From the novels that reach top spots of the New York Times Bestsellers List and books that are praised for their unique and elegant words by the Boston Globe through the acclaims, there is always criticism. There are hundreds of libraries across the nation that probably have a special section where there are laminated paper signs reading ‘Banned Books.’ So what is a banned book? Is it pages chock full of ways to cheat on your math tests? No, not exactly. A banned book can be censored for many different reasons, including containing inappropriate content for the audience’s age group such as sexual references and information pertaining to drugs, alcohol, and or profanities.

The beautiful eloquent words of Shakespeare to the thrilling fantasy phrases of Lewis Carroll in “Alice In Wonderland” are considered banned by many libraries in America. Even the wickedly haunting and worldwide popular book series Harry Potter is considered one of the most arguable banned books in our society. So when a book considered banned and when is it just borderline safe? Who is the judge when it comes down to deciding if an author’s thoughts written through cleverly designed characters are inappropriate?

Even though a book is banned doesn’t necessarily mean it’s ‘bad, it’s interesting to investigate further into the topic of censored novels and understand exactly why this book is known to be on the banned list. Book burnings aren’t a thing of the past either and in the 21st century there have been several cases of burnings. On average, one book a day that the author strived to compose, write, and publish is assigned as a banned book. The first amendment of the Constitution states that US government has no right to establish laws against the freedom of the press, and of speech in printings. In basic terms this means that people have the right to conclude their own opinions and to voice them publicly so why do people, mainly parents, try and get these books banned in schools? This is generally because the content is against their beliefs in religion, political opinions, and family morals.

Books that are put on the ‘banned list’ always have the opportunity to be pulled from it at any time if enough people can assemble together and speak out against it. It’s always fantastic to see kids standing up for what they believe in and voicing their opinions revolving around such a touchy subject as this. I believe that people should always be able to say and write what they believe and not have to see their opinions and ideas on the censored shelves. If your’re curious enough, open up the cover of a banned book and see what it’s all about first.


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