Please take a side on the issue – do not try to argue both sides equally – in a short, 2-3 paragraph response. No sources please
Banned Books
The American Library Association (ALA) has tracked book challenges, which are attempts to remove or restrict materials, since 1990. Last year, the ALA recorded 347 reported book challenges in the United States, a 2.0% decrease from the 354 reported challenges in 2017. In most years, about 10% of the reported challenges result in removal or ban from the school or library. However, in 2016, five of the top ten most challenged books were removed. The ALA estimates that only about 3% to 18% of challenges are reported to its Office for Intellectual Freedom, meaning that the actual number of attempts to ban books is likely much higher.
Challenges are most frequently brought by patrons (33%), followed by parents (32%), a board or administration (13%), librarians or teachers (10%), political and religious groups (6%), elected officials (3%), and students (3%). Books are most often challenged at public libraries (59%), school libraries (23%), schools (14%), academic libraries (3%), and special libraries (1%).
Sexually explicit content, offensive language, and “unsuited to any age group” are the top three reasons cited for requesting a book be removed. The percentage of Americans who think any books should be banned increased from 18% in 2011 to 28% in 2015, and 60% of people surveyed believed that children should not have access to books containing explicit language in school libraries, according to The Harris Poll.
People who believe that parents and other adults should be able to remove or ban books from libraries argue that they have the right to decide what material their children are exposed to and when; that children should not be exposed to sex, violence, drug use, or other inappropriate topics in school or public libraries; and that keeping books with inappropriate content out of libraries protects kids but doesn’t stop people for reading those books or prevent authors from writing them.
People who believe that no one should be able to ban or remove books from libraries argue that parents may control what their own children read, but don’t have a right to restrict what books are available to other people; that frequently challenged books help people get a better idea of the world and their place in it; and that books are a portal to different life experiences and reading encourages empathy and social-emotional development.
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