Several states have participated in banning books, but many never thought California would become one of them.

“To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” and “Of Mice and Men” are just a few of the titles that have been temporarily removed from the William S. Hart District curriculum and libraries.

Though the novels were removed from school libraries in 2021, most were returned to the district’s shelves later that year, though they did not return to the curriculum, and are still receiving backlash.

Many people believe these books are not suitable for a child to read.

Why, might you ask?

These books were pulled due to parental and community concerns over racial slurs, sexual content, or ideological disagreements with the material.

Here at Castaic High School, both the librarian Alison Henry, and the library technician, Jesika Marikta, think that banning books is unfair and a restriction of freedom of speech.

Mrs. Marikta said, “Banned books still carry truth, challenge power, and spark growth. Silencing stories only strengthens their importance and deepens our need to read them."

Some of the most commonly banned books are considered classics. They are the books that make you question society and sometimes even yourself.

Sometimes, when books are banned or challenged, it is seen as an attack against specific communities.

“This Book is Gay” was pulled in 2022 and was removed due to sexual content, though it was also challenged at the same time due to the in-depth discussions about LGBTQ+ youth. This book has yet to return to the library.

The removal of this book was extremely controversial, and many viewed it as an attack on the LGBTQ+ community.

Senior Yvette Valles, also known as Laculi, is the president of The Gay Straight Alliance Club (GSA), and he believes that “‘This Book is Gay’ was unfairly banned… because it’s a guide and [it is] better for students to find out and be safe.”

Several people agree with Valle's opinion, citing the book's removal as an attack that might do more harm than good.

Parents and students who did not support the book's ban believe that restricting information about the LGBTQ+ community might lead to mental and physical health problems among the youth currently within the community.

People today are reading less and less than the generations before, and this is often attributed to social media.

Technology has taken away the need to read books and to help us understand the world around us.

Ray Bradbury, the author of many books, including “Fahrenheit 451,” stated in an interview that, “ You don’t have to burn books to destroy culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”

This has become true in today's society, with both the stigma and restrictions behind banned books today, they are read less and less.

As a society, these books have been given the title “bad” because they are controversial.

Henry adds, “There was a book that was challenged at one of the other high schools recently.”

While the process to ban this book has just begun, it could leave every library in the district if it is found “inappropriate” for high school students.

This has happened recently, so the librarians are unsure if it will ever reach that level.

Various steps have to be taken before it can be taken off the shelves, which Mrs. Henry does not think the process will reach this point, because it is currently so small that the librarian here has not even been told the title of the book in question.

Mr. Wobrock, Castaic High’s Principal, encourages people to “read up for themselves… find out what the facts are… and then ultimately have a conversation about it.”

Discussing why books are banned and deciding for yourself if the controversy justifies the ban is one of the many reasons people push for banned books to be read.

Henry personally thinks that everyone should at least try to read “Lord of the Flies,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Of Mice and Men,” or “The Catcher in the Rye.”

She thinks people should have the choice to read what they like without having to deal with the stigma surrounding it.

Henry would also like everyone to know that if they are interested in adding a book to the library, let her know, and if she’s allowed, she will order it.

While some of the most famous books have been banned at least once, you can still check out many at the school library.

Read what makes you happy regardless of what others think. If you want to read some of the most commonly banned books, go to the American Library Association.