BookTok has taken the world by storm as more and more people fall in love with reading. Because of this, many TikTokers are bringing attention to banned books, such as one Oklahoma woman, who was amazed to find so many banned books at Barnes & Noble.
TikTok user Taurusmoney, Mz. Sparkz, recently visited her local Barnes & Noble and was shocked by what books fall into the ‘banned books’ category. She says in her video, “They’re banning them. I’m buying them. Don’t let them control what you’re allowed to learn.” Mz. Sparkz was left utterly shocked due to the fact she’s read a lot of the books in the banned books section at the bookstore.
As she pans around the section in the store, you can see many popular titles familiar to many. Perhaps a couple of these are on your very own bookshelf: Margaret Atwoods’s The Handmaid’s Tale, J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, and Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange. Even S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders is on there, which many students, myself included, read in middle school and high school.
Mz. Sparkz looks on with awe as she laughs and states, “They banned Gone With the Wind. What in the world?!” She’s quite disturbed by it, commenting on how many are great reads. Mz. Sparkz says in the caption to her video, “If a book is being banned, that’s usually a sign it’s worth reading.”
There are many reasons why books are frequently banned. Parents find out their children are reading something that might have graphic content or take a political stance and they push to have the novel banned so fewer people can get their hands on it (mainly in school libraries).
To touch base on some of the works mentioned in Mz. Sparkz’s video, Gone With the Wind was banned in various settings for racist stereotyping and the alleged romanticization of slavery. The Outsiders was challenged and banned in school settings due to the depiction of gang violence and drug use throughout the novel.
People Online Were Just as Dumbfounded By Mz. Sparkz’s Discovery
Many TikTok viewers gave their two cents on why these books were deemed ‘dangerous.’ These books tend to lean into politics and social issues. Among the top comments, a viewer asked, “And WHAT do alllll of these books have in common?? Anyone?”
Others commented, one of whom replied, “I think these books give people some type of awakening?” Another stated, “They contain lessons on fascism, slavery, control, women’s rights, LGBTQ themes, and they cause metacognition. So yeah – you’re pretty close.” One commenter specifically mentioned The Handmaid’s Tale, arguing it’s banned because “it’s happening in real time.” With women no longer having the right to an abortion, it’s hard to argue otherwise.
In a somewhat funny and disturbing twist of fate, a TikTok viewer pointed out the ridiculousness of banning Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. “Fahrenheit 451 is literally about banning books. So they’re banning a book about banning books.”
This video continues to pull in viewers, who share their reactions upon seeing so many familiar banned books. Its popularity continues because viewers are interested in expressing their feelings on why certain books ended up on the list and what that means for America.
