By Eleanor Swaim
Staff Writer
Books that have recently been challenged in the United States.
In 2026, social media is now the primary news source for many. Some is true, and some is false or biased. This all depends on the creator’s intentions. Whether it’s on Instagram or TikTok, it’s easy to fall down a rabbit hole full of huge issues, making some feel powerless. People of all ages have access to a common escape—books. It’s a privilege to be able to read any book that sparks your interest. Fiction or nonfiction, reading provides an easy getaway from all the brainwashing information that cycles through the internet. Nonetheless, this freedom is being taken away through the process of challenging or banning books.
Book challenges are becoming increasingly common, raising concerns about censorship and access to information. This process is becoming more prominent nationwide and affects the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School System. There are many reasons for this recent book criticism, but a few stand out.
The process begins with a complaint. In the WS/FCS school system, that’s most commonly from a concerned parent. The objective behind a challenge can vary. Most of the time, it’s complaints about “inappropriate” content in the book that parents don’t want their children to be exposed to. For example, in recent years, a complaint-heavy topic has been LGBTQAI+ themes.
“When somebody comes to us with a challenge, there’s a whole kind of system in place and multiple steps,” Michael Ackerman, the supervisor of access services at the Forsyth County Public Library, said. “It’s not like somebody shows up to the front circulation desk and they demand that we remove a book from the collection, and then right then and there we just march over to the shelf and yank it off. It’s a drawn-out process on purpose.”
At the Forsyth Public Library, when someone comes in with a complaint about a book, they are handed a sheet of paper. One question stands out in particular: “Did you read this material in its entirety?” It’s easy to take things out of context when reading. If a book says something that doesn’t fit in with a person’s morals, they’ll feel the need to report it.
In schools, parents tend to jump to conclusions like this. Just because one parent feels that their child shouldn’t be reading certain content doesn’t mean another person’s kid shouldn’t. A message that might seem taboo to one person might really help another.
For example, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is a book that has been challenged various times in school libraries for its LGBTQAI+ themes and drug/alcohol use. However, the message this book sends is a realistic one for many. For the people who find books like this one inappropriate, it’s simple: just don’t read them!
However, understandably, this can’t be the case for younger students. In the last few years, paranoid parents have had access to something to give them peace of mind. The “Sora” website linked on the WS/FCS website allows parents to go in and block a book from their child. This way, if their child tries to check out this book, a message will pop up on the screen, restricting book access.
Similarly, there’s a new process here at R.J. Reynolds High School. Every teacher at the school now has to list every single book they have in their room that is not issued under the school system. As you can imagine, this has been especially time-consuming for the English teachers, who take pride in their classroom libraries. There will be another link added to the WS/FCS website, allowing parents to see all the books their children have access to. When a teacher receives a complaint from a parent about a certain book in their classroom, they will have to remove it in its entirety, depriving other students of the chance to read that book.
This new requirement poses a question: With teens having such broad access to social media, can’t they view the same themes that would be in an “inappropriate” book, on their phones? That’s the case for most. So, what’s the point of going through the trouble to block books from kids?
The truth is, it’s a way to let parents feel more in control. They feel it allows them to manage what their children are exposed to, giving them that peace of mind.
In 2026, there’s no doubt that politics are becoming polarized. With this, opinions and perspectives stray further from the middle. The type of books being banned is influenced by extreme political views in society.
“There are times when there’s a lot of it going on, and then there are times where the pendulum swings the other way, and everything calms down,” Jo Higgins, the head librarian at Reynolds, said. “But, then the pendulum swings back, and there’s a lot of bannings.”
As of right now, that pendulum is swinging at full force. As time goes on, things will change. It will eventually swing back to the more neutral side, allowing people to settle their differences peacefully. For that to happen, differences in opinions should be celebrated rather than criticized. That should be a main focus, instead of taking away material from other people’s kids.