“The Hate U Give” is a remarkably powerful and eye-opening novel that delves into the deeply complex topics of police brutality, racial discrimination and identity that has become one of the most frequently banned books across the country.
Angie Thomas’ “The Hate U Give” is one of thousands of books being targeted by book bans in the United States. More than 10,000 book bans were implemented during the 2023-2024 school year alone. These bans are put into place under the guise of protecting children from harmful material not suited to them — but what they are really doing is inviting ignorance and lack of social and emotional learning into the lives of young students across America, and further worsening a growing literacy crisis plaguing our nation’s children.
A majority of books that are subjected to attempted bans are ultimately not removed from school libraries and classrooms, but the overwhelming number of those that are effectively banned discuss themes of race and the LGBTQ+ community. These bans are nothing more than censorship and a blatant lack of respect for diverse voices and stories in a time when they should be celebrated the most.
Book bans are disheartening and frankly disturbing to me for a number of reasons. Reading is undoubtedly one of the cornerstones of who I am today, especially from the reading I had done as a child. Not only do I associate reading with happy memories with my grandma, but I also associate books with getting lost in a world that is not mine and getting to understand someone else’s perspective.
The lessons that can be learned from reading are invaluable. Ripping books off of shelves and prohibiting students from reading them only teaches them two things — reading is not important and their stories don’t matter.
A study conducted by First Book found that 72% of teachers noticed a lack of participation and enjoyment in reading from their students following book bans, and 78% reported that children are more likely to read when they have a wider variety of choices.
This is not to say that every single book out there is suited for children — there certainly are some books that are directed for more mature readers — but the root of the issue is that children of all different backgrounds are being taught there is only one kind of story that matters. Hate, bigotry and ignorance are learned behaviors. By removing the books that highlight the beautiful diversity of our country and world, we are teaching children that it is okay to silence those extremely powerful and important stories.
mkane10@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @LemuriaBooks, X
