The Suppression of Speech: America's Crackdown on Classic Literature
By Sabine Oelmann | More Info | Facebook | Twitter | WhatsApp | Email | Print | Copy Link
America Ditches Iconic Works
In the United States of America, 2025: Books, once the cornerstone of freedom and knowledge, are being silenced, erased, and banned from classrooms, textbooks, and even public libraries in certain regions. But what exactly are these books that have become so dangerous that they must be hidden from children's eyes?
Anyone who finds a book troubling or unsuitable for children can have it prohibited. Threats of hefty fines loom under the Trump administration. These are stories that challenge, enlighten, illuminate the unseen, and provoke questions. By August 2025, PEN America has documented over 10,000 cases in 29 states and 220 public school districts, with Florida and Iowa leading the way in book suppression. The books most frequently banned are those that depict stories about 44% of people and characters of color, 39% of LGBTQ+ people and characters, women, racism, sexuality, gender roles, and the country's history.
Under Fascist America?
German writer Daniel Kehlmann finds the term "fascism" to no longer be an exaggeration when referring to the United States under the Trump administration. In an interview with the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung," the author explains, "It has always been the case that life in America was asymmetrical: If you were black, you lived in a police state where you were constantly afraid of being shot if the police stopped you in your car. If you were white, you didn’t have this problem." Kehlmann, who resides in Berlin and New York, states people from South America are presently being "hunted with a deep racist hatred."
Organizations such as PEN America and the American Library Association actively monitor and combat book bans, sometimes even succeeding in having them removed from lists. Some of the books currently on the list of banned books are:
The Handmaid's Tale - The Testimony of Offred
This dystopian novel by Margaret Atwood from 1985 portrays a horrifying future in which radioactive, chemical, and bacterial contamination has led to sterility in many people. After a coup d'état by a Christian-fundamentalist group, the president and all members of Congress are murdered, and the constitution is suspended. The army declares a state of emergency, newspapers are censored, and roadblocks are set up. A theocratic dictatorship with strict rules, limited public movement, and controls by police and secret agents is established. Women's roles are redefined: They may not own property, they must submit to men in all state affairs, and their role is that of a housewife with the duty to bear children.
Animal Farm - Farm of the Beasts
This fable by George Orwell, published as early as 1945, tells the story of the uprising of the animals on an English farm against the rule of their human owner, who neglects and exploits them. After initial successes and the beginning of prosperity, the pigs take power and eventually establish a dictatorship worse than the one the animals sought to shake off.
1984
Originally published in 1949, this dystopian novel by George Orwell is set in a totalitarian surveillance state in the year 1984. Winston Smith, a simple member of a dictatorially ruling, fictional party of England, desires to secure his privacy and finds out about the real past that has been hidden by the party through extensive falsification of history. As a result, he comes into conflict with the system and is subsequently arrested, tortured, and brainwashed.
The Diary of Anne Frank
In 1942, during the Holocaust, Anne Frank and her family went into hiding in Amsterdam to avoid capture by the Nazi regime. The diary, which Anne wrote during their concealment, was saved by Miep Gies, their helper, and later published in 1947. It has been translated into over 70 languages, and in 2009, the diary was included in UNESCO's Memory of the World Register. However, in 2025, a man who has likely never read the book seeks to suppress it.
The Hunger Games - Catching Fire
This trilogy by American author Suzanne Collins, published from 2008 to 2025, sold over 100 million copies worldwide. In the first three books, Katniss Everdeen, a teenage protagonist, narrates the story from her perspective, providing insight into her thoughts, feelings, and actions. Despite the book's violence, it remains a massive hit among adolescents. A fourth book in the form of a prequel was published in 2020, titled "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes."
The Fault in Our Stars - The Fault is in Ourselves
Released in January 2012, this young adult novel quickly reached the top of the New York Times bestseller list for children's and young adult literature. The story follows 16-year-old Hazel Grace, who has been battling cancer for three years, and her new friendship with Gus, who has lost a leg due to bone tumors. The two form a close bond, but Hazel fears hurting Gus with her inevitable death and decides to distance herself from him.
To Kill a Mockingbird - Who Kills the Mockingbird
Set in a racially-divided Alabama in the 1930s, financial lawyer Atticus Finch, a symbol of justice, defends Tom Robinson, a black field worker accused of raping a white woman. Scout, Atticus's eight-year-old daughter, faces danger as she and her brother Jem support their father's fight for democracy.
Nineteen Minutes
In 19 minutes, Peter Houghton, a 17-year-old high school student, commits an act of gun violence at a school in Sterling, New Hampshire. The small town struggles to deal with the aftermath, prompting Jodi Picoult to explore the roots of guilt and the pursuit of justice in her novel "Nineteen Minutes."
Some Things Right by Merz
In his inaugural visit to Washington, German politician Friedrich Merz left a collection of letters from German immigrants, penned between 1830 and 1900, as a gift for President Trump. The letters, which discuss life in America from the perspectives of farmers, workers, and even servants, remain to be read by Trump.
In an age where books are being systematically silenced, it is heartening to see resistance from organizations such as PEN America and the American Library Association. As readers, it is crucial to stand up for the right to read and educate ourselves, ensuring that the past does not repeat itself.
- Despite the ongoing book bans in the USA, international classics such as 'The Handmaid's Tale', 'Animal Farm', '1984', 'The Diary of Anne Frank', and 'To Kill a Mockingbird' remain under threat.
- In the realm of entertainment, books like 'The Hunger Games' and 'The Fault in Our Stars' are popular selections among adolescents, yet their controversial themes have made them targets for censorship.
- In today's political discourse, books serve as instruments of enlightenment and social commentary, making them valuable resources in understanding general-news and lifestyle topics, as well as those surrounding politics and cultural diversity.
