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Book banning is on the rise in America and so are the number of organized efforts by political advocacy organizations who essentially work to take the right to read from millions of Americans, often without their knowledge or consent.

The American Library Association reports that in 2022 book banners attempted to restrict access to 1,651 titles. PEN America, a group that defends rights of authors, poets and journalists, reported that from July 2021 to June 2022, in its Index of School Book Bans, there were some 2,532 instances of individual books being banned, with 1,648 unique titles.

The banning affects the creative work of 1,553 individuals.

The PEN America reports shows Texas, Florida and Pennsylvania to be the top book banning states, with 801 bans in Texas in the last year and 566 in Florida and 457 in Pennsylvania. The report shows Minnesota with book banning numbers under 10.

While that’s good to know, even one book banning is too many. The St. Paul Public Library notes nine titles, including “Huckleberry Finn,” “To Kill a Mockingbird” and even “In the Night Kitchen,” a children’s book, have been challenged or banned at some time in Minnesota. Places that banned or challenged books include Duluth Public Schools, New London-Spicer, St. Cloud, Henning and New Ulm.

Books banned should never be an option in democracy. There are no “two sides” to book banning. Americans should be able to choose for themselves what they or their children will read.

Students have First Amendment rights to access books, information and ideas in schools and laws that restrict what can be read violate those rights. Those rights are on solid ground with decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court that has ruled students do not leave the constitutional rights at the schoolhouse steps.

The most troubling part of the PEN report is that 40% of the banned or challenged books have content with LGBTQ+ or people of color themes or books where people of color or LGBTQ+ are protagonists or primary characters.

Book bans give unelected groups another avenue to impose their power on others. The PEN America report notes that these groups have grown dramatically since 2021 and range from Facebook groups to more organized groups like Moms for Liberty, which has over 200 chapters across the U.S. The group’s website lists chapters in Olmsted, Dakota, Wright and Ottertail counties in Minnesota.

The PEN report estimated 20% of the bans are directly connected to these groups.

And finally, tolerance of book banning sends an overall message to society that reading and the acquisition of knowledge is something to be controlled by government or supposedly well-meaning citizens petitioning with bogeyman scenarios.

That’s an idea that needs to be turned back, and book banning must be challenged at every level.

The second defense against tyranny is a well-informed and functioning democracy. The first defense is reading.

— Mankato Free Press, Sept. 28