News about an alleged 2025 U.S. book ban has been circulating around, with people wondering what is to come with it being in place. Some people are scared for what the future holds, and others do not believe this ban to be real or true. Because of that, it brings lots of controversy to the table. Supposedly, once put into action, it would ban hundreds of books, many of which are a part of middle school and highschool curriculum. Others are fan favorites and classics that are well known all around the world.
“How do we know that this is a real thing?” The answer is, no one fully knows. At least, not yet. However, with that being said, places like Barnes and Noble have started creating tables and sections that are titled “banned books.” Below the sign and on the table or shelf are books like Harry Potter, Romeo and Juliet, Little Woman, The Outsiders, and The Hunger Games. On top of these teen-classics are books like The Diary Of Anne Frank and 1984. One that stood out to many was the book Fahrenheit 451, which ironically is about a world where books are banned. Children’s books could also be banned, like Matilda, Holes, Where’s Waldo, and even The Lorax. Until people start to see more effects, no one will be able to say for sure if this ban is a real thing, but people can look at what is already being done and slowly piece the puzzle together.
“Why are these books being banned?” One resource that people have that answers the question is a document that includes the title of the book, the author, and the reason why it is being banned. This list continues to grow longer and longer as time goes on. Any books that have any LGBTQ+ content, or themes supposedly will be considered to be inappropriate. Some other reasons include: accusations of witchcraft, dystopian themes, racial justice, war-related themes, identity, magic, and religious themes. Why these themes are considered inappropriate or wrong is beyond many and how the books represent these themes can be unclear in many cases, which has people quite upset.
“But who?” Many sources say the ban is being implemented by Donald J. Trump’s project 2025, but other sources say he is not at all linked to the project and therefore isn’t linked to the ban. Nobody knows one hundred percent since the ban hasn’t been fully put into action, but they can look at the information that is available and try to figure out the root cause of it. To distance himself from Project 2025, Trump wrote that he has no idea who’s in charge of the project. However, CNN actually identified at least 140 former advisers from the Trump administration who have been involved with it. This reveals that Trump has been linked to project 2025, but whether or not he still is remains unknown. So until people start to see how the ban is actually going to play out, there is no definitive answer.
“How would they enforce the ban?” It is unclear how this alleged book ban would be enforced, but many can assume what it might look like. By taking the challenged books out of school curriculum, kids won’t learn certain things. Parts of history, like in The Diary of Anne Frank, are looked at and studied through books in schools. Some think that by changing what is able to be taught at schools, the people behind the alleged ban can ensure that what they don’t want students to learn, the students won’t learn.
Nobody has all the answers, and no one knows if this ban is real and is actually going to be enforced, but anyone can be sure to look out for it in the future.