Ideal Bookshelf 1223: Banned Books

Here is a stack of books challenged and/or banned recently, mostly new but I included a few classics just to remind us all how crazy it is. Personally, I think banning books is just a futile attempt for adults to try to exert control over kids who are trying hard to learn how to be adults and need every bit of data they can get from all sources. And not only is controlling kids’ minds totally wrong AND basically impossible, but if that’s the goal then books are (by far!) the last thing anyone should be attacking (oh hi, social media). Also, this control-seeking is often just a manifestation of irrational hatred for anyone in any way different from the hater. On the positive side, books that get banned often get an uptick in sales; in 2022 Art Spiegelman’s classic graphic novel Maus was now on Amazon’s bestseller list, 30+ years after publication, thanks to a Tennessee school district banning it for “rough language” and a drawing of a nude woman. In any case, this print makes a grea