O'Halloran, Thomas J., [Banned books including Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Slaugher House-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Laughing Boy by Oliver La Farge / TOH], May 1979, digital image from film negative, Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021637581/.
This primary source photograph serves as a starting point for students to participate in conversations about the First Amendment and censorship. Studying this significant and timely issue empowers students to critically examine book banning and its effects on education and on the culture and climate in our country. Engaging students in this topic helps them understand the importance of intellectual freedom.
This primary source photograph is part of the U.S. News & World Report Magazine Photograph Collection (Library of Congress) and was taken by Thomas J. O'Halloran. Depicted in the photograph are banned books in 1979, including Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and Laughing Boy by Oliver La Farge.
During the 1970s, book banning reached a new pinnacle as books were being removed from libraries due to concerns about offensive language, sexually explicit content, and unsuitability for certain age groups. During this time period and others, the US Supreme Court and local school boards became involved in assessing students’ right to read through multiple court cases involving the First Amendment. In 1982, students sued their school board for removing literary works written by Richard Wright, Kurt Vonnegut, and other authors from their curriculum. The rise in censorship led to the creation of Banned Books Week in 1982 by the American Library Association.
- What do you notice or wonder about the photograph?
- What surprises you about the book titles?
- How do you define freedom of speech?
- Why do you think books are censored?
- How does censorship affect a society’s ability to make social, economic, and political decisions?
Common Core State Standards and C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards: Grades 9-12
RH.9-10.9 Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources.
- Evaluating varied points of view: Students will be able to write an argumentative essay by researching multiple points of view on censorship related to a banned book of choice. Alternating perspectives will allow students to acknowledge their counterclaim.
C3: D2.His.16.9-12. Integrate evidence from multiple relevant historical sources and interpretations into a reasoned argument about the past.
- Gathering evidence from literary and informational texts to support a claim: Students will be able to write an argumentative essay with a counterclaim stating why their banned book of choice should not be banned. Furthering an independent investigation into the history of book banning, students can incorporate multiple sources supporting their claim.
The American Library Association offers a variety of Banned Books Week activities, including creating an interactive banned-book exhibit featuring student-created projects and a hidden-reasons display board for curious readers. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill lists many ideas for students to undertake, including creating banned-book trading cards, displaying wanted posters of students who were caught reading banned books, designing bumper stickers or bookmarks, and constructing a living museum of banned books.
For a more formal approach, teachers can incorporate banned books into their unit on writing argumentative essays. Students can choose a banned book and write an essay with a counterclaim while providing reasons that the book should not be banned and incorporating the history of banned books and/or related court cases to support their claim. As a culminating activity, students can present an overview of their essay to a small group, and members can participate in collaborative conversations about each book title.
Censorship is a widespread problem in our country today, and it is challenging for educators to connect students with high-quality texts in some educational settings. It is imperative that communities come together to provide rich learning experiences for our students and to provide a safe space for teachers to choose rigorous and diverse resources for their classrooms. The National Council of Teachers of English and other associations offer insight and support for teachers, students, and school districts in Freedom to Teach: Statement against Banning Books.
- Photograph of a leaflet: “Books in the War by Theodore Wesley Koch: The Romance of Seven Million Books That Went to War” March, 1920
- Editorial cartoon: Textbook censorship / Frances Jetter (“Editorial cartoon shows textbooks in sieve above another sieve with a face”—Library of Congress)
- Printed material: “Judge Ben B. Lindsey on the Child, the Movie, and Censorship” (“Address delivered at 4th national motion picture conference, Chicago, Feb. 1926”—Library of Congress)
- Printed material: Book and Media Censorship in Selected Countries (Law Library of Congress, Global Legal Research Directorate, July 2024)
- National Council of Teachers of English: Intellectual Freedom Center
- National Council of Teachers of English: Book Rationales
- Banned Books Week
- National Council of Teachers of English: The Students’ Right to Read (position statement)
- National Geographic: “The History of Book Bans—and Their Changing Targets—in the U.S.”
- Facing History & Ourselves: “Revisiting Mockingbird during Banned Books Week”