Member-only story
The Nuance We Lack for Banned Books Week
Tackling the taboo at the source
Banned Books Week 2026 is nearing its end; the theme is “Let Books Be” about the Freedom to Read. I was hoping I’d have time to attend some events, but I’ve been quietly doing support from the sidelines. Some book displays, researching picture books that had the bad luck of running into censors, how organizations like Authors Against Banned Books respond to these issues.
I’m beginning to suspect one reason why we keep dealing with book bans and parents or religious leaders shouting, “Pornography!” One is that adults don’t want to think about things that make them uncomfortable; we saw that recently with a school board leader who is a pastor. Said pastor vocally opposed a field trip to a Salem Witch Trials museum because it had the word “witch” in it. (I wish I was making this up for views.) The church won’t answer if their pastor will also opposite reading any works by Nathaniel Hawthorne, considering Hawthorne’s ancestor participated in the witch trials as a judge.
The other thing? We adults aren’t taught how to have these conversations when a topic makes us uncomfortable. I’m realizing it as my older niece and nephew share their love of Harry Potter, a love I would have once been thrilled to share with them. Their mom doesn’t know how to discuss the author’s…
