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Right to Write – Banned Books Week 2025

October 5th-October 11th

Asani Schwartz, Freelance Writer

October 7, 2025

The United States has been banning books for years now. This censorship has been heavily criticized by the people for invading their first amendment rights. The first amendment gives up the right to speak, to protest, and to write. Banning books infringes on our right to write. What books are banned and why are they banned? Should I read them?

The answers are as follows: many, usually discriminatory reasons, and yes. Here is a list of banned books for you to indulge on.

The Perks of Being A Wallflower is a story about a shy and extremely observant freshman in high school named Charlie. It talks about his struggles with mental health and the complexities of high school. This book was banned for being sexually explicit due to talking about themes of rape, LGBTQIA+, and drugs. This book is still banned pretty regularly across the nation. This book is available in our school library.

To Kill A Mockingbird highlights how a young girl named Scout and her new friend Dill navigate and understand their father’s ongoing trial with a white woman accusing rape on a black man. This book was banned for using the N-Word and for racist depictions. Rape also is a big part of why this book was banned. This book is available in our school library.

This Book Is Gay describes how life can be difficult living as a non-binary or transgender person. This book was banned for it’s LGBTQIA+ topics, sexual education, and sexual explicitness. This book also discusses race, which some southern schools reject. This book is available in our school library.

Animal Farm critiques communism by using talking animals in a farm. This book was banned for its violence and many people saw the portrayal of people as animals to be offensive. However, this book was banned also because of misinterpretation. Many people thought the book was pro-communism. This book is available in our school library.

Girl, Interrupted is an autobiographical book about Susanna Kaysen and her journey through a psych-ward in the 1960s with her new borderline personality disorder diagnosis. This book was banned for being sexually explicit and profanity. This book is available in our school library.

Banning books directly goes against our first amendment right. That is why many people celebrate Banned Books Week by reading these pieces of literature. Pushing back against the people banning books helps and allows these books to grow in popularity and to be seen across not just the USA, but the world as well.

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About the Contributor

Asani Schwartz, Freelance Writer

Asani has been writing for years now and her curiosity for the world is encapsulated in her writing. Her writing can be scattered, meaning that she writes what she thinks initially and edits it later. She is working on a book currently. Although not yet named, it is about psychology and her way of viewing the world around her. This may not sound interesting but the book isn’t meant to be surface level observations. It’s more. Asani was born January 4th, 2009. She was born in Brooklyn and moved to Lindenhurst after her mom’s death when she was 2. A lot of her writing is about how to deal with grief as well, even if it’s been many years. She lives with her father and helps work at his comic book store. Asani is also a 3rd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and instructs at her dojang. This gives her the opportunity to work with kids since her goal is to be an English teacher and to transition into a school psychologist. Music and poetry are her strong suits, as she is a singer in chorus and has written multiple songs. Asani believes that her writing should change how someone thinks. She wants her writing to mean something to other people. She wants to make them cry, either happy or upset, about an observation or a piece of writing she has created. She has hope that everyone will enjoy her writing.