Banned (Hi)stories: Shaking the Foundations of American Culture

Book bans have a long history in the United States and, although censorship is as old as writing, its targets have shifted over the centuries. The American Library Association reports a record-breaking number of attempts to ban books in 2022—up 38 percent from the previous year. Of those challenges, “the vast majority were written by or about members of the LGBTQIA+ community and people of color.” PEN America reports that, between July 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022, there were 1,586 book bans in 86 school districts across 26 states—affecting more than two million students. Stories featuring LGBTQIA+ issues or protagonists were a “major target” of bans. Other targets included books with storylines about race and racism, sexual content or sexual assault, and death and grief. If wrestling with how history is taught and stories are told is part of a lively democratic discourse, banning books, silencing writers, and attempting to erase stories and communities represent an attack on freedoms that are fundamental to democracy.