Hey everyone! News! News! Students in 2025 will be safe from having advanced thinking skills, understanding history accurately, and hearing different viewpoints. Because of the recent list of book bans, schools can now focus on what matters: making sure that students don’t have to face tough questions or new ideas. But the real question is: how is that going to affect schools and the students?.

From “Diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank (an important piece of evidence of what happened in Germany during World War 2)  to “1984” by George Orwell, the new book ban list has caused controversy and disagreement. Book bans aren’t a new thing; they have been around for a long time. The first book banning in the U.S. was in 1637, in (now) Quincy, Massachusetts. The first ever book that was banned in the U.S. was “New English”, written by Thomas Morton. Historically, books are banned for one of the following reasons; religion, morality, and politics. But back then, of course, the government did not have a hammer labeled “The hammer for book banning”, no, churches or large communities would get together and burn large amounts of that same book(s), for example when colonist William Pynchon wrote and published “The Meritorious Price of Our Redemption” which was a pamphlet that argued that if a person were obedient to God and followed his teachings, that same person would get in heaven, great news, right?? Not for a couple of colonists of his community that read the pamphlet. Furious, those same colonists denounced the pamphlet, burned and banned it.

Now, how does book banning affect schools and students? Book banning can affect by limiting their creativity and affecting their mental health, for example, books about mental health topics and well-being are one of the most targeting books in the market of book banning. According to the University of Florida, in the 2022-2023 school year, 42% of books covering mental health and well-being were banned from school districts and schools. Book banning also affects students’ reading engagement; for example, a book that was banned gives students one less book that they could’ve read, and maybe that book could’ve been a start for them to start reading more books. 

Now, let’s not mess things up and blame everything on the government, saying, “They are the bad guys trying to limit kids’ chances to read.” It doesn’t work like that. Maybe you’re wondering now, “Then what does the government have to do with all of this?” The U.S. government does not directly ban books from libraries or schools because that would violate the First Amendment of free speech. However, they can review community actions and decisions surrounding book availability and take actions based on that. 

Today, in 2025, 1,477 books have joined the United States banned book list, multiple previously taught in classrooms. Book banning is a type of censorship that limits our ability to explore new ideas and perspectives. It often means erasing important stories and voices from history. When books are banned, we miss out on understanding different experiences and viewpoints, which can limit our knowledge and creativity. This kind of restriction can prevent us from thinking critically and having discussions about important issues. Reading diverse books helps students grow and learn, so it’s important to protect our freedom to read. Book banning should not happen because it takes away our right to learn and understand the world around us.