Abstract

In the U.S., the Conservative Movement to Ban Books is Now Running Amok.
Black, LGBTQ, Asian, Native American...why are picture books depicting minorities banned?
A writer living in New York City looks at America through a number of banned picture books.

According to the nonprofit organization “PEN America,” 4231 types of books were banned in the 2023-2024 school year, 2.7 times more than in the previous school year. What is happening in the U.S. now?

The book ban movement began suddenly in 2021. The target audience is children's books, which are not good for the “good old America” idealized by conservative parents and politicians who are promoting the book ban movement.

By looking at the many picture books that were sacrificed to the book ban movement, one by one, under the topics of Black, LGBTQ, Women, Disability, Latino/Hispanic, Asian, Muslim, and Native American (......8), we can learn about the history of the struggles of minorities, their strength in the face of such hardships, and the seriousness of the situation. By looking at a number of picture books that were victims of the banned book movement, we will learn about the history of the hardships suffered by minorities, their powerful lives in the midst of these hardships, and the front lines of the “culture wars” that are becoming increasingly serious. A must-read book now that Trump has been reelected president.

Author’s Information

Born in Osaka, Japan. Lives and works in New York. Moved to the U.S. in 1996 after working as an editor for a CD information magazine. After working as an intern at a public relations firm in Harlem and as an instructor at a childcare center, she became a writer. Since then, she has written about black culture, immigrant/ethnic culture, and American society in general for magazines, newspapers, and websites.