A finalist for the 2026 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing from the Writers Foundation
• Best book of 2025 according to the Winnipeg Free Press
Freedom to read is under attack.
From the destruction of libraries in ancient Rome to today's state-sponsored efforts to suppress LGBT literature, book bans arise from the drive toward social control.In a survey of legal cases, literary controversies, and philosophical arguments, Ira Wells outlines historical opposition to freedom to read and argues that today's conservatives and progressives alike distort our children's relationship with literature and teach them that the solution to opposing views is outright deletion.
At a moment when our democratic institutions are collapsing under the weight of polarization, On Book Bans is a rallying cry and a guide to resistance for those who would always insist on reading for themselves.In On Book Bans, Ira Wells provides direct, sharp writing that highlights repressed voices and challenges readers to question the moral authority of censorship. Rejecting academic neutrality and easy provocation, Wells presents rigorous research with clarity and balance, combining the absurd with the fascinating.
His work is characterized by passion and empathy, invites sustained contemplation of the freedom, responsibility, and imperfect humanity behind all writing, and leaves readers with a deeper, more aware engagement with literature.
