Whether to buy books or trinkets or to accompany friends, students flock to the media center every morning and lunch for one special week in December: the book fair. Books of all types and genres are bought, and specialty stationery is purchased.
The book fair has an overwhelming amount of books to choose from, with genres ranging from cookbooks to horror, and introduces different types of stories to students.
“It’s really fun, I’ve been going to the book fair since elementary school and I’ve gotten a lot of things from there. I’m glad I got to go this year,” Savannah Topping, seventh-grade dance major said.
Along with help from Media Center specialists Tamara Bejarano and Micah Kossove, the book fair is primarily operated by the Bak Parent Teacher Organization and receives donations from the student community.
“It’s fun, I like to see all the kids coming in and enjoy finding books to read,” Daniele Majer, Bak PTO member said.
However, books throughout Florida have been facing recent scrutiny and many stories have been pulled from shelves due to mature subjects. Many of these books have been targeted to discuss topics such as race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality.
Censorship has been occurring for centuries. In an academic paper written for the City University of New York, Susan Rahyab stated that many Roman emperors censored the writings of poets, philosophers, and writers who spoke out against the monarchial rule. In 1852, a book critical of slavery, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, was banned in the South, according to the First Amendment Museum. Nazis publicly burned books to suppress Jewish, liberal, and disabled voices, in addition to those who disagreed with the Nazi’s strong nationalistic views according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The NBC reports of a 2022 book burning by a Tennessee church. In the massive bonfire, ‘demonic’ titles like Twilight and Harry Potter were merrily thrown in.
In Escambia County, located in Florida’s panhandle, Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary has been pulled for containing sexual content, according to Education Week. Wishtree, banned from libraries and classrooms in Indian River County, follows an old red oak tree, which being an oak tree, has both female and male reproductive parts and therefore welcomes any pronouns. According to UPenn, the book, whose main themes were community, tolerance, and inclusion, was banned for promoting diverse pronouns.
Conversely, Palm Beach County books remain free to students. While four have been challenged, all remain on library shelves. Amid the purposeful censorship of student’s knowledge, the book fair and media center in their essence help students access books.
The Hate U Give is a commonly challenged book and is banned pending investigation in two Florida counties, according to the United States House of Representatives. The book’s protagonist, Starr, is the only witness when a white police officer shoots and kills her best friend. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, the book has been challenged for being anti-police or exposing children to ideas of critical race theory. However, The Hate U Give was available at the school’s exhibit of books.
Books are widely available and should continue to be so as they allow peers to open up and discover different aspects and appreciations that the world has to offer. It opens doors for students to “look through the looking glass” and observe society with a new pair of glasses. Many students hold books dear and know the incredible worth they add to their lives.
”People can read and have imagination, have a great mind,” Topping said.
According to Mather Hospital, reading regularly has a long-lasting effect on your brain. In addition to helping with sleep and relaxation, it improves function, memory, and connectivity.
”Reading improves so much of your brain, that if you don’t read, you don’t have some key brain features. So it’s kind of sad if you don’t read,” Fincher said.
Student access to books is necessary for their learning and growth. If a one-week bookstore in the media center’s back room is what we need for the continued spread of knowledge, it too is essential.
