A glamorous newscaster stands before the camera crew, microphone in hand.
“Tonight we’re coming to you live from Yourtown, America, where it’s Banned Book Week, and the number one thing on everyone’s mind is—are your books banned?”
She holds the microphone out toward the camera which swings around to reveal a startled author.
“Um…no.”
The camera crew pans back to the newscaster.
“But would it be, if they knew what was in it?”
The author’s gaze darts nervously to the sides.
“Oh, definitely. For sure.”
Maybe it seems comical and far-fetched, Reader, but it’s happening in towns and cities all across the US today. And though Banned Book Week only happens once a year, more and more books are being banned every week for the dumbest of reasons.
And worst of all, the people banning them haven’t even bothered to READ the books in the first place!
Which should be shocking given the US prides itself on granting its citizens the freedom of speech above all things.
Fortunately, I’m lucky enough to live in a state where the act of banning books is illegal. (Can I get a round of applause for California? 🐻) Sadly, most are not so lucky, Reader. And with bills like H.R. 7661, which seeks to ban all books even mentioning the existence of queer persons from public schools, we seem to have run straight into the arms of fascism.
Because let’s be real here, it’s not that big a leap to go from the banning of books to the burning🔥 of them. Anyone who’s ever even skimmed history could tell you that.
‘Let us read, and let us dance; these two amusements will never do any harm to the world.’ — Voltaire
And as I sit here looking at my shelves of Floridian contraband, I begin to wonder…
…will my books be banned next?
Will my books be ripped from the hands of a teen reader?
Will they be called dirty? Erotic?
Held up in Congress as an example of the filth corrupting America’s innocent youth?
Will they be thrown into a dumpster as a performative political stunt?
Will they be burned?
It might seem like a dystopian nightmare that only belongs in the pages of Fahrenheit 451. But the terrifying truth is we’re nearly there now.
But it’s not too late. There’s still time.
To fix things.
To rise up and demand change.
To say, I want to live in a world with diverse voices. Where representation matters. And where history isn’t rewritten with lies.
AND WHERE BOOKS AREN’T BANNED.
Reader, I hope that wherever you are in the world, you have the freedom to read whatever you choose. And if you don’t, I hope you DEMAND change.
Your cohort in storytelling,
Kat Vancil
🐱
PS 👉 If you’re looking to read some banned books, then check out my Contra-Banned Book list!
Fun Facts:
- Banned Book Week first started in 1982.
- The new school board president for Central Bucks, PA, Karen Smith, did her swearing-in on a stack of banned books instead of a bible.
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Nicola Yoon
#1 New York Times bestselling author of Everything, Everything, The Sun Is Also a Star, Instructions for Dancing, One of Our Kind and a National Book Award finalist.
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