by Ira Wells
Biblioasis
6/3/2025, paperback
SKU: 9781771966634
The freedom to read is under attack.
From the destruction of libraries in ancient Rome to today's state-sponsored efforts to suppress LGBTQ+ literature, book bans arise from the impulse toward social control. In a survey of legal cases, literary controversies, and philosophical arguments, Ira Wells illustrates the historical opposition to the freedom to read and argues that today's conservatives and progressives alike are warping our children's relationship with literature and teaching them that the solution to opposing viewpoints is outright expurgation. At a moment in which our democratic institutions are buckling under the stress of polarization, On Book Banning is both rallying cry and guide to resistance for those who will always insist upon reading for themselves.
Reviews:
"Wells delivers a potent behind-the-scenes look at book banning in this standout account . . . [and] convincingly advocates for teachers to center ambiguity, sympathy, and curiosity when teaching about language, rather than harm, and for 'the building of critical thinking abilities.' It's a decisive and fascinating take on a hot-button issue." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Though book banning is usually associated with repressive or conservative mindsets-ancient Rome, or Florida moms--even classic texts have fallen prey of late to a 'censorship consensus' enforced by liberal-minded gatekeepers. In the latest in Biblioasis's continuing Field Notes series, Wells seeks to define the controversial practice and explore its effects." --Globe and Mail
About the Author:
Ira Wells is a critic, essayist, and an associate professor at Victoria College in the University of Toronto, where he teaches in the Northrop Frye stream in literature and the humanities in the Vic One program. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Globe and Mail, Guardian, The New Republic, and many other venues. His most recent book is Norman Jewison: A Director's Life. He lives in Toronto with his wife and children.