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Ivy McCombs
Mrs. Dalesio
AP English
April 4th, 2016
The Banning of Books in Public High Schools
Almost all schools in the U.S. have a list of books that are banned in their halls and
libraries, many of them being classics, but there are several repercussions that can transpire by
banning these books. Banning classic literature hinders students from learning about past events,
how to deal with more mature content, and broadening literary horizons. According to the
American Library Association, the banning of books has increased over the past several years.
(About Banned and Challenged Books) Some reports state that reports from parents are on the
rise, and with many broad reasons why a book can be banned, it is easier for complaints to be
made. Several parents of school children believe that some books are too inappropriate, and
children are too naive to understand what the book is stating. Schools deal with this problem on a
regular basis. In order to combat this problem, they have formed unique ways to combat and
discuss these books in a way that still allows for the students to become exposed to these books,
while also learning how to discuss topics that may not always be deemed classroom
appropriate.
Book banning headlines are few and far between, but when one does arise, it becomes a
huge debate with everyone choosing sides on whether or not a book should be banned. One of
these headlines was written in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The debate centered around the fact
that Friends Central school in Montgomery County decided to ban the Mark Twain classic,
Huckleberry Finn. The decision came from students reporting that the book, and its use of racial

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slurs, made them feel uncomfortable. (McDaniel) Luis Urrieta wrote a paper about how he felt
about this type of situation, stating, a child belonging to such a minority or who is indigenous
shall not be denied the right, in community with other members of his or her group, to enjoy his
or her own culture, to profess and practice his or her own religion, or to use his or her own
language. (Urrieta) Although the trouble is not only the language, but also many of the events
that occur in the story. Huckleberry Finn for several years has undergone censorship in order to
make it more appropriate and less offensive for younger readers and parents alike. (McDaniel)
Another instance involved the Kern County Free Library in Kern County, California, in which
the the board of supervisors came to the decision to ban the novel, The Grapes of Wrath. Marci
Lingo wrote about her resentment towards the books banning by stating, While the banning
attacked the intellectual freedom and the right to read that underpin library ethics, the issues that
led to the ban and the consequences of it touch on social, economic, and political realities.
(Lingo)
In many instances it is not the students making the call that the book should not be read,
but instead it is the parents. These are not the only instances of schools banning books, and they
certainly will not be the last. The list of books that have been banned is growing by the day.
From the years of 2000 to 2009 alone, approximately 5,099 books have been reported to the
Office of Intellectual Freedom for challenging. (Top ten frequently challenged books lists of 21st
century) Challenging is the first step in the process of banning a book. A challenge is an attempt
to remove or restrict material based on the objections of a person or group. (About Banned and
Challenged Books) These challenges were for a variety of complaints including sexually explicit
material, offensive language, being unsuitable for the intended age group, violence, and even
homosexuality. Other topics are use of occult or Satanic themes, for their religious

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viewpoint, and for the book being anti-family, and there are still several other reasons that a
book can be challenged for banning. (Top ten frequently challenged books lists of the 21st
century)
Lincoln High School in Tallahassee, Florida became the center of debate after the
schools choice to ban the novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Parents
saw some of the language in the book as profane, and the school banned the book to
accommodate offended parents. (Calvert) This causes a problem by hindering their children from
learning how to read more mature content. Many books that are being reported as inappropriate
are taught at a college level. The topic of book banning in schools may not seem very popular to
someone who does not know the specifics behind it, but to someone such as an English teacher
or student, it can be something that is very troublesome. Patricia Dalesio, head of the English
department at Indian Creek High School in Wintersville, Ohio, states It is absolutely necessary
that students read these novels to have a better understanding when they reach the college level.
(Personal interview) So why are we not encouraging these students to read the books now so
they have a better understanding when they reach higher education? The fault does not lie on
one specific person or institution, but several, including parents, teachers, school board
personnel, and even the government. Several people against banning books in school state that
this practice clearly violates the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, that states that we have
the rights to freedom of speech and press, which should also cover the topic of banning books.
That is not necessarily true due to the fact there is no law in the U.S. that states that books can
not be banned for one reason or another. The Supreme Court has not made any issue or ruling on
how the Board of Education should choose what books to place on the shelves of its libraries.
Instead, it is up to the individual school boards to remove books, but only in certain

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circumstances. The Supreme Court has set the standard for book banning in the 1982 case Island
Trees School District v. Pico. The case centered around the Island Trees School District which
was banning books for the reasons that they were, anti-American, anti-Christian, anti-Semitic,
and just plain filthy. Since the justices could not come to a conclusive decision, they set the
standard that school officials may not remove books from the school library simply because they
do not like the ideas in the book. Instead, school officials may only remove books from school
libraries if it is deemed to be inappropriate for the children of the school. (Banning Books and
the Law)
Some schools are challenging the ideals of banning books in creative ways. One school
that has a very inventive way of dealing with this issue is George W. Hewlett High School in
Long Island, New York. The students of the 11th grade English class challenge the idea of book
banning by holding a mock trial to show whether or not a book should be banned. The trial
follows the same procedure as a book that was in consideration for banning would. The trial
starts with student selecting a book that is highly challenged as the subject of the trial. The
students then have a period of about 3 weeks to read the book in order to understand the source
material. Then the reasons for the book being tried are discussed and students formulate an
opinion about whether or not the it should be banned, and try their best to provide evidence to
support their argument. The students are then split up into groups that are for banning the book
and against banning the book at random. For the next few weeks, the students split up into their
respective groups in order to prepare their arguments for the trial. Next, they prepare for the
mock trial that will be performed, with their coherent arguments, and prepare to face the mock
council that acts as a faux school board. This board will judge, critique, and grade them on a
variety of points. The mock board also prepares by reading the book in question and reading over

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the criteria they will use to judge the arguments the students present. On the days after the trial,
the students have the opportunity to watch their performance on a recorded video and critique
themselves, which shows them how to validly debate a topic and provide facts and evidence that
support their arguments. (Maxwell and Berman) This type of assignment allows for students to
become passionate about a topic, and gives them the tools in order for them to execute arguments
in a respectful, factual manner. It also exposes them to the issue of book banning and the
procedures that books go through when they under the process of potentially being banned.
The preservation of these novels is critical. Many of the books that one may have read in
their high school English class are being challenged and removed on a daily basis. According the
the Office of Intellectual Freedom, at least 46 of the Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels
of the 20th Century have been the target of ban attempts. These books include classics such as
The Great Gatsby, To Kill A Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, Gone with the Wind, and several
more. (Banned and Challenged Classics) Since these books are being so often challenged, there
must be a reasoning behind it. There is no set answer, but generally the answer would be yes, but
only because many have the belief that their is something genuinely wrong with the book and its
contents. The topic of book banning in schools may not seem very popular to someone who does
not know the specifics behind it. However to someone such as an English teacher or student, it
can be something that is very troublesome. Patricia Dalesio expressed her disappointment in the
issue of banning by stating,Im disappointed that most of the novels that I read when I was in
high school are being banned. I just dont understand (it). (Personal interview)
Book banning is an epidemic that has no cure in sight for the near future, but with enough
support the freedom to read these books will return to the public high school libraries shelves.
Schools will always have to endure the fact that some students will be uncomfortable with the

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material, and wish for it to be removed, but it is for the betterment of the school and the students
education that those books remain. More laws should be put in place to protect these pieces of
literature so that we can help future generations of readers. Instead of banning books, schools
and teachers should come together to come up with a creative way to implement these so-called
dangerous and offensive books so that students can still understand the reasoning why some
would be uncomfortable with the book, but also formulate their own opinions on the story. The
only way that book banning will cease is if everyone comes to the understanding that books are
just words on a page that cannot physically harm someone, but can only inspire them with
creative inspiration for other projects, and can only help, not hinder, any students ability to
understand these spectacular pieces of literature.

Works Cited
"About Banned & Challenged Books." Banned and Challenged Books. American Library
Association, 10 Dec. 2012. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
"Banned and Challenged Classics." Banned and Challenged Books. American Library
Association, 26 Mar. 2013. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
"Banning Books and the Law." FindLaw. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.

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Calvert, Clay. "Why Are Libraries Still Banning Books?." Newsweek. N.p., 5 Oct. 2015. Web. 23
Mar. 2016.
Dalesio, Patricia. Personal interview. 23 Mar. 2016.
Lingo, Marci. "Forbidden Fruit:The Banning of The Grapes of Wrath in the Kern County Free
Library." N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
Maxwell, Marilyn, and Marlene Berman. "To ban or not to ban: Confronting the issue of
censorship in the English class." . N.p., n.d. EBSCOHost. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
McDaniel, Justine. "Schools continue to grapple with 'Huckleberry Finn'." Philly.com. N.p., 12
Dec. 2015. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
"Top ten frequently challenged books lists of the 21st century." Banned and Challenged Books.
American Library Association, 26 Mar. 2013. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
Urratei, Luis. "Book Banning, Censorship, and Ethnic Studies in Urban Schools: And
Introduction to the Special Issue." N.p., Mar. 2013. EBSCOHost. Web. 23 Mar.
2016.