I Read a Banned Book: Challenging Censorship and Championing Choice

 

  


Children's and young adult literature is at the heart of the censorship debate in Australia. To engage with this debate and to understand what might constitute controversial content, I undertook a professional development activity: reading a banned book. Graceling by Kristin Cashore is a novel included in the 2025 Banned Books Index by PEN America (2025). I extended this by reading the sequels, Fire and Bitterblue, and by researching current professional and media discussions for alternatives to censorship (Cashore, 2026).


Cashore, 2026

I found Graceling to be an engaging text that addressed challenging themes without explicit description. Although banned for content such “sexual assault, trauma, dark comedy, a villain who tortures and attempts to molest his stepdaughter, and feminist themes,” I found the content in the given context given appropriate for a young adult (YA) audience (BostonPL_JordanD,  2025). In contrast, Bitterblue engages more directly with similar themes yet is absent from the same banned list. This discrepancy led me to question... why censorship occurs and who should determine what is appropriate.

This activity deepened my understanding that censorship often reflects broader social concerns. The Australian Library and Information Association (2023) identifies that predominantly, challenges of books in public libraries relate to LGBTQIA+ content, gender identity, sexual explicitness, and sexual education. This suggests that bans disproportionately target texts that represent diverse identities and challenge social issues. While concerns about protecting young readers are valid, restricting access risks limiting exposure to important perspectives.

Three strategies emerged from this activity
as alternatives to censorship. 


First, fostering reader agency. Graceling highlights the dangers of misinformation and Bitterblue challenges censorship and book-banning by modelling reader agency as the main character identifies the need for self-determination regarding the materials and content they are ready to engage with. This reinforced my understanding that supporting YA readers in making independent, informed decisions is more effective at protecting readers and aligns with a librarian’s role in guiding rather than controlling reader choices.


Second, content warnings or advisories can help readers make informed decisions; however, authors currently determine their inclusion and use, leading to inconsistent comprehensiveness, terminology, and practices, and may give away plot points (Gina Lucia Reads, 2023). Alternatively, age classification systems as use for movies are difficult to apply to literature and are at greater risk of reinforcing censorship (Behind the News, 2025).


Finally, despite my belief that YA readership is primarily ages 13-17, O’Sullivan (2023) explains that YA spans a broad audience, with younger readers aged 8-12 reading up, and adults engaging heavily with the category. The New Adult category for ages 18-35 appears primarily in publishing and not generally visible in libraries or to readers, but, if widely adopted, could both identify material suitable for older readers and help younger readers identify YA material aimed at them (Stephen, 2020).


Reading Graceling demonstrated the pressure libraries still face to remove or ban books, ultimately restricting access and undermining reader agency.  As a library professional, I understand the importance of librarians in supporting young readers through guidance, education, and access, protecting their right to read (Australian Library and Information Association, 2023). Any adoption of content warnings or categorisation needs to further the primary goal: supporting young people to make informed, independent choices about what they read.


References

Australian Library and Information Association. (2023). Freedom to Read 2023 Wrap. Australian Library and Information Association. https://www.alia.org.au/common/Uploaded%20files/ALIA%20Freedom%20to%20Read%202023%20wrap.pdf

Behind the News (Director). (2025, August 17). Should Books Have Age Classifications? - BTN High [Video recording]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXi6vlnzppk

BostonPL_JordanD. (2025). Banned & Challenged Books: 24 Favorites of BPL Staff — a staff-created list from Boston Public Library [Boston Public Library]. Boston Public Library. https://bpl.bibliocommons.com/v2/list/display/332332057/2869367257

Cashore, K. (2026). Books. Kristin Cashore. https://kristincashore.com/books/

Gina Lucia Reads (2023, July 28). Content warnings in books: Safety or censorship? [Video recording]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMt5-s8Bggs

O’suluvan, J. (2023). Who Is YA for? Editors discuss the category’s shifting boundaries. Publishers Weekly, 270(42), 28–32.

PEN America. (2025). PEN America Index of School Book Bans – 2024-2025. PEN America: The Freedom to Write. https://pen.org/book-bans/pen-america-index-of-school-book-bans-2024-2025/

Stephen, S. (2020). What is New Adult? University of Queensland, Australia. https://alumni.uq.edu.au/what-new-adult

 

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