“Books Banned in US Middle Schools: 1 of Them is a Latino Novel Chronicles a Love affair

When Ashley Perez published her third young adult novel in 2015, she never imagined it would be very controversial. Maybe “Out of Darkness” would face a bit of backlash in the beginning, the North Side resident recalled thinking. It does, after all, focus on non-white characters (a Black boy and Mexican American girl) and themes of racism and segregation while depicting the tragic 1937 school gas explosion in New London, Texas, that killed roughly 300 students and teachers.

Instead, though, the book quickly garnered success, winning a number of national awards and receiving favorable reviews.“It was uncontroversial for six years,” said Perez, a 37-year-old mother of two and assistant professor in the department of comparative studies at Ohio State University. “In 2015, the Black Lives Matter movement had just taken off and people were ready to grapple with these issues. The moment met the book.”

This is an example of an unprecedented event in the United States. Attempted book bans in 2022 nearly doubled from 2021, hitting an “unparalleled” 20-year record, according to new data from the American Library Association (ALA). There were more than 1,250 book challenges at school and public libraries in 2022, suggesting that the recent surge in attempted book bans is not abating.

A total of 2,571 unique book titles were targeted for censorship in 2022, up 38% from 2021. Pérez wrote it in an essay. “But book banning harms students, and their education, the most. Young people rely on school libraries for accurate information and for stories that broaden their understanding, offer hope and community, and speak honestly to challenges they face. As libraries become battlegrounds, teens notice which books, and which identities, are under attack.

Young people have a right to the resources and stories that help them mature, learn and understand their world in all its diversity. They need more opportunities, not fewer, to experience deep imaginative engagement and the empathy it inspires.”

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