I find it appalling that books are being banned.

I do not understand why “The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss was banned in California, when all it did was show the logging industry in an unfavorable light. The logging industry must have serious lobbyists.

I do not understand why those books, such as, “The Catcher in the Rye,” “1984,” “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” The Bell Jar,” “Animal Farm,” The 1619 Project,” “The Color Purple,” “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” and many more books that were on the required reading list when I was in middle school and high school, have been banned. Books that are also being banned are those that have been written to help gay, lesbian, transgender, etc., children to understand that they are not alone. Unfortunately, some of these children attempt or are successful at committing suicide, because they do not get understanding at home — they did not asked to be born the way they are, they just are. It is society’s responsibility to help these children adjust and cope with their differences. A more comprehensive list of banned and challanged books can be found at Banned and Challenged Books (UPDATED 2025) on bookshop.org.

Banning books is something fascists do, as some books do not agree with their ideology. It is well documented that Hitler banned books that did not agree with his philosophy and was in complete control of the media.

Supposedly, the United States of America has freedom of the press and, while I may not agree with what an author has to say, I can choose to not read those writings. I will also defend their right to say whatever they are saying.

The maddening, frustrating thing about book bans is that some of them have been made, because a politician or Christian fundamentalist group has determined a book needs to be banned, without ever having read the book — they just base the ban determination on the opinion of other like-minded people.

My children used to love story hour at the library. Unfortunately, with closures and reduced staffing, those programs are in danger of losing their funding. I love libraries, as they are a door to knowledge. I believe these bans are anti-education and anti-knowledge. In my opinion, uneducated masses are like sheep and can be manipulated easily. An educated person will question purpose and efficacy of legislation, if it does not appear to have the best interests of those affected constituents. But, I suppose that is what the Republicans want — sheep that do not question. I can hear them now, “Let’s dumb down the U.S.A. so we do not have to work at our elected positions and can just sit around, to think up more conspiracy theories, to make sure we keep the sheep terrified. We can do this by undermining education and knowledge.”

I do know that all Republicans do not feel this way. Unfortunately, it is sad that it appears that the supporters of the current administration are behaving in a manner that indicates they do believe that they need to do whatever is necessary to control the thoughts and beliefs of its citizens. One way to reach this goal is to ban books which eliminates exposure to different ideas, cultures, philosophies and religions. I find book banning disgraceful and unethical.

Brenda Segarra, of Martinsburg