Imagine if you worked relentlessly on writing a book. You loved everything about it. You poured your life into that book. And finally, finally, it was published. You were extremely proud of your work. And then, just as your book was beginning to get popular, to enter libraries, bookstores and peoples hearts; some people came out and decided that they didn’t like something about your book, and put together a petition to ban it. People working together to  outlaw your hard worked creation. Your art, that you love. How would you feel? Upset? Angry? Sad? Alone? This is why it is my strong belief that not a single book that was written deserves to be banned.

People believe different things. People have different opinions. It’s a fact of life. But leaders sometimes ban books that go against what they believe. And other leaders ban books that go against what they believe. And so on. It is a mess of propaganda. These leaders want to control what we can and cannot read and learn about. This gives too much control to individuals who find themselves in power. We are lucky in the U. S. A. that we have free speech. But banning books is a way of erasing that free speech.

It happens everywhere. In Columbus Elementary School, some parents pushed to ban the book 10,000 Dresses by: Marcus Ewert and Rex Ray. They believed that the book, about a young transgender kid, would encourage their children to be transgender. But the truth is, many people read books that feature characters doing things that the reader wouldn’t do, and reading about a kid doing said things would not change their mind about those things. The parents just didn’t like the message the book was delivering. But their personal beliefs don’t define everyone else’s.

Political disputes that involve banning books are working their way into schools as well. It was proven when, at Pennridge High School in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, they banned Banned Books Week. The school’s library held a display of books that people had once tried to censor, including The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and Animal Farm by George Orwell. But this year’s Banned Book Week at Pennridge High only lasted until Wednesday. Then it was banned. 

And now, the Pennridge school board is limiting what topics can be discussed in classrooms, and they got rid of the district’s diversity, equity, and inclusion program. Now the students live in fear that their schoolwork will be accused of being too political. This is what can happen when schools get too political. But it all goes back to information being banned and censored.

In conclusion, allowing books to be banned would cause many fights among parents, friends, families, and schools. We don’t need any more division among our communities. Books will get published, and people can read what they choose to, and regulate what they choose to for themselves. Nobody’s hard work should get banished. There should be less mis-information.

If only we wouldn’t ban books.