A major point of contention in America’s ongoing “culture wars” is being fought over book bans. Parents, activists, school board officials, and lawmakers are challenging books at an increasing rate. People of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community are bearing the brunt of these bans as books about race, gender, or sexuality are disproportionately challenged.
Except in the most egregious cases, this is educationally irresponsible as reading controversial books fosters critical thinking, provides a more diverse understanding of our world, and perhaps most importantly, nurtures empathy. In today’s increasingly diverse and polarized American society, anything that fosters critical thinking provides a more diverse understanding of our world, and nurtures empathy should be embraced and celebrated. If we are to overcome cultural divisions in America, the only way to do so is by creating opportunities to foster a culture where our differences are acknowledged but not vilified, our understanding of each other increased rather than ignored, and empathy toward our fellow humans is encouraged rather than discouraged or dismissed as being “woke.”
How can we unite as a country and society if we are unwilling to listen and attempt to understand voices, perspectives, and experiences that are different from our own? All voices are part of our collective community of Americans. We are an increasingly diverse nation of immigrants, and the notion that we can come together as a society without seeking to better understand such diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives is misguided and myopic. This is who we are. To survive as a healthy society, we must accept that reality and begin to work towards leveraging our diversity for the greater common good.
My understanding of how book bans can impact our worldview was recently raised and solidified after reading a critical, illuminating book by Percival Everett. James is a brilliant, powerful reimagining of the story of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn from the eyes of the enslaved person Jim’s point of view. Reading it recalled how it is the winners (White men) who get to write the history of our nation. This truth has never rung truer than when discussing the issue of banning books.
Because White men have controlled virtually all levers of power in our society for over 400 years, they have written our history. It is a history that has whitewashed and downplayed the challenges facing Blacks in a country that has denied them not only their fundamental rights but also their dignity and basic humanity.
Let’s be clear. The history taught in American schools falls woefully short of an honest, unvarnished account of racism in America, particularly around the dark institutions of slavery, Jim Crow, and the Civil Rights era. If you write the history, you tend to write a version that sheds the most favorable light upon yourself. It’s human nature.
Why is it important to highlight and examine the history of the Black experience in America, particularly as viewed by Black Americans themselves? The answer is straightforward. Without a truthful, unvarnished account and understanding of the past, we will never be able to recognize and address the challenges of the present and future. To that end, it is critical that we provide space for POC to tell their stories because their stories, like ours, are American stories. And because Whites have little understanding of what it means to be a POC in America, we should listen with respect, humility, and empathy.
With that as context, the purpose of this essay is to articulate what I experienced while reading James. Throughout the book, Everett offers a look into Jim’s thoughts and reactions to various situations. For example, in one scene, Jim shares a laugh with another slave when “we spotted a white man up the road. There was nothing that irritated white men more than a couple of slaves laughing. I suspected they were afraid we were laughing at them, or else they simply hated the idea of us having a good time.” (p. 27)
Or, when Huck asked of Jim, “Being a slave you got to do whatever your owner say to do?”
“Whateber dey say, I said. ‘Wheneber dey say. Dey say, ‘Jump,’ I say, ‘How high?’ Dey say, ‘Spit,’ I say, ‘How far?’” (p. 42)
Or when Jim explained to his children, “Whites expect us to sound a certain way, and it can only help if we don’t disappoint them. The only people who suffer when they are meant to feel inferior is us. Perhaps I should say ‘when they don’t feel superior.’” (p. 21)
Everett’s perspective and storytelling regarding what an enslaved American might have thought or how he or she might have reacted to various situations or experiences was powerful. Multiple times throughout the book, I found myself thinking, “He’s right. I hadn’t thought of things in that way before.” I repeatedly found myself nodding in agreement with Jim’s observations or commentary and shaking my head in disbelief at the examples of things Jim was expected to do or how he was expected to behave in various circumstances. This led to more shaking of my head in disbelief at the strength, intelligence, and courage it took to simply survive as an enslaved American. It caused me to wonder whether I would have been able to survive such vilification, disrespect, and outright hatred and cruelty.
But the overriding feeling I experienced was empathy. Everett’s writing is powerful because after processing my disbelief at the cruelty and inhumane treatment he experienced, I felt a tremendous sense of empathy for him.
Becoming more knowledgeable and open to the realities of Black Americans’ perspectives provides the space and opportunity to change your beliefs and behaviors. In short, to become more understanding and empathetic. This is precisely why we must provide access to books that offer different viewpoints rather than banning them. We all benefit when we are exposed to narratives that have not been written solely by White men. Huckleberry Finn was published in 1884. There has never been a retelling of that story from the viewpoint and perspective of an enslaved Black American. Hearing that perspective is long overdue.
Banning books that offer perspectives other than those of White men is simply another cowardly and myopic way to continue to erase or whitewash a crucially important part of our collective American history. It is irresponsible and benefits no one other than those who want to keep us mired in a world that no longer exists.
Dr. John R. Gerdy is the author of The Journey of an Old White Dude in the Age of Black Lives Matter: A Primer
