KALEB JOHNSON

Due to the intensification of the political divide in the nation at the current moment, book bans are having a strong resurgence, specifically focused on books with topics regarding queerness and race. The American Library Association estimates that about 47% of the books targeted by the latest bans contain these topics. However, these bans have not gone uncontested. PEN America, Unite Against Book Bans, and organizations like them cooperate and work to fight against this kind of censorship. They do this by starting initiatives that monitor government actors who seek to ban books and hold them accountable, as well as empowering individuals to fight book bans in their own communities, these organizations have committed themselves to the freedom to read. Recently, major publishing companies have joined forces with these organizations to amplify them and engage in their own anti-book banning initiatives, even using their funds and notoriety to take legal action against states that engage in mass book bans on the legislative level. By looking at the activities of organizations who seek to ban books and comparing them to the anti-book banning initiatives started within the last few years by the two largest publishing companies, Penguin Random House and Harper Collins, this essay investigates how book publishers are fighting back against censorship, as well as questioning to what extent the crusade against book bans may be impacted by self-interest and in what areas publishers can improve.

At the root of much of the political divide that exists within The United States of America today is evangelicalism and the presence of Christian nationalist ideologies across the country. The idea that the nation should be governed by Christian principles, despite the Constitution explicitly forbidding the establishment of a national religion, informs many of the laws passed by the political elite, especially within the Bible Belt, where Christianity heavily informs the cultural norms. Just like the banning of books, these ideas are a significant part of American history. In Bible Belt states, we see the most book bans, as many Christian nationalists engage in the erasure of queer identities and opposition to non-white struggles. This, in combination with the pandemic allowing parents to have a closer look at the ins and outs of their children’s curricula and prominent left-wing movements advocating for the rights and protections of black, brown, and queer people, have created a sort of cultural zeitgeist where conservative, evangelical parents have a greater desire to control what is consumed by their children, starting with the books they read (Mello-Klein). Moms for Liberty, for example, is a nonprofit formed in 2021 with the goal of organizing mothers who want to protect their children from “wokeness.” It is one of many organizations that has been at the forefront of the book-banning movement. Beyond supporting legislative action that would ban books that engage in topics outside of what is acceptable from a “Christian” lens, Moms for Liberty and groups like it encourage conservative parents to become heavily involved in school boards in order to have more control over what is and is not allowed to be taught and read in schools.  Using tools like BookLooks.com, which, according to USA Today, provides parents with pre-made lists and scripts that allow them to bring up their supposed issues with the books they want to be banned from schools (without having to actually read the books they’re critiquing) has been the modus operandi of “anti-woke” organizations and lobbyists (Carless, et al.). These kinds of actions and initiatives have now forced the hands of pro-book organizations and publishing companies and resulted in stronger efforts to combat growing anti-book sentiments.

One such example of publishing companies taking the increasing threat to readers’ freedom seriously and actively attempting to combat it is the creation of Penguin Random House’s Intellectual Freedom Taskforce in May of 2023. The task force addresses the issue of book banning by providing resources and information for people looking to help combat book bans on a grassroots level, as evidenced through its banned book resource site. Simultaneously, it’s active on a legal level, having filed a lawsuit against the state of Florida for House Bill 1069, which seeks to limit what books are available in Florida’s school libraries, including a large number of literary classics, from authors like Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, and even Charles Dickens. They also have been challenging education laws in the state of Iowa that would create similar restrictions there. Alongside this, the publishing company has collaborated with other organizations invested in the freedom to read, like Unite Against Ban Books and Little Free Library, to bring free books to bookstores and libraries impacted by the bans across the nation through its “Banned Wagon” initiative.

Following Penguin Random House’s example, HarperCollins Publishers have also chosen to take a stand against the censorship of books, taking part in the landmark lawsuit against the state of Florida and joining the Association of American Publishers, the American Library Association, and other organizations in reissuing the Freedom to Read Statement, a statement written to speak out against attacks on literacy over 70 years ago. HarperCollins also supports nonprofits and stands beside its publishing peers, especially during Banned Books Week, an annual acknowledgment of books that are currently and have historically been the subject of censorship within schools and libraries.

An argument can be made that the involvement of publishing companies in the fight against book bans may be based primarily on self-interest since widespread book banning could impact the bottom line of these companies. It would indeed be naïve not to acknowledge how important sales are in the publishing industry, but the fact that these companies are engaging in initiatives that give away books for free, which actively costs them money, and continuing to publish books that engage with topics that threaten white Christian nationalist movements and ideas speaks to their commitment to preserving the importance of free speech and free literature. It would be easy for publishing companies to cede to the demands of right-wing lobbyists and allow for the silencing of marginalized voices, but they have chosen to stand up for everyone’s right to read and the right of authors to have their stories published.

This is not to say there is no more work to be done. Publishing companies that join the fight against the banning of books have an imperative job of not only maintaining diversity within bookstores and libraries but internally as well. Studies like Lee & Low’s Diversity Baseline Survey acknowledge the publishing industry’s problems with diverse publishing and the lack of diversity when it comes to publishing staff. According to Lee & Low’s findings, “the number of diverse books published each year over the past twenty years has been stuck in neutral, never exceeding, on average, 10 percent” (Dahlen, et al.). The lack of forward movement within the industry in regard to this kind of diversity is reflective of a need to consolidate preaching with practice.

As Penguin Random House and HarperCollins Publishers continue to fight the good fight against right-wing censorship, which ultimately seeks to control the thoughts and free formulation of opinions of children, hopefully, other publishing companies will make commitments to follow in their footsteps, and perhaps even go beyond the example they have set. Times such as these serve as reminders that no organization or corporation is free of moral duty, and if the tools exist for them to maintain and enforce their stated code of ethics, they should be doing so, and we, as consumers, should be holding them accountable. It is the right of everyone, adult and child alike, to explore fictional worlds, to gain new understandings, and most importantly, to read.

Works Cited

“American Library Association reports record number of unique book titles challenged in 2023”,  American Library Association, March 14, 2024 https://www.ala.org/news/2024/03/american-library-association-reports-record-number-unique-book-titles (Accessed November 3, 2024)

Blakemore, Erin. “The History of Book Bans-and Their Changing Targets-in the U.S.” National Geographic, 20 Sept. 2024, www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/history-of-book-bans-in-the-united-states.

Carless, Will, et al. “What’s behind the National Surge in Book Bans? A Low-Tech Website Tied to Moms For Liberty.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 11 Oct. 2023, www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2023/10/05/website-driving-banned-books-surge-moms-for-liberty/70922213007/.

Dahlen, Sarah Park, and Nicole Catlin. “Diversity Baseline Survey.” Lee & Low Books, 17 Oct. 2024, www.leeandlow.com/about/diversity-baseline-survey/dbs1/

“Introducing Our New Banned Books Resource Site.” News for Authors, Penguin Random House, Aug. 2023, authornews.penguinrandomhouse.com/introducing-our-new-banned-books-resource-site/.

Mello-Klein, Cody. “What Role Are Parents Playing in the Rise of Book Bans?” Northeastern Global News, Northeastern Global News, 7 July 2023, news.northeastern.edu/2023/06/30/book-banning-parents-schools/.

Trachtenberg, Jeffrey. “A Publishing Giant’s Risky Fight against Book Bans.” The Wall Street Journal, 27 Jan. 2024, www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/penguin-random-house-book-ban-publishing-giant-risky-fight-230eb685.