Abstract

The past five years have seen an unprecedented growth in book challenges across the nation. The American Library Association announced in March 2024 that 2023 saw a ninety-two percent increase in challenged titles, making it a record year for book bans and challenges (American Library Association 2024). States are seeing increased government inference into these issues. Namely, Florida remains a leader in book challenges with over forty percent of all book bans in the 2022-2023 school year (Meehan 2023). This project examines the effect of book challenges and bans on adolescent readers, with an emphasis on how frequently challenged books, while containing sensitive subject matter, positively impact students and need to be protected in classrooms and libraries. There is a focus on how book challenges have looked historically, how perceptions of childhood and adolescence play a role, and the most common reasons as to why books are challenged, while also acknowledging qualifications to this issue. This project examines how students benefit from challenged books by understanding other worldviews and developing their own social and emotional learning (SEL). This project concludes with examples of frequently challenged book recommendations for educators and why each book has academic merit for classrooms.

Semester/Year of Award

Fall 12-2-2024

Mentor

Charlotte Rich

Mentor Department Affiliation

English

Access Options

Open Access Thesis

Document Type

Bachelor Thesis

Degree Name

Honors Scholars

Degree Level

Bachelors

Department

English

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