Warning: that 'banned books' list on social media had me questioning everything

I saw a post listing 'Maus' as banned in some schools and thought it was just people being dramatic. Then I checked the American Library Association's 2023 report and it was actually the 9th most challenged book that year with 28 formal complaints. Has anyone else caught fake warnings mixing with real bans?

2 comments

2 Comments

felix15523d agoProlific Poster

But aren't fake lists harmless if they get people talking about real censorship issues?

aaron67724d ago

Wait is it really that common? I mean I knew book challenges were a thing but seeing Maus on an actual ALA report blew my mind. I think the fake lists are worse than people realize because they make folks doubt the real ones. Like someone shared a screenshot saying "they're banning Harry Potter now!" and I checked it was just some random school district's reading list change from like 2008. The real banned books are mostly stuff by authors of color or LGBTQ+ topics and that's way more concerning to me. I'd rather we focus on actual censorship instead of getting all worked up over stuff that's just not true. The ALA does track this stuff every year and it's worth looking at their actual data before sharing anything.