Required readings in high school were always a drag. “The Odyssey,” “Romeo and Juliet” and “Of Mice and Men” were my sole enemies throughout my time in school, and I hated that English teachers would make us analyze and break down every little thing in these dense novels. Teachers preached about how relevant these books are today, despite being decades old, and how important it is to read old literature — but are these the right examples of what we need to read? Or, is it important for our education to read books that are challenging for us? 

In the age of banning books, our world is becoming more like a dystopian novel. Despite this, I believe these books are more integral than ever in our development as young adults. 

The first required book I read in high school was “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury. The story takes place in a society similar to our own, except that literature and citizens are censored through the burning of books. Despite being a classic staple for high school English classes, it was a dull read for freshmen. As I transitioned into college, I began to realize the importance of these “boring” books. The books may have been written decades, maybe even centuries ago, but they teach us important lessons about our lives and society. In 2024, it is ever so important to learn from our history, because that is how we ensure history does not repeat itself.

 In the era of classic novels being banned constantly in different school districts, are we really at a time where the plot of a required book, “Fahrenheit 451,” is becoming a reality? 

When my younger sister entered her freshman year of high school last year, her teacher tasked her with reading the same novels, along with a modern novel about a refugee. This book, called “The Girl With Seven Names,” was immediately faced with backlash from parents in her school. It was said to be inappropriate and discussed themes that were too serious for 15-year-old kids. The book discusses a girl’s account of growing up in North Korea under Kim Jong-Un’s dictatorship and her struggle for survival. While my sister read this book and loved it, other students were able to choose not to read this one, and pick another book — effectively putting their blinders on to reality and no longer learning about how cruel the world can be. 

One of the first steps in governments transitioning from democracy to autocracy is the elimination of knowledge, and choosing to remove these accounts from our children is astonishing. Is this really the option that we should be choosing in the United States? 

As misinformation continues to be so prevalent in our country today, this example underlines exactly how willing people are to live in a make-believe world. 

I found it so interesting that some parents felt a non-fiction book about a refugee the same age as their children was inappropriate. How could they think this? Hearing this is when I started to think about the books that I read, which I may have hated then but have such an impact on me now, and how I view the world we live in. I recognized how much the themes I learned in these books have taught me about life. 

If we were not forced to read books that help us stay open-minded and challenge our thoughts about the world, what would we gain from our education? A young adult should be required to read an account of someone else’s life in a situation different from their own because understanding different perspectives is the entire point of reading in a learning setting. In “Romeo and Juliet,” we learn about Shakespeare, theatre, young love and tragedy. In “To Kill a Mockingbird,” we learn about racial injustice, the justice system and not judging a book by its cover. In “Fahrenheit 451,” we learn that knowledge is power. How can we take the themes of these books and not apply them to real life?

A lot of people and schools support banning books as they believe parents should be allowed to monitor and enforce what their children read. This argument is trivial. In a public school, children are required to follow a certain curriculum, which the state creates. I understand parents worry about their children, but I think that it has gone too far in this example. Stories like “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “The Girl With Seven Names” are important since they teach empathy and help young adults to recognize and understand complex emotions and themes. Books are art, and they evoke emotions that help us grow and develop.

Like Odysseus, from Homer’s “The Odyssey,” our fatal flaw is hubris. Our confidence in believing we know everything about the way the world works has caused us to lose sight of how necessary empathy and education are. It is perfectly acceptable to not know everything about different cultures — that is the point. Reading transports us into the lives of characters and people, and we need this to catch a glimpse of a world different from ours.  

Banning books is dystopian and extremely off-putting. We can debate the ideas seen in these books and grow as people and society, or we can become a version of these very novels that are so feared. Ironically, these people who are so afraid of these books’ themes are the ones actively making our reality mirror one of those books. Would you rather read a book about firemen burning books, or see that happen on your front lawn? 

We cannot stress the importance of reading enough, and we certainly must not censor the minds of our future. 

Ava Vitiello is a second-year political science major and columnist for The News. She can be reached at [email protected].