Reading can expand our minds, provide pleasure and comfort, and help us understand ourselves and the world around us. But the freedom to read is under threat in the UK.
Last month, the Index on Censorship reported that a school in Greater Manchester has removed nearly 200 books from its library and, up until she resigned, the school librarian faced a disciplinary hearing and the risk of police involvement for stocking certain ‘inappropriate’ books. These books included the likes of Laura Bates’ Men Who Hate WomenNova Reid’s The Good AllyScarlett Curtis’ Feminists Don’t Wear Pink, Sarah Graham’s Rebel BodiesBernadine Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, Other and Michelle Obama’s memoir, Becoming. What do all these books have in common? They are viewed as ‘inappropriate’ for young people because they cover themes such as feminism, anti-racism, and LGBTQ+ lives.
This isn’t an isolated incident. In fact, research from University College London found that “book-banning and censorship attempts are becoming increasingly prominent within UK school libraries”. And this is all happening in a year where the UK government wants to spotlight reading for pleasure with its 2026 campaign, the National Year of Reading.
Reading amongst younger generations is on the decline, but has been shown to have a positive impact on young people’s career prospects, mental wellbeing, creativity, imagination, and empathy levels. However, according to recent National Literacy Trust research, reading for pleasure among children and teenagers has fallen to its lowest level since 2005. Just one in three eight‑ to 18‑year‑olds say they enjoy reading in their spare time, with teenage boys the least likely to pick up a book. In a time when young people are less likely to pick up a book, restricting and controlling the freedom to read is an even more terrifying prospect. So why are certain books being banned from schools in the UK?
Rebel Bodies explores the systemic and deep-rooted sexism within the world of medicine and what it’ll take to bridge the gender health gap, whilst also shining a light on the patients, doctors and campaigners who are fighting for a better future. Speaking to Glamourauthor Sarah Graham expressed her concern at books being banned, especially in schools. “The banning of books like mine as ‘inappropriate’ is deeply worrying… School libraries should be safe spaces for our children and young people to find resources and information they may not be able to access at home.” She adds that one of the main reasons she wrote her book was to “empower all women and people assigned female at birth with information about their bodies and how to access the healthcare they need and deserve but which, under our current health system, isn’t always easy to come by.” Graham deliberately made Rebel Bodies political because the “personal is political” and that’s “rarely more true than when it comes to women’s bodies.”
“If we’re going to improve women’s health outcomes, we desperately need to be able to have open conversations about our bodies, to destigmatise female health issues, and to insist they’re better prioritised at policy, research and clinical levels; as well as educating women, girls and the wider public. Schools are ideally placed for this and should be supporting these conversations, not censoring them,” adds Graham.
The socio-political context of the US and its influence on British life could be driving censorship in schools. In the US, book censorship has spiralled to unprecedented levels, with states passing laws and regulations to facilitate book bans and politicians (and right-wing groups like Moms for Liberty) using their influence to pressure school leaders into removing certain books from their shelves. And this influence stems from the very top, as, under the guise of ‘returning education to parents’, the Trump administration has released a series of executive orders that bolster and strengthen efforts to censor children’s access to literature.
