To get the public to read a book, an effective strategy seems to be to censor it. The data suggests it NPD BookScanwhich monitors book sales in the United States: those that have been banned or, in any case, contested, such as «Maus», «Antiracist Baby» And Gender Queer, attracted media attention and sparked debate among readers, and their sales exploded.
«Gender Queer: A Memoir» of Maia Kolbabe is considered by theAmerican Library Association the most contested in the United States: since when did the controversy and the New York Times published an article about him being censored, in one week sales increased by 130%. After they were banned by a Tennessee school board in February 2022, sales of “Maus I” And «Maus II» (pulitzer prize winners), by Art Spiegelman, were up 50% from the previous week).
The sales of «Antiracist Baby», by Ibram X. Kendi, multiplied after Texas Senator Ted Cruz criticized it during a Supreme Court hearing. It also happened for “All Boys Aren’t Blue”after the book was banned from public libraries in eight states.
However, the NPD BookScan found that it’s not enough for a book to be banned to get the public’s attention. Out of all those banned, only half showed an increase in sales, suggesting that it is also necessary that the newspapers and televisions talk about it.
More and more books censored in schools
Book bans in US public schools are increased by 28% in the first half of the 2022-23 school year, according to the writers’ association Pen America, who spoke of a “relentless” conservative crusade “to restrict children’s freedom to read.” Since Pen America began tracking school book bans in July 2021, it has logged more than 4,000 cases.
These vetoes are more common in Republican-ruled states. Of the 1,477 books banned this school year, 30% are about raceracism or includes characters of color, while 26% feature LGBTQ+ characters or themes. Pen also pointed out “the misapplication of labels such as ‘pornographic’ or ‘indecent’ by activists and politicians to justify banning books that do not even fit established definitions of pornography.” Censors “confuse books that contain sexual content or include LGBTQ+ characters with ‘pornography'”.
– USA, library risks closure because it refuses to censor LGBTQ+ books
– Books banned in the USA, what they are and why they are banned
Source: Vanity Fair
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