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[Audio] Banned in the USA What Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Thinks About Book Banning ENGL 1102 Oral Proficiency Project – 2025 Christopher Lee Carol Johnson June 28, 2025.

[Audio] Who Is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie & What Is Book Banning? She is a well-known writer from Nigeria. Her books are about race, gender, identity, and power. She talked on a show called Washington Post Live with Elahe Azadi. In one year, book bans in the U.S. went up by 33%. Some of her books have been banned in the U.S. too..

[Audio] Point #1 – Book Banning Shows How Divided We Are "Book banning...is not really about books...but about how divided people are." A lot of people who want books banned haven't even read them. Adichie says: "They don't read...they just assume it's about Black or gay people." My Thoughts: People ban books because they're scared or don't understand. It shows how divided and confused our country is right now..

[Audio] Point #2 – The End of Curiosity, Learning, and Storytelling Adichie says: "We are seeing the end of curiosity, creativity—even learning." When kids don't get to read real stories, they miss out on history and who they are. She warns: "In twenty years…they'll be lying" because they won't know the truth. My Thoughts: If we can't tell real stories, people won't know what really happened. Banning books stops people from thinking for themselves and caring about others..

[Audio] Censorship, Power, and Being Afraid to Speak Up Adichie says we're dealing with "an epidemic of self-censorship" (people afraid to speak up). She points out: "Nobody is banning books about people who came on the Mayflower." Most banned books are about minorities, LGBTQ people, or stories seen as anti-police. My Thoughts: Banning books is really about power—who gets to speak and who doesn't. It's not fair if only some stories are allowed to be told..

[Audio] My Thoughts and How We Can Fix It Banning books stops important conversations from happening. It makes people think that some truths are too dangerous to hear. My Solution: Instead of banning, we should read and talk about the books. Schools should help students understand books, not hide them. Reading should bring people together, not tear them apart..

[Audio] Conclusion – The Cost of Staying Silence Banning books could be the end of real learning. It could lead to a generation that doesn't know how to think for themselves. Adichie says we should speak up and not be afraid to tell the truth. Final Thought: We shouldn't be scared of knowledge—we should encourage it..