Courtney Hill

Dr. Arnold

INTL 3111

July 20, 2020

Censorship: Society’s Downfall

The 2017 novel, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas has been a topic of controversy since

its publication. It stayed on the New York Times YA best-seller list for over 80 weeks, has

received numerous awards and was on the longlist for the National Book Awards. While the

novel has been praised and celebrated in many communities, it has also been the target for

censorship, most notably from a school district in Texas.

Only a few months after the book’s release, school officials in Katy, Texas challenged

The Hate U Give, citing “inappropriate language” in late 2017. An article published in September

2018 described how the District Superintendent, Lance Hindt, actually pulled the book from

shelves in the district prior to the review board’s decision. This was in direct violation of the

district’s review policy and Hindt received a lot of backlash for the seemingly unilateral decision.

He was quoted saying his decision was based in its “pervasive vulgarity and racially-insensitive

language…not its substantive content or the viewpoint expressed” (Gomez). The district did

eventually ban the novel, but with the help of local teenagers, a petition with over 4,000

signatures reinstated the book with the caveat that parental permission was required before a

student could check the book out from the library (Gomez). In 2018, the Fraternal Order of

Police in Charleston, South Carolina also challenged the book. While their challenge did not lead

to a ban, the President of the Fraternal Order, John Blackmon stated that the novel is “almost an
indoctrination of distrust of police and we’ve got to put a stop to that. There are other socio-

economic topics that are available and they want to focus half their effort on negativity towards

the police? That seems odd to me” (Slocum).

Neither organization were valid in their attempts to ban the book. The “inappropriate

language” claim is unjustified because there are plenty of novels today that express similar

language and this type of language is overly popular in television shows and movies. If that were

solely the reason for the school district’s decision, they would have needed to challenge and

review many other books, which they did not do. The Fraternal Order’s claim was not valid

because just “put[ting] a stop to that” will not solve the widespread distrust in police. The topic

of the novel did not align with these specific groups’ personal beliefs and that was the real reason

they attempted the ban.

A better solution could be a more open and honest public discussion of police brutality

and the disproportionate violence against the black community by law enforcement. Simply

removing works that people do not like will not accomplish anything. If the Fraternal Order in

Charleston was sincerely concerned with the negative image the police were receiving from the

book, communication with the community along with an emphasis on community outreach

would have been a much better solution. A better understanding of why these groups wish to ban

books can be helpful in avoiding a complete ban; just because a topic is uncomfortable does not

mean it should not be discussed.

While my immediate reaction is that it is never okay to ban stories and narratives, I

believe it is much more complicated than a purely black and white decision. What comes to mind

are the doctrines of supremacist groups and terrorist organization propaganda. These things can
cause detrimental harm to society, but censoring these is also in violation of America’s freedom

of speech. Banning these items is like putting a bandaid over a gunshot wound; it does not

address the actual issue and instead just covers up the problem. While it will take much longer,

the only effective and long-term solution is to evaluate the societal structure and culture that

breeds this type of hate. These issues will never go away or be solved if the reasons why are not

addressed and dealt with.

When The Hate U Give was banned in Texas, it caused a lot of harm in the community

for many reasons. The perspective of a girl of color was lost, people of color are often not the

protagonists in books and movies so teenagers of color lost the ability to see themselves reflected

in popular culture and media. Representation is extremely important and while The Hate U Give

is a tough read, it is overwhelmingly imperative to have Starr’s perspective. In America’s climate

today, black voices are integral to pushing society into a more accepting, tolerant, and equal

place. Stories like Starr and Khalil’s need to be told and heard because it is a reality in America

for thousands of people of color, specifically black men. There can be no growth if it is not

talked about, there can be no solution if it is not addressed. The only people that benefitted from

the ban in Texas and South Carolina were the ones too afraid to discuss and even address the

violence and discrimination that thousands of people of color are subjected to on a daily basis.

These people were able to take the easy way out, citing bogus issues, instead of facing the hard

truth of the culture Americans are living in today.

The Hate U Give is a phenomenal book that really forces the reader to look at how black

men are automatically viewed as dangerous by many people. Censoring books and topics like
this will not only harm society, but can potentially push the country into a civil war if not every

single person is treated equal, one of the nation’s founding pillars.

 Works Cited

Gomez, Betsy. “Banned Spotlight: The Hate U Give.” Banned Books Week, ALA Office for

Intellectual Freedom, 6 Sept. 2018, bannedbooksweek.org/banned-spotlight-the-hate-u-

give/.

Slocum, Rebecca. “The Hate U Give and All American Boys Challenged by Charleston County

Police.” Intellectual Freedom Blog, ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom, 31 July 2018,

www.oif.ala.org/oif/?p=15093.