To be fair, most of these are not curriculum books. They're books that are simply stocked in the library. Every year there's a push from a certain group of people (racists) who want to ban books like To Kill A Mockingbird, which isn't a curriculum based novel in most schools today. I'm all for libraries naturally adding and removing books to fit with the times. And while I understand for instance the books I had to read in HS English - 1984, Lord Of The Flies, etc - are likely no longer heavily used in curriculums today I would expect and want those books to still be readily available in a school or local library. Because they're important literary works and hold some value in being read by young children whose minds/thoughts are in a state of development.
I'd expect a lot of sex ed books get added/replaced a lot quicker than a standard literary work. So I certainly agree that removing those books is fine in that context. But in the context of removing them because they're "obscene" or because a certain group of people have been opposed to sex education for decades? Nah.
I would also say this is important to me in part due to an experience I had in English class as a kid. At one point towards the end of a semester we had to read The House On Mango Street. I didn't know it at the time, but it's one of the most challenged or banned books in American school systems. There's a scene in the book where the main character purchases a beautiful red dress, goes out one night and is raped. There's also a lot of domestic violence in the book. As a kid I HATED the book and struggled to finish it. I wrote a scathing book review for it, and part of my argument was that the character's rape was due to her own actions (wearing a revealing dress). The day it was due, a friend of mine asked if she could read my report. I gave it to her, and watched her face go from interested to dead/disgust. She gave me my report back and didn't say anything. Later I learned she had been raped a couple years earlier.
My teacher gave me a C-, the only non A grade I received in her class. She was a feminist and frankly should have given me an F. We had conversations about that paper from the time I wrote it until I graduated. The book and the conversations it sparked changed my perspective on a lot of things. I was also able to apologize to my classmate later on.
In short...the point of English classes and novel assignments is to be introduced to different perspectives, different ideas, to understand others, and share unique perspectives. Beyond sex ed books, a lot of books featuring gay characters are being banned. Books about slavery or civil rights are being banned. Books about Jewish experiences are being banned. When I say "banned" I mean moved from school curriculums and libraries forever. This is objectively wrong.
