Tianna Mignogna

Each year, pressure groups and administrators call for more and more book bans. Every fall since 1982, the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week has reminded us that censorship is still in full swing. This themed week highlights books that society has deemed inappropriate, usually under the guise of protecting children.

To understand how we got here, we have to wind back the clock. One of the earliest documented accounts of censoring the written word began in 213 B.C.E., when the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, demanded that writings that didn’t serve him be turned in for burning. After two scholars disobeyed him, he buried at least 460 people alive. That was just one punishment for holding onto disagreeable books—others included execution and banishment.

Since then, people have banned scores of books, from King Lear in 1810 due to King George III’s illnesses to whole libraries burned by Nazis in 1930s Germany. These included works from Jewish authors as well as any work considered to be socialist, queer, or in alignment with another supposed immorality.

It’s tempting to think we’ve come a long way. After all, it’s hard to imagine such dire responses today to someone having a book in their possession. But what started as obfuscation of publishing or owning a book has turned into attacks on free, public access to diverse material.

In the late 20th century, governments, council members, and school boards frequently invoked book bans. The difference now is that it’s not as common for detractors to focus on one single book. 40% of calls for banned books in 2022 consisted of lists of over 100 books at a time. This “copycat challenging,” as Lesliediana Jones of the Harvard Law School Library put it, may account for the spike in banned books. From July 2023-July 2024, states and school districts reported over 10,000 instances of book banning, up from 3,362 the previous year.

In 2024, complaints about stories of LGBTQ+ people and people of color made up over half of book bans. This is a worrying reflection of our current culture in which trans people especially do not feel safe. While book bans and legislation restrictions took the place of burying people alive, one could argue that these more subtle ways of silencing minorities are the more insidious kind of censorship—the kind that gets more and more of us on board.

Sigmon Editorial is a proud member of Authors Against Book Bans. Along with 71% of US Americans, Sigmon Editorial opposes any attempt to limit the freedom to read. Sigmon Editorial and AABB stand against ALL books bans, regardless of where they are on the political spectrum. If your name has ever appeared in a book’s credits, consider joining.