How These 10 Banned Books Expose the Game Being Played Against Us

Book banning has been out of control over the last few years. And in a timeless act of historical revisionism, the Orange Cheeto in office said it would end "Biden's book ban hoax." Oddly enough, it's an open secret that the people who ban and burn books are on the wrong side of history. Even still, that doesn't stop them from doing it. So it brings up an important question...

"Why do people ban books?"

A common sentiment I've heard through the years has something to do with the book in question being inappropriate, obscene or "uncivilized" in some way. Maybe a little "censorship from Big Brother" sprinkled in, and that's usually the end of the discussion. But as history unfolds, it's clear that books are often banned when they come from marginalized voices. They shed light on inconvenient truths about our reactionary, puritanical society and how we might go about creating more diversity, equity and inclusion for everyone.

While that sentiment is true, there's another reason I found clear as day while going through PEN America's list of banned books for the 2023-2024 school year --- the powers that be are covering their tracks. This is as much about the suppression of "outsiders" as it is about preventing young minds from knowing the playbook being used to overthrow the government right before our eyes.

So, here's what these 10 banned books have to say about the game being played at our expense.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X - Malcolm X, Alex Haley

Black history (hell, American history) wouldn't be what it is without Malcolm X. There is so much to learn from his story. But if there's just one lesson that stands out from his incredible journey, it's the power of knowledge.

Malcolm's turbulent youth showed him the unfortunate realities about the intersection of race and justice in America. After diving into a life of crime, he was sentenced to prison at only 20 years old. There, Malcolm read book after book in his pursuit of self-education, transforming him into the historical legend we still talk about to this day. He went on to spread the ideals of faith and universal brotherhood, and to become an integral part of the social justice movement.

The Bluest Eye - Toni Morrison

Humans are social creatures. We all have a need to be accepted by others. And no matter how resilient we are, living in a society that says you're never enough takes its toll. In a culture obsessed with aesthetics, beauty is an essential tool for determining who is worthy of love.

So what happens when that lack of acceptance comes from not being beautiful enough?

The Bluest Eye explores how being unable to meet beauty standards destroys an individual's sense of self-worth. That's especially the case for marginalized people who can never have the color of skin, or eye, to meet those already-impossible expectations. It's a difficult read, as is the next book on the list.

The Female of the Species - Mindy McGinnis

There's no easy way to talk about r*** culture. The unfortunate and brutal truth is that we live in an empire, and every empire wages a never-ending war against women and children. But, is retribution the answer to this reality?

With society objectifying and expecting everything from women with every step they take, the pressure builds to do something about it. And when men use violence to get what they want, is it justified to use violence in return? Between the privilege and guilt of men and the day-to-day experience of women in our society, The Female of the Species shows us what friendships between men and women can look like in this context.

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West - Gregory Maguire

All the injustice in our world is usually portrayed as a struggle between good and evil. Where morality is cut and dry, and our next step is clear as day. Is it really that simple?

Wicked shows us an alternate telling of how the Wicked Witch of the West came to be. As an outcast, Elphaba's descent into evil was driven by a need to stand up for not just herself, but for all the oppressed peoples of her world. Behind every villain is a story, and her story challenges us to question what goes into our collective definitions of good and evil.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories - Robert Louis Stevenson

A recurring theme on this list of books is the exploration of the darker sides of humanity. Because if we are going to find a path forward, we must look at and sit with our shadows to discover who we are. We must accept that we all have light and shadow within us, the potential for good and evil. And if there's one book that explores this duality of humanity, it's this classic from 1886.

In a scientific experiment gone awry, the noble Dr. Jekyll makes a potion to quarantine and remove evil from the human soul. Instead, it creates a split within him in the form of Mr. Hyde, who embodies all of his immorality. Not only do these stories explore this duality within us, they shed light on the rampant social hypocrisy of the Victorian Era.

The Holy Bible (King James Version)

There's a lot to say about this one. Written in 1611, the King James Bible remains the most popular interpretations of the Holy Bible. It was created for any number of reasons when Scotland's King James VI became England's King James I. They range from a personal vendetta for the execution of his mother, Mary, Queen of Scots, to the need for political expediency.

So, why is it on the list of banned books?

Entire papers and books could be written on this question, and even more to read into its implications. But a primary reason is The King James Bible has been criticized for its historical revisionism. Its strongest supporters make the argument that every other translation of the Bible is corrupted by one ideology or another -- while ignoring the glaring biases that went into its creation.

Historical revisionism on a societal scale is an effective tool to maintain control over people. By altering a population's collective memory over time, they lose sight of what really happened in their past and learn the necessary lessons. Which leads us to...

False Memory - Dean R. Koontz

Historical revisionism on a personal level is essential to maintaining the kind of power we see at a societal level. It's all a reflection of the same concept, just at different scales. As above, so below. But if that sounds far-fetched, consider this...

What would it mean if some of your memories were created by someone else? And what if those memories could be used as a means of control and manipulation? This is the premise of False Memory, where a psychiatrist implants false memories into his clients. Through this, he forces them to do things they'd never do, or does things to them while leaving little to no trace.

If this sounds horrifying, it is. If you think no one could possibly be this depraved, I have a bridge to sell you. And if you think this revisionism of a personal history is too much of a stretch, take a look at the next two books on this list.

1984 - George Orwell

That little bit of "censorship from Big Brother" from the beginning? People warned that the day 1984 is banned is the day we need to really worry. So while we're here, what's the big deal about this book?

1984 describes an authoritarian society that has obtained absolute control over its people. The society in the book reflects much of what we see now and where we're going, namely an unchecked surveillance state with extremely effective propaganda to manufacture consent. But what is often overlooked about this book is where the control comes from -- the revision of language itself.

Language and thought are two sides of the same coin, with language being the outward representation of inner thought. And because they're intertwined, altering one means altering the other. So by distorting language, thought can be controlled. Hence the timeless sentiments that are drilled into the peoples' minds: "freedom is slavery," "war is peace," "I love Big Brother," etc.

Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

And speaking of freedom, Aldous Huxley warned us about the dangers of forgetting the importance of personal liberties in the face of technological progress.

Brave New World describes a place where people prioritize comfort over freedom. Where the role of a person is chosen for them through eugenics and the deliberate hindering of society's lower castes. Where the pursuit of efficiency is encouraged, even mandated, by the ruling elites.

It is a technological hellscape where the powerful have solidified their control over the masses. And they hold the keys to power because the people allowed them for long enough. Leading into the final book on this list, what would happen if those elites decided to leave everything and everyone else behind to make their own utopia?

Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand

Widely-regarded as the most direct, blunt, unapologetic defense of unchecked capitalism the world has ever seen, Atlas Shrugged is a manifesto for the rich. This book is the "behind closed doors" perspective of how social elites view everyone they feel is beneath them. Where the "haves" earned everything they have and the "have-nots" stole everything they have. And in this case, "theft" means the wealthy feel like they didn't make enough money from the bridges, railroads and TVs they designed for people to enjoy.

Atlas Shrugged follows a handful of industry tycoons who wallow in self-loathing for not making enough money until they decide to shrug any conception of social responsibility. They disappear into an untouched, uncharted and highly-inaccessible area in some mountains to start a new society, leaving the rest of civilization to fully collapse into a new dark age. If that sounds similar to our current situation, where billionaires want to colonize space without the rest of us, steal the wealth of an entire nation, or let the world burn so they can get something promised to them, this book is probably where they got the idea from in the first place.

This book is the epitome of black and white thinking. The prose is soaked in making a caricature out of "looters" and "moochers," aka bureaucrats and anyone who isn't pulling themselves up by their bootstraps. And for the well-meaning people who just aren't smart or able-bodied enough, they don't deserve a place in this new utopia, either. Those few characters fully recognize, acknowledge and support the rich and powerful leaving them behind, so they willingly stay to join the collapse of civilization. In this way, Ayn Rand glorifies people knowing their place.

Final Thoughts

I hope this collection of banned books shows that our world is the furthest thing from black and white. That the interplay of humanity's light and shadow is complicated. How the search for answers to the most important questions can only come from free and open minds. And how our minds can only be free and open when we have the words to talk about these ideas in the first place.