Unit 10
Activity 1
Books under fire
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1
The rising tide of book bans
angt-unit10-activity1-doc1.mp3
Restrictions on books in public schools have become “rampant and common,” according to a new report by the free speech organization PEN America, so frequent in some states that they are now considered “routine and expected part of school operations.”
Kasey Meehan, director of PEN America's Freedom to Read program, said the frequency and breadth of restrictions over the past four years has begun to desensitize Americans to the banning of books in schools. [...]
When PEN America began tracking book bans, most of the activity took place on the local level, where national organizations and parent groups targeted one school board meeting at a time.
Then states like Florida got involved, passing legislation that made it easier to prohibit certain reading material in public schools. Those laws had a chilling effect, PEN said, as district officials who worried about being out of compliance proactively pulled books off shelves.
More recently, the federal government has had a say in which books are appropriate for children. In the wake of President Trump's executive orders on education, a school system for military families run by the Department of Defense removed nearly 600 books this year, according to PEN America. [...]
In the 2024-25 school year, PEN found that more than 3,750 unique titles were banned in 87 school districts across the country. Over the last four school years, the organization has tracked nearly 23,000 cases of book bans across 45 states. [...]
PEN considers a book “banned” if it was removed from the classroom or library circulation, either permanently or while the book was under review. PEN also considers a book banned if access to it is restricted or diminished.
Kasey Meehan, director of PEN America's Freedom to Read program, said the frequency and breadth of restrictions over the past four years has begun to desensitize Americans to the banning of books in schools. [...]
When PEN America began tracking book bans, most of the activity took place on the local level, where national organizations and parent groups targeted one school board meeting at a time.
Then states like Florida got involved, passing legislation that made it easier to prohibit certain reading material in public schools. Those laws had a chilling effect, PEN said, as district officials who worried about being out of compliance proactively pulled books off shelves.
More recently, the federal government has had a say in which books are appropriate for children. In the wake of President Trump's executive orders on education, a school system for military families run by the Department of Defense removed nearly 600 books this year, according to PEN America. [...]
In the 2024-25 school year, PEN found that more than 3,750 unique titles were banned in 87 school districts across the country. Over the last four school years, the organization has tracked nearly 23,000 cases of book bans across 45 states. [...]
PEN considers a book “banned” if it was removed from the classroom or library circulation, either permanently or while the book was under review. PEN also considers a book banned if access to it is restricted or diminished.
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2
Censored books then and now
Banned books on display in a bookstore.
Vidéo associée
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3
Who challenges books?
Adapted from the American Library Association, 2024.
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Questions
1
Pick out facts and figures showing the evolution of book bans over the years. What types of books have been most targeted?
2
Who is involved in banning books? List the different actors mentioned. Where are the decisions made?
3
Identify the arguments given for removing books, and the arguments for keeping them.
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Background check
What impact do book bans have on students and communities?Ressource affichée de l'autre côté.
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Create a sentence on book bans,
including one false detail. In
pairs, read your sentences aloud
and try to spot what's wrong!
Une erreur sur la page ? Une idée à proposer ?
Nos manuels sont collaboratifs, n'hésitez pas à nous en faire part.
j'ai une idée !
Oups, une coquille
