other titles highlighting strong female protagonists. Although I can understand why not all parents would want their children exposed to seemingly mature or heavy topics at a young age, a few parents should not be making decisions for all of the children in America.
In times of uncertainty, we can’t lose the written word. It’s what should bind us together and keep us all on the same page, not tear us apart. To protect our students, schools, libraries, and educators, I encourage all students to read banned books. Gain exposure from a new point of view, and take a peek into someone else’s story.
Works Cited
“American Library Association Reports Record Number of Unique Book Titles Challenged in 2023 | ALA.” American Library Association, www.ala.org/news/2024/03/american-library-association-reports-record-number-unique-book-titles#:~:text=CHICAGO%20%E2%80%94%20The%20number%20of%20titles. Accessed 27 Aug. 2024.
Carless, Will, et al. “What’s behind the National Surge in Book Bans? A Low-Tech Website Tied to Moms for Liberty.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 11 Oct. 2023, www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2023/10/05/website-driving-banned-books-surge-moms-for-liberty/70922213007/. Accessed 27 Aug. 2024.
Rand, Lisa. “Happy Birthday, Sandra Cisneros.” Intellectual Freedom Blog, 20 Dec. 2020, www.oif.ala.org/happy-birthday-sandra-cisneros/. Accessed 27 Aug. 2024.
Royal, Denise, et al. “Moms for Liberty Faces New Challenges and Growing Pushback over Its Conservative Education Agenda.” CNN, 3 Feb. 2024, http://www.cnn.com/2024/02/03/us/moms-for-liberty-scandal-opposition/index.html. Accessed 27 Aug. 2024.
“Treasures of the McDonald Collection – Special Collections & Archives Research Center.” Treasures of the McDonald Collection, scarc.library.oregonstate.edu/omeka/exhibits/show/mcdonald/incunabula/gutenberg/. Accessed 27 Aug. 2024.
Save the Books is a teen-led project run by Austin Public Library and funded by the Library Foundation with the goal of increasing student discussion of intellectual freedoms and amplifying student voices. This year we ran our first annual Op-Ed contest that invited students between the ages of 14 and 18 to submit an entry about “What the Freedom to Read Means to Me.” Our winner was Azeemah Sadiq from Houston, TX, who entered the contest because she “felt compelled to share my perspective on the issue of book banning and censorship. It’s deeply troubling that diverse and marginalized voices are being silenced, and I wanted to highlight the harmful impact this has on us young readers.”
Thank you so much to all the participants, judges, and wonderful Save the Books members who made this contest possible! If you would like to learn more about Save the Books and the organizations that support it, please go to https://sites.google.com/austinlibrary.org/savethebooks/
Find out more about the Save the Books Project on their website, and join the teen leaders for a celebration of their work, including a reading of these winning essays, on September 28 at 3:30 PM. Full event details can be found here.
BookPeople 
This essay is truly wonderful. Sarrat’s quote “books provide a voice to those marginalized in society,” and reference to Cisneros’ House on Mango Street really hit a nerve with my own recollection of middle school reading a love of literature. Support the freedom to read!!!