New removals in school curriculums and libraries: the wider message

In recent years, there has been a rise in discussion on book censorship in school libraries in Britain and the US. New Republican-lead censorship laws in US public schools have especially led to the trebling of banned books since last year, adding up to over 10,000 books between 2023 and 2024 from just over 3,000 the previous year. Recent studies have additionally seen increases in books being pulled from school libraries in the UK, including the classic American novel Of Mice and Men to be removed from the Welsh GCSE syllabus from September 2025 amid racial concerns. 

Shakespeare’s position as a symbol of Britishness likely gives his works an advantage over other lesser-known literature, however, it is still questionable that dated themes within the plays seem to be viewed less seriously than Of Mice and Men

The subject of book banning within schools often seems to follow a similar pattern of targets, ranging from classic literature including subjects and language questionable to modern society, to pieces focusing on LGBTQIA+ themes, feminism, and race and/or racism. The case of classical literature raises the question of the extent to which we should consider books a product of their time, as justifiable by their historical context, or as containing dangerous themes and ideas which should not be exposed to young people. The censoring of novels concerning LGBTQIA+ and race similarly questions what schools should be allowing young students to be exposed to or if they are rather limiting student opportunities for self-discovery and the normalisation of marginalised groups at an early and highly influential stage of life. 

As a third-year student of English Literature and History, I find the subject of novels and their position within a historical context to be of continuous relevance to me. I consider the historical book to be inseparable from its context. If taken at face value, classical literature certainly appears problematic in current society’s attempts at equality for marginalised groups as in some pieces there appears to be frequent racist, misogynistic, and homophobic themes and statements. This approach misses why studying or even just reading classic literature is important, and essentially dismisses the value of historical awareness, often which includes lessons important for young people to be aware of. A fellow English Literature and History student suggests secondary schools should include warnings when teaching literature containing sensitive material rather than completely remove anything. When asked about her experience teaching the plays of Shakespeare, for example, she pointed out that “Shakespeare isn’t really censored as it is taught that [the dated language and themes] are wrong.” It seems odd that plays like Othello, which depicts the marginalisation of the main character due to his race, and The Merchant of Venice’s antisemitic themes should continue to be taught without much pushback when other historical works containing similar themes become censored or removed from the secondary school curriculum. Shakespeare’s position as a symbol of Britishness likely gives his works an advantage over other lesser-known literature, however, it is still questionable that dated themes within the plays seem to be viewed less seriously than Of Mice and Men. 

Wales’ Children’s Commissioner Rocio Cifuentes stated that discussion of the book in classes had been “psychologically and emotionally” harmful to black students

The debate concerning classic literature has been the cause of uproars on social media and is frequently targeted by ‘cancel culture’, attempting to cancel long-dead authors because they include out-of-date ideas in their works.  Some have raised the concerns about looking into a classic book’s content without considering its purpose of writing or its contextual information. Indeed, many plots outlined in these books would not be applicable to modern writing. Some of their examples (which include Dostoyevsky’s White Nights and Brontë’s Wuthering Heights), with their themes of age-gap relationships, misogyny, and racism, would certainly not be written with the same approach in a modern novel. They do not consider though, that such themes would either be the norm or, at least, more common during their time of writing than they are today. We can and should acknowledge that they are wrong, but we cannot blame authors for conforming to their own societal values.  

It is important, however, to consider why Of Mice and Men specifically has been removed from the GCSE curriculum. Wales’ Children’s Commissioner Rocio Cifuentes stated that discussions of the book in classes were “psychologically and emotionally” harmful to black students. The discussion of novels in classrooms that cover such themes and represent important historical issues is essential learning for students who should be aware of conversations on race and racism; however, we should indeed take care of the method with which they are presented. However, some argue that alternative texts may offer the opportunity for similar informed discussions while allowing the experience to remain positive and constructive for all students involved. 

There is also an underlying and wider issue surrounding the removal of novels concerning race in classrooms, namely how teachers approach the conversation and ensure the classroom is safe for all students. Bullying in schools is known to be an ongoing issue, with around one in four people being impacted in British schools. It is additionally concerning that this is happening directly to students within the classroom during discussions while teachers are present. There undoubtedly should be more focus on dealing with bullying within schools, which seems to be the core issue, before removing historically important works from teaching. 

The censorship of modern pieces focusing on the LGBTQIA+ and feminism calls for a separate argument. Assumably, the removal of such works from school libraries stems from the idea that young people should not be exposed to ideas of gender and sexuality, since (as some argue) they are not mature enough to understand the topics. When asked about the topic, Cameron Curry, a Gender and Sexualities Master’s student at the University of Birmingham, said: “Removing literature about gender and sexuality from libraries is not only illogical but also won’t stop people from being themselves. It’s also illogical to assume young people can’t figure out their identity. It doesn’t matter what age people are or what information people have access to, they’ll still be who they are.” I see little reasoning for why schools should see it fit to remove opportunities for self-discovery and, frankly, a safe space to explore their identity by removing works on the subject. With many schools and, perhaps especially, school libraries being an area of calm and escapism for many students, it seems especially harmful and targeted. 

The removal of such literature also contradicts points made by those working within schools on why Of Mice and Men should be replaced. They emphasise the need for more authors of mixed backgrounds across the curriculum and for a wider range of inclusive texts to be taught, but it seems that this does not apply to themes of gender and sexuality, of which there are many historical and contemporary texts which could be applied. Instead, set texts are often written by men and portray white, straight, privileged characters. While Of Mice and Men does provide an opportunity for the implementation of a text which is both historically valuable and offers a positive learning experience for students, it is frankly odd and contradictory that ones which do fulfil these requirements are being removed, and even more so that other potentially harmful books remain in school curriculums. There clearly needs to be a re-evaluation of what literature is being taught and how difficult texts should be approached professionally and constructively.