Banning Books Isn’t Protection—It’s Forced Conformity
A road trip of quiet rebellion from St. Louis to Arizona, and why Jo van Gogh’s legacy matters now more than ever.
Silencing stories is an attempt to mandate a single mind.
Banning books isn’t about protecting minds—it’s about controlling them. It is a deliberate effort to force a singular point of view on others by attacking ideas that run counter to a minority’s agenda.
Book banning often dresses up in a costume called “protecting children.” It stirs up fear to propel its efforts, accusing educators and librarians of harboring political agendas simply for sharing books that address complex truths. But this isn’t protection; it’s coercion.
Much of this wave has been aimed at young adult literature, but non-fiction titles are now directly in the crosshairs. A ban isn’t a healthy boundary—it’s a directive on how to think.
Historical Lessons
In fact, current events have fast-forwarded two specific travel memories to the top of my mind. First, standing in the Museum of Communism in Prague, seeing how totally state doctrine blanketed classroom teaching. Second, standing before Bebelplatz in Berlin—the subterranean room of empty white bookshelves built beneath the square where the Nazis burned thousands of books in 1933.
One was a blatant whitewash; the second, an aggressive erasure. I remember standing in those spaces years ago and thinking, “Thank heavens. Nothing like this could happen in America.”
Until now.
According to PEN America, the push to restrict access to stories continues to accelerate. There’s now over 22,000 book bans recorded in public schools and libraries across the country. Works are being pulled for telling nuanced, deeply human stories.
The Real Guardians
I am a parent, a grandparent, and I come from a family of educators. I don’t consider teachers or librarians enemies of the people (well, maybe a brother... ha!), nor do I view myself as one. Of course, children shouldn’t be subjected to every topic without guidance. That is precisely why professional review boards of educators and librarians are already in place, evaluating literary works through critical, age-appropriate lenses. Established categories—children’s literature, middle grade, young adult—already reflect a compassionate society sensitive to emotional maturity and developmental readiness.
Ten Books, Four States
Heading into this year’s Banned Books Week (October 4–10), I decided to look closer. I have always opposed censorship, but I wanted to read these titles for myself. What were the specific objections? Did I agree with them?
So, I packed ten frequently challenged books in my luggage before hitting the road from August 14 to September 20. Using the Little Free Library app, I decided that as I finished each book, I’d place it into a neighborhood library box, recording a small message at each stop.
The Banned Books Tour (Aug 14 – Sept 20):
St. Louis, MO: The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood), The Kite Runner(Khaled Hosseini), and The Bluest Eye (Toni Morrison)
Essex, CT: Nineteen Minutes (Jodi Picoult)
Madison, CT: Looking for Alaska (John Green)
Santa Rosa Beach, FL: The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky) & 13 Reasons Why (Jay Asher)
Sedona, AZ: Crank (Ellen Hopkins)
Cottonwood, AZ: Forever. . .(Judy Blume)
Still on my bookshelf: A Court of Mist & Fury (Sarah J. Maas) because I want to read the series.
A Lifeline, Not Gratuitous
Can you imagine my open-eyed excitement to discover that the keynote speaker at the 2026 Missouri Writers Guild Conference earlier this month was one of the most challenged authors in the nation? Ellen Hopkins, author of over 20 acclaimed novels in verse, spoke candidly about how her books stem from real family struggles with addiction and trauma—not gratuitous shock value. Her goal has always been to offer a lifeline to young people navigating those same painful realities.
Sweeping difficult subjects under a rug of enforced conformity will not make them disappear. The human condition carries immense depth, beauty, and hardship. Literature introduces tough topics in a safe, third-party context, giving young people and families the vocabulary to have honest discussions.
Instead of banning books, let’s celebrate the grit and compassion needed to address challenging subjects together.
Warmly,
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