2024 has been an eventful year for the US with the re-election of former president, Donald J Trump; one focal point of discussion among literature enthusiasts has been the impact this advancement will have on America’s book banning culture where 4,349 book bans were recorded in fall 2023 alone, according to PEN America.
Critically acclaimed books such as ‘The Kite Runner’ by Khaled Hosseini and ‘The Handmaid’s Tail’ by Margaret Atwood are banned in several school districts and libraries for their portrayal of sexual violence, the role of women and religious viewpoints. The bans have stirred controversy and criticism from the public, with many suggesting this gesture erases the voices and experiences of minority groups as well as stripping students of a chance to learn of humanitarian concepts directly affecting them. Others see the bans as setting America backwards as whilst other countries, such as the UK, incorporates these books into their national curriculum, America prohibits them. Some believe book banning is pointless, including the author of ‘The Handmaid’s Tail,’ Atwood herself who stated, ‘So sure, it gets kicked out of schools and libraries, but that does not stop people from reading it if they go in search of it’ when speaking with KCUR.
Biden’s administration, despite giving criticism for both the volume of book bans and its impact on ethnic minorities and the LGBTQ+ community, stating ‘empty shelves don't help kids learn very much,’ has had minimal success in preventing the crisis.
Looking forward, Trump’s pledge to dismantle the Department of Education by cutting federal funding for teaching critical race theory has led many to believe that the ban on books will only continue, and perhaps fasten - a belief reflected in the spike in sales of dystopian books following his success in the presidential race, with ‘Democracy in Retrograde’ by Sami Sage and Emily Amick’s sales increasing by 30,000% in 1 day.
